Introduction
The University of Oregon offers students, faculty, and staff a variety of supported services for academic blogging, web publishing, and online collaboration. The purpose of these services is to foster the creation and transfer of knowledge throughout the community of scholars and advance the university’s mission of academic inquiry, learning, and service.
The Terms of Service outlined in this document are applicable to all such services. In cases where additional service-specific terms and conditions are required, they will be published as About and/or Help resources for that service.
User Responsibilities and Acceptable Use
By using campus blogging, web publishing, and online collaboration services, you agree to observe all applicable laws and university policies, including but not limited to:
Aspects of law and policy with particular relevance include prohibitions against commercial use, copyright infringement, plagiarism, harassment, and interference with university operations. You have the responsibility to keep up-to-date on published changes in the services you use and to adapt to those changes as necessary.
Best Practices
Brand Standards
It is the policy of the University of Oregon to regulate and control the use of the university's identifying marks including the university's name and seal, and its various trademarks, collective membership, and service marks.
Websites representing UO-sponsored activities are expected to comply with UO Web Standards. UO-sponsored activities include, but are not limited to, schools, colleges, departments, programs, labs, and administrative units. Authors of these sites should use themes and designs that incorporate the approved green or black UO banner and all other required elements.
Personal websites developed by individual faculty, staff, and students are the responsibility of their authors. To avoid creating the impression that the author is representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the university, authors are expected to:
- Use themes and designs that do not include university branding, and
- Include the following disclaimer:
"DISCLAIMER This site is maintained by the author for personal and professional communications as authorized by the University of Oregon's computer use policies. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the University of Oregon."
Non-Course-Related Use
Campus blogging, web publishing, and online collaboration services may be used for a wide variety of academic purposes. Examples include communication and outreach, individual or group blogs, project or group websites, and individual or team portfolios of written and creative work.
Course-Related Use
Campus blogging, web publishing, online collaboration services, and social media can support a variety of learning objectives, including, but not limited to:
- Sharing academic insights, expertise, dialogue, and feedback with fellow students, the university community, and the general public
- Fostering information management and media development skills needed for 21st-century professional careers and responsible digital citizenship
- Building a body of work that can be added to a professional electronic portfolio
However, due to the public nature of Internet publishing, these goals must be pursued using methods that comply with established University of Oregon policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Under these policies and laws, enrollment in a class, as well as work conducted for the course, constitute protected education records that cannot be disclosed to third parties without prior written consent.
Instructors should be aware that course-related content students enter into any online system constitutes an education record, and FERPA regulations require that the content be protected from disclosure without student consent. Disclosure in this context includes posting student content openly on the Internet. Therefore, if you require the use of blogs, web publishing, online collaboration, social media, or other publicly accessible communication tools, all of your students must complete the Registrar's Consent for Disclosure Form, sign it, and turn it into you.
There are several methods students can use to protect their privacy when working with internet-based course activity with the potential for public view. These options are listed on the Consent for Disclosure Form. Note that students have the option of checking more than one method in order to allow flexibility of access according to specific assignments. For more information, please refer to the MOCCA Privacy Policy website.
Additional questions about FERPA or students' rights to privacy may be directed to the Office of the Registrar by phone at (541) 346-2935 or by email at registrar@uoregon.edu.
Blog, Website, and Display Names
Standard convention calls for users to use their Duck IDs for their blogs and display names. However, users wishing to protect their privacy and identity may select blog and display names that differ from their Duck ID. Users must select names that are not already in use or provisioned to another user either for their blogs or for their Duck IDs. Users agree to not create blog or display names that are offensive, indecent, objectionable, impersonates, or implies impersonation of another individual, group, or organization.
The University of Oregon reserves the right to resolve conflicts with blog, site, and display names and to inactivate any site or user account pending investigation for compliance with these policies.
Exportability and Archiving
Export: Where access to service requires an active Duck ID, users who graduate or leave the university will no longer have access to their sites for updating, although the sites may remain visible for a limited time. Owners who wish to maintain personal sites after leaving the UO are responsible for exporting their content to another hosting environment.
Archiving: Sites representing UO departments or programs are electronic records subject to established retention schedules, including permanent archiving when appropriate. See the Transferring University Archive Records website for more information.
Individual student and faculty authors may choose to archive their work in the Scholars' Bank repository. See the Scholar's Bank website for details.