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Frequently Asked Questions about MyISU

General Information

What is the MyISU portal?

It is the central website for the entire ISU community to tap into online academic resources, administrative services, community information, the Internet at large and personal web-based e-mail accounts. It does not replace the ISU website, or Banner.

How do I access it?

Go to http://isuportal.indstate.edu or click the MyISU link on the ISU homepage.

What features are common to ALL users (students, faculty and staff) under this one login?

• View and change your official university biographical information (mailing address, e-mail address, phone numbers, emergency contacts and marital status). What can be seen and what can be updated will vary by type of person.
• University course schedule
• Group Portals
• Personal calendar system
• Targeted and campus-wide announcements
• Password changing

What additional features are available just for students under this one login?

• Course homepages with chat rooms, message boards and links to keep you in touch with your instructor and classmates.
• Registration and add/drop capability
• wing of grades, schedule, holds, academic transcript and account information
• Viewing of financial aid status, awards, and eligibility information
• Online payment of your university bill (tuition, room/board, and fines) with Visa or MasterCard.
• Links to Blackboard online-delivered courses
• DARS reports (Degree Auditing and Reporting System)

What additional features are available for just for faculty under this one login?

• Automatically created course homepages with chat rooms, message boards and links to keep you in touch with your students
• Automated e-mail lists to make sending a message to all registered students a one-step process for each section.
• Your teaching schedule, class lists, and grade rosters
• Viewing of student information for advising (program of study, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail address, class schedules, and academic transcripts)
• DARS reports
• Entering of student-specific registration overrides

What additional features are available for employees, including faculty, under this one login?

• Sending and reading e-mail.
• The Banner Web for Employee program enables employees to view pay stubs, tax forms, vacation accrual, etc. through the portal.

What if I am a faculty member or employee and also an ISU student?

The special features for both will be available with your one login. You will see both the courses you are taking and those you are teaching on the same My Courses tab.

What are targeted announcements and how can I submit an item?

Within the MyISU Portal, there is the capability of sending messages to a select group of people. These appear for a set period of time on the specified user group's Personal or Campus Announcements channel and/or as an e-mail to the specified user group's personal e-mail accounts. Visit the MyISU Targeted Announcement page for complete information.

Are there other areas of MyISU that only certain groups, say ISU students, see?

Yes. There is special information just for students on the Student tab too. Events and announcements that only students will see are maintained by Student Life Programs. Visit the MyISU Targeted Announcement page for complete information.

Is the MyISU portal available at all times?

MyISU has no scheduled "down time" but may be unavailable on Fridays from 8:00pm to 12:00 midnight for maintenance. There will be a message announcing the down time in the Campus Announcements and on the MyISU login page. Self-Services on the Homepage tab and the Quick Links on the Student, Faculty and Employee tabs also require maintenance which makes the features tied to the Banner database unavailable Friday evenings from 7:00pm to 12:00 midnight, and on Sunday evenings from 9:00pm to 12:00 midnight.

Why will students want to login to the portal once a day if possible?

The most practical reasons include:

• To stay on top of your courses. Faculty may use the Course Homepages to send students information and to post resources needed for class.
• To get informed about what is happening on campus and the world. The portal provides easy access to updated information about campus news and events, Web search engines, and general national and world news.

Access, Passwords, etc.

How do I get a login and password?

• A login has been created for every person working for or taking classes at ISU. If you do not know yours, go to http://isuportal.indstate.edu and click the link "Activate Your Sycamore Login". You will need to enter your ISU Student ID number (often starts with 991...), the last four digits of your social security number or your personal email address that you used on your Admissions application if you are an international student, and your birth date. Your Sycamore Login is typically the first letter of your first name and then your last name up to twelve more characters. There may also be a number at the end to make it unique.

Your password contains a minimum of 8 characters up to 29, it must contain at least one numeric character, it must contain at least one uppercase character, it must contain at least one lowercase character and cannot contain: space # ~ ^ * ? , : ; | " < >. If you do not know or have forgotten your password, see "What do I do if I forget my Password?” below.

What do I do if I forget my password?

• If you have previously set your Security Questions, click the “Forgot/Change Your Password?” link on the MyISU login screen. Provide your Sycamore Login User ID and click the "Next" button. Then answer your security questions and click the “Next” button. You will be prompted to set a new password and confirm the new password. Click on the “Change Password” button then login into MyISU with your new password.
• If you have not yet set your questions or forget your sycamore password and the answer to your questions, you must call the Registrar's office at 812-237-2020. A Registrar's staff member will ask the caller a series of questions to identify the caller. When the caller is identified that student's sycamore account will be reset so that you can begin the “Activate Your Sycamore Login” process and set a new password and security questions.

What do I do if my account has been disabled?

To protect unauthorized people from accessing your account, the system disables entry into your account after 5 (five) unsuccessful login attempts in a row. An account will be re-enabled automatically with time or you may call the OIT Help Desk at 812-237-2910 (toll free 888-818-5465) to have your account re-enabled.

How do I change my Password?

If you have previously set your Security Questions, click the “Forgot/Change Your Password?” link on the MyISU login screen. Provide your Sycamore Login User ID and click the "Next" button. Then answer your security questions and click the “Next” button. You will be prompted to set a new password and confirm the new password. Click on the “Change Password” button then login into MyISU with your new password.

If I change my MyISU Password how long does it take for my passwords on other services to match?

In most cases the synchronization of passwords across these systems will take less than 20 minutes. However during "busy times", like the beginning of the semester or during registration periods, it may take significantly longer.

How do I change my Sycamore Login?

Your Sycamore Login matches your name on record at the university. If your name has changed you must first have it changed in the Registrar's office for students or Human Resources for faculty and staff. Contact the OIT Help Desk at 812-237-2910 (toll free 888-818-5465) or via e-mail at IT-Help@indstate.edu to have your Sycamore Login changed.

E-mail

My instructor sent an e-mail to me through the My Courses class website and I didn't get it in my Outlook Web Access (OWA) account?

The E-mail Class feature on the faculty My Courses class websites uses your OWA account. Students must have Activated the Sycamore Login. Login into MyISU and click your E-mail icon. You will be able to receive e-mails from the portal or anyone else using your portalID@indstate.edu account. If you still do not receive e-mails, there is a technical problem the OIT staff should investigate. Please contact the OIT Help Desk at 812-237-2910 (toll free 888-818-5465) or via e-mail at IT-Help@indstate.edu.

Security

Is the portal secured to transfer sensitive personal information?

Yes, the components of the portal's Self Services that let you interact with the university's information database are encrypted for your protection. This may not be apparent from your browser's security icons since the portal uses frames. To verify that the Self Services areas are secure using the Netscape browser, right click the area of the screen that holds the sensitive information. Choose "View Frame Info" and read the Security line. In Internet Explorer, right click and then choose Properties. The Connections line will have "SSL" for Secure Socket Layer and the encryption method used. Only areas of the portal that need to be secured are encrypted to allow for faster page rendering.

Is there a timeout period for MyISU?

Yes. After 15 minutes of inactivity, you will be asked if you want to continue your session. If you don't answer this question, you will automatically be logged off the system to protect your account. Always log off MyISU as soon as you are finished or when you need to leave the computer, especially public work stations.

Course Homepages

How will ISU's Course Homepages affect existing departmental or personal websites?

The MyISU Course Homepages will not replace any existing websites. They are created and exist only for a specific section of a specific course so only the students enrolled will see them. Faculty may wish to link to their department, course, or personal websites from the Course Homepage so that the resources already created are easily available. Faculty can add up to six different links.

Why don't I have a Course Homepage for a class I am teaching?

If a course does not appear on your My Courses page, please have your department chairperson e-mail the Office of Registration and Records at 237-2020 to request a modification to the instructor of record. The CRN (course reference number) and course id (subject, course # and section) should be provided with the request for modification. Once the modification has been submitted by the chairperson and processed by the Office of Registration and Records, the course will appear on your My Courses page.

Other Technical Issues

What other ISU services use this same login and password?

Your MyISU Sycamore Login and password is your key to accessing all of the following services:

• MyISU Portal
• Blackboard for ISU
• Outlook Web Access Mail
• Proxy acess to the library databases

Note: When you change your password or request your MyISU password be reset there may be up to a two-hour delay in synchronizing your new password with the ISU services mentioned above.

If the MyISU portal goes down for technical problems, are some features still available?

Yes. Web delivered courses and the Self Services are housed on separate servers and may still be available.

Contact Information

Whom do I contact about the MyISU portal?

If you have a technical issue with your portal account please contact the OIT Help Desk at 812-237-2910 (toll free 888-818-5465) or e-mail IT-Help@indstate.edu.

If you have a policy issue that you would like to share with Office of Information Technology administration please contact IT-Help@indstate.edu.



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