Web Support and Design

NIU websites are created and maintained in Cascade Server, our web server and content management system. We can create a new site in Cascade or update an existing site for you. In certain cases, we'll give you access to Cascade so you can make updates yourself.

Please note: We offer other options for faculty websites. Read more about web support for faculty.

Updating and Creating Sites

We can make updates to websites on the Cascade Server. If you need an update to your site, fill out our web update request form.

If you need a new website created, fill out our new site request form. We'll work with you to develop the site using an NIU web template.

Conversions

We regularly convert existing sites to the newest NIU web template. Before converting your site, we'll complete an assessment of your current site. This includes:

• Meeting with you to discuss the site.
• Performing an audit of all the pages on your site.
• Making suggestions to improve the content and navigation of the site.

Using Cascade

To coordinate efforts across campus and ensure a consistent web presence for NIU, we identified three levels of Cascade access:

• Coordinators are the subject matter experts in their areas. They use the web update request form or work with the contributor in their area on site updates.
• Contributors have limited access to Cascade. Their job titles include IT or web maintenance.
• Managers have full access to Cascade. Only select users will be assigned this role.

We provide training for each level of access. If you have any questions about access to Cascade, please contact us at webcommunications@niu.edu.

Cascade Resources

Here are some resources for contributors and managers:

• Cascade Login
• Cascade Knowledge Base

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to track web traffic and user behavior on most NIU websites. Analytics can reveal helpful information about visitors to your site, such as:

• How they found your site.
• How long they stayed.
• How many pages they viewed.
• Where they live.
• What actions they took on your site.

Contact us if you would like to know more about your site's performance.