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Recently, in a kickoff meeting for a higher education website project, the vice president of marketing announced that to get the website done on schedule, she was informing the president that the internal marketing team would cancel an issue of the alumni magazine and some other annual projects from their schedule.

“It’s the only way the site will get done. We need to free up resources,” she said.

I appreciated this straightforward, no-nonsense approach to resource planning for a website.

The American’s with Disabilities Act was first passed in 1990, at a time when the internet was still in its infancy and the bill was focused primarily on physical spaces. Over time, the bill has adapted to creating accessible spaces in the digital world as well — as have the penalties for failing to do so.  

Congratulations! May 1 has passed. That means you have sent out acceptances and yielded your class. Well done. Months of hard work have brought you to this point — time to take a breath.

But then what? After all, the phenomenon of summer melt is real. Content holes still need to be filled. And how can we make sure we do an even better job next year? As we slide into summer, here are five action items to keep you rolling.

“How does our site compare to our peers?” This is one of the most common questions we get from our clients. To help answer it and to benchmark your site, we’ve compiled the analytics on a set of higher education websites to understand the current browsing behaviors. This data captures browsing behavior between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.

Real-world accessibility solutions have been commonplace for some time. Wheelchair accessible ramps outside of buildings, braille numbers on ATM keypads, and chirping audio cues at crosswalks are just a few accessibility features we often take for granted. How accessibility translates to the digital space, however, is a question that industries across the web are still struggling to answer. Particularly in higher education.

Last month, in response to a Justice Department accessability order, The University of California, Berkeley had two options:

Higher education institutions tend to define “non-traditional students” or “adult learners” as students over 25 who are returning to college to complete an undergraduate degree or undertake an undergraduate degree for the first time. Under this definition, approximately 38% of college students in the U.S.

When most people think of virtual reality, they conjure images of clunky headsets and an endless sea of wires and sensors. They may think of video games, and futuristic setups with users strapped into sophisticated rigs exploring complex digital environments. They almost certainly don’t think about higher education.

But as the technology progresses, it might be time to start questioning how higher education can benefit from virtual reality.

Last November, I presented at Confab Higher Ed on what higher ed can learn from new trends in email newsletters. Yes, you read that right: email newsletters, arguably the hottest digital platform today (sorry, Snapchat) and it was invented in 1972.

The concept of website personalization is a simple one.

To improve the overall experience of its users, a site utilizes information — such as geographical location, browsing history, and demographic data — to present unique content that’s specific to each individual’s needs. We’ve all experienced the power of personalization and an improved experience through Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook. These sites improve our digital experience – and draw us deeper into the product – by providing the most relevant content.

I started with OHO in November of 2015 and one of the first calendar invites I received was an invite to OHO’s Annual Volunteer Day. I was excited even though I didn’t really know anyone yet, but as it turns out this was probably the best possible introduction to both the folks at OHO and the company in general. Whether through Content, UX, or Development, OHO is the sort of place that takes pride in the impact of our work, and volunteering gives us a chance to get out of our heads and give back to our local community.