Web sites aimed at university students fun, practical
August 24, 2005
Thefacebook.com isn’t the only unique college Web site you’ll want to check out this fall.
Kent State offers a variety of Web resources where students can check their e-mail, register for classes and even sign-up for on-campus housing. Behold, a user’s guide to navigating the Web, Kent State style:
The official university home page is a portal to all things Kent State.
Using the search function in the corner, students can quickly find what they’re looking for. Or they can browse the links and tabs to explore Kent State.
One popular feature is the comprehensive phone directory of all currently enrolled students and faculty members. It can be used to look up classmates or professors for homework help, missed assignments, etc.
The site also features Quick Links, which takes you directly to a calendar of university-sanctioned events, a list of frequently asked questions and the sites of all of Kent’s regional campuses. The News and Events section features links to articles on the latest news and events on Kent’s main campus.
Official university announcements — for example, if classes are canceled because of weather — can be found on the main Web site, too.
This newly launched Web page is where you’ll want to go to set up your new Kent State password, or FlashWord, as it is now titled. The FlashWord will serve as your only necessary password for all university-related services, including Flashline, Flashmail and Web For Students.
Dolly Lowe, a HelpDesk technician in Client Services, said the new system is more user-friendly.
“If you forget your password,” Lowe said, “you will be able to log into FlashWord, answer a couple of questions and pick a new password.”
The holy grail of Kent State Web sites, Flashline provides links to other Web-based services such as Flashmail and Web for Students. But it also has its own unique features, such as My Courses, which allows students to check their class schedules as well as a complete roster of other students currently enrolled in their classes.
Formerly known as Webmail, Flashmail is the home to your kent.edu e-mail account, which can be accessed by using your FlashWord.
Should you find it more convenient to manage your Kent e-mail account with another server, like Hotmail or Yahoo, Flashmail also has a feature that allows you to forward all your e-mails to another account. You can send e-mails from your kent.edu address and manage mail for both addresses from one account.
When it’s time for registering for classes, making schedule changes or viewing grades or financial aid, there is only one site to go to: Web for Students.
Web for Students will benefit from the FlashWord transition by no longer requiring students to log in using their Social Security number and six-digit PIN. The Web site is often prone to logging out users, but these problems can typically be avoided by accessing Web for Students through your Flashline account.
Also, keep in mind, the Web site is only accessible from 8 a.m. to midnight each day.
Students interested in using wireless Internet access on campus can log on to this site and register their computer or laptop.
The site offers a map of the areas on campus with wireless access and a choice of five operating systems for users to choose from in registering their machines.
http://elms10.e-academy.com/kent
“With a special license agreement with Microsoft, Kent State University is able to offer its students and faculty and staff a selected number of Microsoft software titles at significant discounts,” Lowe said.
Titles like Microsoft Office XP and Windows XP are available even cheaper through this site than through traditional student discounts, so it’s worth checking out.
After logging into the site with your FlashWord, the E-Academy allows you to search its database of products by title, category, publisher and operating system.
Your one-stop shop for any technical inquiries regarding your computer, the HelpDesk’s site is host to a variety of services, including a free download of McAfee virus scanning software, instructions on how to set up a dial-up connection and a link to their hotline.
The HelpDesk is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
http://class.kent.edu and http://vista.kent.edu
Both pages are direct links to classes which utilize WebCT and Vista technology. Your FlashWord will be required to log into both, and both sites will allow you to check grades for your WebCT/Vista-enhanced class and participate in message boards for class discussions.
The Residence Services home page allows you to change your housing assignment, renew your housing contract and even view cameras chronicling the progress being made on the construction of the new honors dorms, Johnson and Stopher.
It also has links to ResNet, where you can register your computer for network access, and information about everything residence hall-related from what movies are playing to information about your residence hall.
http://www.library.kent.edu/page/10791
An essential resource for research papers and other similar assignments, the Library’s Proxy Server Resource List is a unique feature provided only to Kent students. To log on, Lowe said, you will need to configure the proxy to your computer’s operating system in order to download the proper software from the HelpDesk’s Web site.
Newly launched this summer, the DeWeese Health Center’s official Web site contains a lot of helpful items for students: You can register your insurance information, find out how often you’re required to receive immunizations and even sign up for this fall’s Race For the Cure, a race benefiting breast cancer, on Oct. 8.
Contact technology reporter Andrew Hampp at [email protected].
