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Faculty & Staff Assistance

The following information provides faculty and staff with a comprehensive overview of the information technology resources available at SMSU. ITS strives to update this information continually as changes are implemented in our various services. Examples include details regarding usernames & passwords, accessing the campus network with personal devices, using network storage, and phone system tips.

The Technology Resource Center strives to support, educate, and serve students, faculty, and staff with innovative technologies for use in today’s world and into the future.

  • Our TRC Help Desk provides assistance for computer-related problems.
  • The TRC offers Instructional Technology training.
  • Users can call our telephone support for computer assistance.

Our Technology Resource Center staff are trained to troubleshoot computer problems. We also employ a large number of student workers for supplemental assistance, providing them with a quality work experience.

Faculty & Staff Resources

Your StarID serves as your login for essential services at Southwest Minnesota State University such as E-Services, wireless and wired network connection, D2L Brightspace, Email and more. Your StarID is unique to you. Make sure you remember it and keep your StarID password secure.

Experiencing problems logging into your Outlook and D2L? Your password may need to be reset! Use this link to change your password or activate your new account.

To Activate or reset your StarID Password visit: https://starid.minnstate.edu/

For more information: visit https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/starid.html 

Faculty and staff, by nature of their office location, will all have wired access to the network for their university-issued primary workstations (e.g., desktops, laptops). Additionally, wireless access is also available for any university-issued portable devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, phones) and personal devices used on campus.

Wired Network: Faculty/staff with a desktop should not have any steps they will need to take to connect to the campus network as it should always be connected. Should you have a portable device such as a laptop, as your primary workstation, it is highly recommended that you connect to the wired network whether connected directly to the network or via a docking station for the best experience.

Wireless Network: SMSU issued devices should automatically connect to the SMSU Wi-Fi when on campus. Faculty and Staff should connect their personal devices using SMSU MyWifi. Connection to this network will be granted after accessing the passphrase portal with the Office 365 credentials (StarID@minnstate.edu) and authenticating with the method of choice.

The portal's address is www.smsu.edu/mywifi-empl 

For more information: visit https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/campusnetwork/faculty-staff.html 

Microsoft 365

  1. Use your StarID@minnstate.edu to log in
  2. Official medium for campus communication
  3. Access email using web browser or Microsoft Outlook
  4. Learn how to synchronize your email to your mobile device.

To log into your email account, go to: https://www.smsu.edu/email/index.html 

Faculty and Staff SMSU E-mail Instructions: https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/faculty-staff-email.html 

Log in with your StarID to access Microsoft 365 Cloud-hosted tools including unlimited file storage through OneDrive; file sharing; and online, real-time collaboration within Microsoft Office documents.
OneDrive: Secure unlimited file storage accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Learn about obtaining recommended software for free, including Microsoft Office for PC and Mac.

Access OneDrive through Microsoft 365: https://www.smsu.edu/email/index.html 

Microsoft Apps for Faculty and Staff
Microsoft 365 Apps is now available for employees to download (Includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Employees can install Microsoft 365 Apps on up to five personally owned PC or Macintosh computer systems. Microsoft 365 Apps is supported by iOS and Android platforms.

For more information: Visit
https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/software-discounts-for-home-use.html 

Every faculty and staff have access to Microsoft Office applications such as OneDrive. OneDrive is a cloud-based storage where faculty and staff can store their documents, pictures, videos, and more. You can access your OneDrive account from your computer by signing into the OneDrive application with your Starid and password. You can also access OneDrive from your web-based email, by clicking on the App Launcher at the upper left corner of your page and selecting OneDrive.

Please visit Upload and save files and folders to OneDrive for more information.

Additionally a T-Drive access can be requested. The T-Drive is used for sharing files within your department, or members of a project team. Contact the TRC Helpdesk to get T-Drive folders set up for you. If you already have access to the T-Drive, and are experiencing troubles, please contact the Technology Resource Center Helpdesk.

SMSU has a Voice over Zoom phone system, that allows calls to be transported over Internet lines.

Dialing Tips:
On Campus calls: Dial the 4-digit extension (XXXX)
Local calls: Dial area code + 7-digit phone number
Long Distance calls: Dial area code + 7-digit phone number
Emergency calls: Dial 911

For more information: Visit https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/zoom-phone-system.html
Center of Learning and Teaching (COLT)
COLT helps to support SMSU’s growing online presence by providing workshops, resources, and one-on-one assistance to support our educators in these areas: professional development, online course design, academic technology, media, and administrative support for program development.

COLT’s mission is to build a community of engaged and creative educators at SMSU on campus and virtually. The COLT Office is on the 5th floor of McFarland Library and provides a home for faculty exploration and discussions of teaching and technology. Within the office there are spaces for meetings, discussions, workshops, and “watch parties," exploring virtual reality, relaxing with colleagues, and enjoying panoramic views of campus.

More on COLT: https://www.smsu.edu/colt/index.html

D2L Brightspace portal is your entryway to all of your online course materials. This portal offers you the opportunity to view all your course materials in one session. Please log in to view your courses and take some time to familiarize yourself with the D2L Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS).

Learn how to manage basic tools/techniques including D2L Brightspace for creating online, blended, or enhances face-to-face courses.

Login to D2L at https://smsu.learn.minnstate.edu/

ZOOM:
Zoom is the official web conferencing tool for Minnesota State. Here is the link to the website: https://minnstate.zoom.us/ 

Signing in to Zoom: Please note, if you are signing in through a web browser, use your Star ID and password.

  • A web browser will open to the sign-on.minnstate.edu site asking for your Star ID and password. Type in that information and press sign-on.
  • Your browser should then ask if you want to open the Zoom app, Select Open or Open Zoom Meetings to host a meeting or join a meeting.

Zoom Help Center:
You can request assistance directly from Zoom 24 x 7, including public holidays, where agents or technical engineers are available for email or live support. You can also find self-service guides at the Zoom Help Center or watch some of the Zoom Video Tutorials. If you need something more direct, attend one of the live training sessions provided by Zoom. Pick a date/time that works for your schedule at https://zoom.us/livetraining.

Please watch the Zoom Video Tutorials, and contact the TRC if you have additional questions.

KALTURA:
Kaltura is a professional platform for video recordings, meetings, secure and published sharing with its own cloud storage. Videos created can be embedded into D2L.

Link to Enhancement to Teams Creation in Office 365: Enhancement to Teams Creation in Office 365

Link to MFA Enrollment Process: MFA enrollment process
Link to Touchless printing on Konica MFP with secure print Queue: Touchless printing on Konica MFP with secure print Queue

Have a Technology Support Question?



Read more about Information Technology Services at https://www.smsu.edu/informationtechnologyservices/ 

 


To access the other pages under the Faculty & Staff Assistance tab, click on the links below

Last Modified: 4/10/24 2:23 PM | Website Feedback