Web and Digital

Important Note: The Engineering Communications Team strongly advises that you don't delete an object from the Zope infrastructure. If something needs to be removed, we recommend creating an Archive folder and moving the items into that folder. If you need the item to be unavailable to everyone else, contact webmaster-eng@purdue.edu to set appropriate permissions on the Archive folder for you.

Purdue Engineering Web Resources

Policy on Using AI for Purdue Engineering Web Pages

Overview

All pages published on Purdue College of Engineering websites must be built within our official website template (referred to as the "wrap," the latest being wrap09).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can assist in writing text or formatting body content, but AI cannot generate a complete, standalone web page. Content generated by AI must be edited by a human and placed into our standard template before publication.

See Purdue's AI Content Guidelines for the university's complete set of rules regarding AI use.

Why You Must Use the Official Template

Using our standard template for all pages ensures:

  • Visual Consistency: Prevents sudden layout changes across pages, maintaining a cohesive, professional appearance for the college.
  • Convenience: Provides pre-built content blocks configured via simple web forms, matching Purdue Brand Studio standards without additional design work.
  • Accessibility: Ensures that the basic layout complies with accessibility requirements, which is a mandate imposed by Purdue for legal liability reasons.
  • Brand Conformity: Guarantees proper application of Purdue logos, typography, and color schemes.
  • Site Navigation: Links pages directly into the broader site architecture so visitors do not end up on isolated pages with no way to explore related content.

Approved Uses of AI

1. Text Drafts and Polishing

  • AI may be used to outline, draft, or refine text.
  • Requirement: A human editor must review, fact-check, and edit all AI-generated text before it is published.

2. Body-Only HTML Formatting

  • AI may convert raw text into HTML code, provided it generates only the inner body content (the text and formatting inside the page), not full HTML documents containing <html>, <head>, or <body> wrapper tags.

Technical Instructions for AI Content Generation

When prompting an AI tool to format body content, instruct it to follow these constraints:

  • Use Standard HTML: Limit output to clean, standard markup (e.g., headings, paragraphs, standard lists).
  • No Inline Styles: Do not include manual formatting properties (e.g., style="color: red;"). Rely entirely on the site’s built-in stylesheet.
  • Use Bootstrap 5.3 Classes: Apply standard Bootstrap 5.3 layout classes for structural arrangements like columns or grids.
  • Maintain Accessibility: Ensure output complies with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards (e.g., proper heading hierarchies, descriptive link text, alt text for images).
  • Avoid JavaScript: AI-generated output should not require custom JavaScript scripts to render or display content properly.

Interactive Tools and Complex Features

If a page requires custom JavaScript—such as an interactive tool, dynamic search, or complex database filter—contact the web management team before starting work to ensure your proposed solution can be integrated securely and effectively into the college web infrastructure.

AI Prompt Template for Web Content Generation

When using an AI tool to generate HTML content for a college web page, copy and paste the text below into your prompt before describing your content requirements:

You are an assistant formatting HTML content for insertion into a Purdue Engineering web page template. You must adhere strictly to the following constraints:

1. Scope: Generate ONLY inner body HTML. Do NOT include <!DOCTYPE html>, <html>, <head>, or <body> tags, or page-level boilerplate.
2. Styling and Layout: Use standard semantic HTML elements for all text and structure (h2-h4, p, ul, ol, table). Do NOT use typography or color classes (e.g., no display-*, fw-*, text-*, or h1-h6 utility classes). Bootstrap 5.3 classes are permitted STRICTLY for grid and layout structures (e.g., row, col-*). Do NOT write inline styles (no style="" attributes). 
3. Scripts: Do NOT generate or include any JavaScript code or script tags.
4. Accessibility: Ensure output complies with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Rely on native semantic elements (h2-h4, nav, table, button). Use ARIA attributes ONLY when native HTML elements cannot provide the required accessibility semantics.

Format the following content according to the rules above:

[INSERT YOUR TEXT OR CONTENT REQUEST HERE]