January 5, 2011
Everything you always wanted to know about UW policies: See the new UW Policy Directory
Ever wonder where to find the definitive guide to institution-wide policies, orders, rules and by-laws?
Until recently, any search might still have left you wondering. The documents were found in various places, with indexes and chapter headings that were somewhat helpful, but the possibility of overlooking an important statement was likely, if not inevitable. The system, if it could be called that, was unwieldy to use and even harder to revise.
The Rules Coordination Office has finally brought the often-unwieldy world of institutional policies into the 21st century with the creation of the UW Policy Directory. The site represents the culmination of more than five years work by the offices two-person staff, as well as extensive consultation with the Faculty Senate and members of the Provosts Office. “We spent about a year and a half just culling documents,” says Rebecca Deardorff, the offices director.
The new site includes many documents that formerly were in the University Handbook. The Handbook itself was an eclectic thing. It began – no one is sure exactly when — as the Faculty Handbook, provided to all new faculty as a summary of administrative policies with which they should be familiar. As a paper document, it was updated yearly. In the late 1960s, it became the University Handbook and its scope was broadened to include regental actions, executive orders and other memos announcing campus-wide policies. Although it was compiled by the Secretary of the Faculty, it was not a faculty document per se.
When the Web became the obvious repository for compendia of this type, the Handbook moved to the Web but maintained all the idiosyncrasies of a paper document. Cross references were nonexistent. The overall organization was difficult for many to follow. The Handbook did not include any references to Administrative Policy Statements. And it did not encompass elements of the Washington Administrative Code that pertained to the UW.
The new resource solves most of these problems. It is reorganized into categories that refer to the source for various policies. The site is searchable in pieces or as a whole. “The site makes it clear who is responsible for a policy, who has the ability to change it, the policys history and how to cite it,” Deardorff says.
The new site also corrects some anomalies, such as the formerly “unnumbered Presidential Orders,” which have now been assigned their own (Roman numeral) numbering system.
Perhaps most important for the casual user is the extensive cross-referencing to related policies and actions. There is also a helpful tab on the site listing policies and documents that have been recently updated, as well as links to where other policies which are not institution-wide might be found.
As the documents were reorganized, Deardorff and Merrelli Munk, web information specialist, developed a “roadmap” so that links to the Handbook in the new UW website arent lost. In addition to the reorganized Handbook materials, the site includes all Administrative Policy Statements, which provide the University’s administrative approach to implementing a statute, rule, agency order or other provision of law or policy, and the UW sections in the Washington Administrative Code, along with links to the state site for other sections of the code.
Deardorff and Munk, who probably have used this information more than any other people on campus, went through several iterations of the site before they were satisfied with its organization. But it remains a work in progress. “We expect that the site will enjoy greater visibility, which no doubt will raise questions about outdated or confusing policies,” Deardorff says. “Because the UW is a dynamic institution, and also because in the regulatory sphere there is an ever-greater emphasis on compliance, we expect the site will change and grow over time. We encourage user comments to help keep the site in order.”
Deardorff also is available to train anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how the site works. Contact her at: 206-543-9219, rebeccad@uw.edu.
Oh, in case you were wondering, the activities of the Rules Coordination Office are covered under Executive Order #47.
