Students

Welcome

As a Temple University student, you have the opportunity to take advantage of state-of-the-art technology resources that have earned Temple numerous awards. For example, Temple was recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the premier technology campuses in the country, and also by Computerworld as one of the Best 100 Places to Work in IT.

Temple's resources include numerous online services direclty accessible through TUportal. For a summaryof these services, see the Technology at Temple guide.

Students can access technology resources at Temple with an AccessNet account username and TUsecure password. An AccessNet account enables you to log in to the majority of Temple University’s online resources and services. The particular resources available to you will vary depending on your designated role (applicant, student, faculty, or staff) within the University. For more information, see Obtaining an AccessNet Account.

News Items

What's new for Fall 2008?

Pinpoint Your Classroom Building in TUportal

Log in to tuportal.temple.edu and you will see a Temple Building section listing Main Campus building codes, a link to their corresponding name, and a satellite photo showing their exact location. Simply click on the building code link to access the name and location information.

Stronger Passwords Set for TUsecure

The TUsecure initiative to standardize password security across Temple’s major systems is now in place. This project was a success largely because the University Community fully cooperated by creating stronger passwords and answering security questions. Now that this important framework has been established, you will be reminded every six months to change your password to continue this best security practice.

Remember to always keep your password secure by not sharing it with anyone. Also, be aware that hackers will try and trick you into revealing your password through e-mail phishing scams. Temple University and any other legitimate organization will never request your password from you via an e-mail message. For more information on phishing, go to www.temple.edu/cs/security/phishing.

Need Assistance? Try the New TUhelp Self-Service Site

Requesting assistance from the Help Desk is now more convenient through TUhelp. TUhelp is an easy to use, online self-service web site for requesting help with technical support issues. The web site enables you to:

• Automatically submit requests for help on your own time.
• Track live progress of requests.
• View progress notes made by Computer Services consultants.
• Cancel submitted requests.
• Submit questions about a request.
• View the history of past requests.

To take advantage of this enhanced service, go to tuhelp.temple.edu.

Reminder to Sign Up for Emergency Notifications

Temple’s emergency notification system (MIR3) is designed to broadcast alerts to the University community. This multi-pronged emergency communication system relies on text-messaging, phone calls, e-mail, and web updates to alert staff, faculty, and students of any potential school closings or emergency situations.

If you have not already done so, please follow the instructions below to update your emergency notification information. The process takes less than a minute.

Updating Student Emergency Notification Information:
1. Go to http://owlnet.temple.edu and log in.
2. Click on the Update Address tab at the top of the screen.
3. Click on Emergency Notification on the left menu.
4. Follow the instructions to fill in your information.
5. When you have finished, click on Go.

Go Wireless with a New Network on Main Campus & HSC

Temple now has a new wireless network for Main Campus and the Health Sciences Center called wifi4owls, providing Internet-only access. Connecting to this new network is very easy because you do not need to register or set up your computer in advance. To obtain access, you simply enter your AccessNet username and TUsecure password.

The wifi4owls network is designed for general Internet wireless access. It provides access to the same resources that are available to you when connecting from home or from a public Wi-Fi hot spot, such as in a Starbucks.

For more information, please go to www.temple.edu/cs/wireless.

Academic Resources are Enhanced

During the summer, Computer Services made improvements in the following areas:

• A number of standard classrooms were converted into smart classrooms with built-in multimedia, Internet access, and computing capabilities. Since May 2008, 20 rooms were converted in Anderson Hall, the Engineering Building, and Presser Hall. This brings the total number of smart classrooms to over 300.
  
• Blackboard was upgraded to version 8.03. This upgrade will enable Computer Services to install the Content and Learning Outcomes modules that you will be hearing about soon.
• The southeast corner of the TECH Center was under construction over the summer to provide space for 28 additional computers to accommodate student technology needs. As part of the construction, the TECH Center's new recording booths were relocated to a more centralized location. In addition, the computers in Room 213, the "Advanced Technology Lab," were reconfigured to allow for video editing and multimedia software.
  

Listen Legally for Free

Temple University has partnered with Ruckus Network, Inc. to provide a PC-based music service free to Temple students. The service, called Ruckus, offers a catalog of over three million tracks and includes the top artists from every music genre. You can listen to as much music as you want—it's simple, fast, and perfectly legal.

For more details about Ruckus, visit www.temple.edu/cs/ruckus.

Purchase “Clickers” Online

TurningPoint is a classroom performance system that enables instructors to obtain immediate feedback from their students. By using a response pad, also referred to as a "clicker," students can answer questions, respond to surveys, take opinion polls, and much more. Instructors can also use this technology to take attendance.

In addition to the campus bookstore, students can now purchase Turning Point clickers at a discount ($30 plus shippingd) from Turning Technologies.

Note: When accessing the Turning Technologies online store, students will be prompted for a school code. The code for Temple University is 6mS4.

Duplex Becomes the Default

As part of Temple's sustainability effort, double-sided (duplex) printing has become the default option in labs managed by Computer Services including the TECH Center, Tuttleman, Ambler and TUCC. Double-sided printing saves paper and maximizes student printing quotas because it counts as only one sheet.

Fall '08 "Technology at Temple" Guide Released

For an overview of the University’s computer resources, explore the current edition of the “Technology at Temple” guide. The guide offers a snapshot of TUportal features, a summary of popular classroom tools, information on getting connected to Temple's technology resources, and much more.