Getting Started with IT for Graduate Students

Welcome to the University of Calgary.

As a new graduate student you now have access to many services and products provided through UofC's Information Technologies (IT) Department: the administrative department on campus responsible for much of the technology at UofC.

The summaries below will help familiarize you with the most important and widely-used services and products offered. More in-depth information on each service and product is one click away in the left sidebar menu.

If you do not find what you are looking for, or have any questions not answered, contact the IT Support Centre: the support service for UofC's students, faculty and staff who need help with their computer accounts and IT supported services.

Contact the IT Support Centre by e-mail at itsupport [at] ucalgary [dot] ca, by telephone at (403) 220-5555 or in person in Room 773 (7th Floor) Math Sciences Building.

IT Account

When you register as a UofC student, you are automatically assigned an IT computing account and given a unique username in the system. This username will give you access to a variety of services..

eID

The goal of the eID is to create a campus wide sign-on that is recognized by every online service. Currently you can only associate your eID with your UCID numbers and your IT username. Your eID will identify you with a variety of online services which are available to you as a member of the University community.

myUofC Portal

The myUofC portal provides students, faculty, and staff with a streamlined gateway to UofC web-based services. myUofC is your personalized "desktop" that features single sign-on linking you to frequently used applications, services and tools.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a course delivery tool that allows instructors and students to communicate using webpages.

PeopleSoft via my.ucalgary.ca

Through this service students register, pay fees, order statements of grades as well as access courses taken, grades, exam timetables, and tax receipt information.

E-mail/Webmail

Your activated IT user account will give you a UofC e-mail address which can be accessed through a client, or you can use Webmail - our web-based service.

AirUC Wireless Secure Network

Connect your wireless laptop computer to the internet through the wireless network available at various locations throughout campus.

Student Computing Facilities

Drop-in and scheduled drop-in lab locations are available on campus.

Webdisk

This is a service that allows you to store and access your files on an IT server without the need for cds or disks.

Dial-up Services

Connect your home computer to campus and the internet through our dial-up services.

Anti-virus Software

Free, downloadable anti-virus software is available to detect, remove, and prevent computer viruses.

Website/Webpage Development

Your IT user account allows you to create and publish your own website on our servers.

Purchasing Hardware

UofC has a partnership with Dell Computer Corporation to supply desktop and laptop computer equipment.

As well, the Micro Store, located on campus, sells computers, software and accessories

Purchasing Software

IT has many software packages available under site license.

As well, the Micro Store, located on campus, sells software at Education discount prices.

Software Training

The Information Commons (IC) and IT collaborate to offer free non-credit classes using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and especially for the graduate student - thesis preparation classes.

Thesis Formatting

IT has developed thesis formatting in MSWord, and classfiles in LaTex.

Research Support

IT offers access to a general purpose Linux cluster for developing your own application or running commerical applications, freeing up local resources.Or, if a numerically intensive program is bogging down your own local resources, U of C offers access to High Performance Computing available through WestGrid and other projects.

Research Consulting

IT analysts work with you to understand your research problems, and in consultation with appropriate vendors, suggest hardware and/or software purchases to facilitate problem solutions. Consulting is available regarding any graphics-related programs on the Central Linux system at IT, and for general scientific visualization issues. As well, the Statistical Consultants at IT can help with a variety of statistical analysis and mathematical problems and provide expertise in the use and choice of a variety of statistical software packages.

Com/Media

Com/Media provides quality audio/visual services.

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