The UGA Portal: Help and Policies
What is the UGA portal?
The UGA portal is a single web location (or address) where you can
access the web-based services and information most important to you.
As a gateway to web access, a portal offers self-created,
personalized, and customized information environments. For a video
description, see
The UGA Portal Video.
Who can use the UGA portal (MyUGA)?
Anyone affiliated with the University of Georgia who has a valid
MyID can access MyUGA.
As of the portal's initial
launch date, content and services are designed for students. Faculty
and staff will also find the portal useful, and it will be expanded
to include content and services targeted toward faculty and staff in
the future.
As MyUGA develops, certain areas of the portal will be restricted to
individuals in a particular school, college, or discipline.
How do I access MyUGA?
A link called MyUGA is available from the UGA homepage. The
direct URL is:
my.uga.edu
You use your UGA MyID
to log into the portal.
Is MyUGA Secure?
MyUGA uses secure web technology to protect your MyID, password, UGA ID
number, etc. Also,
WebCT, e-mail, OASIS, and other UGA-provided web services provide secure
authentication and related security services independent of the portal.
Keep in mind, however, that MyUGA offers links to external websites.
Depending on the nature of the site, you may be asked to establish and
provide login credentials and personal information to access these sites.
Before entering into such an agreement, be sure to read all policies
related to the use of any external website.
Since I log into MyUGA, should I be sure to log out and close my
browser?
Yes, especially if you are in a lab setting. Also, make sure that you close
all windows opened outside of the main portal window. When you use WebCT, for
example, it opens a new browser window. You should be aware of the other
windows and clear the desktop before you leave a lab.
Should I be concerned about my privacy?
Yes. But UGA is also concerned about it, as
outlined in the
UGA FERPA Policy Statement and the Georgia Open Records Act.
Also, see the preceding question and answer
about external websites.
While the University is required by law to protect
your privacy under the aforementioned policies, external websites are not
covered by these policies. Be sure to read all policies
related to the use of any external website.
What about general use, advertising, and accessibility policies?
The University of Georgia has general-use policies regarding
computers attached to
the UGA network, the Internet, and the web.
If you are not already familiar with these
policies, please visit UGA Policies
on Use of Computers.
The Policy Guidelines
Regarding Non-Educational Advertising on University of Georgia Websites
applies to MyUGA. External websites accessed from MyUGA may include
advertising.
Web Accessibility and Persons with Disabilities clearly states the
University's commitment to provide equal access to web content by all persons.
Portal technologies offer a new set of challenges regarding
universal access, due to
their highly graphical nature and personalization options
based on this highly graphical nature. As a consequence, we have insured that
the login page is accessibility compliant. We also provide
a "text-friendly"
view of the portal (which is accessibility compliant).
The Portal Advisory Board
is available to assist and work
with those with accessibility concerns regarding MyUGA.
Does MyUGA replace the UGA Homepage or college and
department websites?
No. The portal is a way to aggregate content and a variety of services in a
way that makes sense to an individual affiliated with the University. We will
still need a public main site (www.uga.edu) and departments will need to
maintain content and web-based services on which the portal relies.
Are there browser recommendations?
Yes. The portal uses modern web technology, and as a consequence, the following
browsers are recommended:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5+ for Windows and 5.2+ for Macintoshes
Netscape 7.x on either platform.
Other browsers, including Opera, Mozilla, Safari, and Chimera have
been reported to work with MyUGA, but are not recommended or supported.
How will I navigate through MyUGA?
If you are familiar with using a web browser, you will have no trouble
navigating through MyUGA. However, you should be aware that the
browser's "Back" and "Forward" buttons should be avoided and the
navigation buttons within MyUGA be used.
So I can personalize my "web experience"?
How do I go about doing that?
Each page within MyUGA (Welcome Page, MyCareer, MyCourses, etc.)
is subdivided into a number of content sections.
These content sections have tools associated with them, allowing you to
control or personalize portions of each page.
The Course Links section of the MyCourses page (a small
portion of which is shown here) includes a
number of small icons associated with each section. This is a very common
set, and each one represents a different function:
- The Small x indicates that you can add or otherwise manipulate
content for this portion of the page.
- The Page-to-Page Arrow indicates that you can open up this
portion in a separate page.
- The Flat Line or Square indicates that you can minimize or
maximize this portion of the page.
- The Large X indicates that you can remove (actually hide)
this content from the page.
If you do remove content, you can add it back by using
Preferences to manage
page content. The removed content will show up under "Hidden"
in the Preferences section of the portal. (Preferences
are described next).
How do I use Preferences to personalize my experience?
You begin by selecting Preferences, which will
be located at the top of
all
portal pages. It will often be located on the right side of the
title bar; however, some
skins (or themes, both terms are used to describe the general
look of your portal) locate the Preferences button in different
locations. In either case, it will be clearly marked.
When you select Preferences, the Page Content screen
screen will be displayed. You can personalize the content that appears on any
page by following the instructions located near the top of the screen.
You can also change the layout of a page, select a theme, or create your own
portal page.
I get tired of having to log into different systems using my MyID, will
the portal eliminate this?
Yes, at least when technically possible and when there are no additional
security authorization requirements. For example, you will be able to
access e-mail and WebCT without having to re-supply your MyID and
password. You will, however, have to supply your UGA ID number and PIN
to access OASIS. (Also see next question and answer.)
Sometimes I am asked to save information in the
"Secret Store." What's up with that?
Occasionally, you might be asked to enter
"secret" information and save it.
Since you can access multiple systems, some of which may
not use your MyID for authorization,
this information is stored
in a secure way to be used as part of the authorization process
for future access to
these systems.
What about systems like DawgTRAK and the UGA Libraries where I don't
use my MyID. Will I ever be able to log into these systems like e-mail
and WebCT?
We certainly hope so, but not in this version. We'll have to see how the
portal grows and develops before we can provide a better answer to that
question.
Communities: Creation and Membership
The UGA Portal provides an area for online communities, allowing for the
creation of virtual clubrooms. As an electronic meeting place, the clubrooms
provide message boards, chat rooms, calendars, file exchange services, and
more.
Any
registered student organization can create a community. Other student
groups can request a community, and these requests will be considered
on a case-by-case basis. (Requests by faculty and staff will also be
considered; however, student requests take precedence.)
For each community, there will be one designated administrator. The community
administrator agrees to take full responsibility, and is accountable for,
all community content, use, and membership.
To request a community, please use the
EITS Request Assistance Form. The EITS HelpDesk will route your
request to the Portal Development Team for consideration. To check on the
status of your request, see
Check Case Status.
Unless otherwise noted, the requester will be the community administrator.
All community content and use, by both administrators
and members, must be
consistent with the policies set forth in
the
University of Georgia Policies
on Use of Computers. Community privileges will be revoked if these
policies are violated.
Communities are subject to removal after 90 days of inactivity. This
removal includes all information and data associated with the community,
including files, calendar entries, and messages.
I have a question ... Whom should I contact?
If you have a general question, please feel free to contact the
Portal Advisory Board.
If you are having trouble using MyUGA, call the EITS HelpDesk at
706-542-3106.
|
