Publishing a Self Study Online

Publish a Self-Study Report to a Website

Self-Study administrators can create websites for self-studies and publish them online in an easily navigable format by following these step-by-step instructions:

  • Navigate to the report’s Overview section, click Manage Websites.

    The Watermark Self‑Study 2023 dashboard showing the self‑study overview with the Manage Websites button highlighted in the main content area.

  • Click Create Website. Enter a title and customize the url.

    The Websites page showing an empty state message indicating no websites have been created yet with a Create Website button displayed at the top right.

  • Click Next after entering a title and custom url.

    The Add Website page showing the Website Details form with fields for title and custom URL populated and the Next button displayed in the top right.

    Website Details: The self-study administrator must define a Title and Custom URL for the website. Administrators can append custom text to the default URL to establish a unique website for the specific self-study. "Title" and "Customize URL" are mandatory fields when creating a website.

    The default URL will be a combination of the server name + name of the institution. The custom text to append to the URL must be made up of letters, numbers and dashes, and must be unique to other websites.

  • Upload Institution Logo (optional): Select a file to upload the main institutional logo or a specific department mark.

    The Add Website design section showing institution logo upload requirements with logo size guidelines, accepted file types, and header background color options displayed.

    The uploaded logo appears prominently in the top-left corner of the website. To update or remove a logo, use the management interface to delete the current file or upload a replacement.

  • Customizing the Website Header: Header colors can be modified to better complement the uploaded logo and overall branding.
  • Locate the Header Color selection buttons within the branding menu.
  • Select either the White or Charcoal background option.

    The header background color settings showing selectable options for White or Charcoal to provide sufficient contrast for the institution logo.
  • Observe the Real-Time Design Preview to verify the selection.

    The website export page showing the self‑study content layout with a left navigation panel, an institutional mission section, and mapped standards displayed in the main content area.

    Note: The website title automatically adjusts its contrast based on the selected header color. This dynamic readability feature ensures the site remains accessible regardless of the chosen background.

  • Select Standards to Display: Once the website details are defined, the self-study administrator can select which standards for the selected template to display on the website. All standards for the selected template will be selected by default; administrators can choose to select and deselect the standards for their website as needed.

    The Select Standards step showing a checklist of accreditation sections with auto‑select children enabled and multiple standards selected for inclusion in the website.

  • Set Security: The last step is to set the security on the self-study website. Administrators can choose to make the website public or private by selecting the given options. Upon completing the steps and clicking Create Website, the system will create the website link.

    The Security step showing website access options with settings to allow public access by link or require a password before creating the website.

    Once a self-study website exists, it will display under the Websites heading under Manage Websites.

    The Manage Websites page showing a list of created self‑study websites with the Watermark Self‑Study 2023 entry displayed, including creation details and action icons, and a Create Website button at the top right.

    Clicking on the name of the website will open the website link in a new tab. Administrators can share this link with other users by clicking Copy Website Link.

    The Manage Websites page showing a created self‑study website with action icons for copying the website link, downloading, and accessing additional options.

    An offline version can be downloaded by clicking Download Offline Version (middle button).

    The Manage Websites page showing a created self‑study website with the Download offline version icon highlighted among the available action options.

    They can also edit or delete the website by clicking the kebab menu. Clicking the edit function will open a new page where the administrator can edit any of the website settings.

    The Manage Websites page showing a created self‑study website with the actions menu expanded, displaying options to edit or delete the website.

    Websites created with the “Require password” option will present a password entry screen when a user with the website link tries to access it.

    The password required dialog showing a secure access prompt with a self‑study password input field and a Submit button.

    Upon entering the valid password the user will gain access to the self-study website contents. From here, users can also access the evidence for the relevant standards.

    The website export page showing the SACS Compliance Certification content with a left navigation panel and the Financial Resources standard displayed in the main content area.

    Deleting the section or standard will unlink it from any related evidence and delete the narrative data. The evidence will still be available in the Overview section. The narrative data will not be recoverable.

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