Tech Tips - Technology Resources Portal (2024)

1. Go to Azure Dev. ToolsAzure Dev. Tools
2. Click on Sign in.
3. You will be redirected to the Cincinnati State sign in page. Enter your CState e-mail and password.
4. Once you sign in, you should be redirected to the Azure Dev Tools Education Dashboard.
5. Bookmark this page. You can’t navigate back to it from within Azure Dev Tools. If you need to get back to it, use the bookmark you created. If you forgot to make a bookmark, sign in using the above address.
6. Click on Software underneath the Education - Software heading. A very long list of software should load in the right side panel.
7. Look for the title you need in the list and click on it. Another panel will load with information about the key. Below the description, you’ll see a button that says View Key. Click on that button to get your key.
8. Copy and paste the key into a safe place for your records.
9. Click on the Download button at the bottom left. Your download will automatically go to your default downloads folder, which is usually Downloads.
10. If you are not running Windows 10, you will need to burn the ISO to a disc.
11. BACKUP the installer and the key. You may need them in the future. Once you graduate, you’ll have a perpetual license to the software for non-commercial use. However, you will not always have access to your Cincinnati State e-mail address.

The Bill Payments are located within Self-Service:

1. Click the Self-Service tab in the top right of Blackboard
2. If a login box appears, type your Cincinnati State email, then password
3. Once in Self-Service, click the Student Finance tile
4. Click Bill Payment center, under Financial Information

If you are having issues accessing The Bill Payment Center please contact the Cashier for more assistance. (513) 569-1580(513) 569-1580

Course availability depends on enrollment and the instructor. First, verify that you are enrolled in the missing course by checking your registration statement in MyServices. To find your registration statement, go to "MyServices for Students" and look for "My Registration Statement," which is under the "Registration" heading.

If you are sure that you are enrolled, the reason that you can’t see the course is most likely because the instructor hasn’t made it available. To see if an instructor has made a specific course available, you may contact the Helpdesk at (513) 569-1234. Press option 1 when you are prompted.

Your network account will be removed approximately one year after you are no longer taking classes or have graduated. After the account is removed you will no longer have access to your email, Blackboard account, etc.

We recommend that you print or save any needed account information, archive email, and change the email address associated with any accounts you may have set up with your Cincinnati State account when you stop taking classes.

You can clear old and outdated data from your browser’s memory by following the instructions below. Make sure that you choose the specific browser you are using.

You can find the academic calendar for a specific year by going to academic calendaracademic calendar. A pdf of the most recently available calendar can be downloaded there.

A very basic list of important registration dates and upcoming info sessions are also posted on this page.

You must submit a Personal Data Change formPersonal Data Change form to get your name changed in your student record.

You can find a listing of events on campus via our event calendarevents.

Your college ID can refer to the photo ID issued to you at the Office of Student Activities in 204 ATLC commonly referred to as your Surge CardSurge Card, or it can refer to the seven-digit number you are given the first time you apply to the college.

You may be asked for your numerical College ID when filling out paperwork or to verify your identify when speaking to staff or faculty over the phone.

To look up your College ID, you can use the ID Verification formVerify ID on Blackboard and make sure to check the box that says, "Yes, display my Cincinnati State College ID with Results."

Account Expiration

Your Cincinnati State network account will be removed from our systems approximately 1 year after academic activity with the college ends. When the account is removed, you will no longer have access to the associated e-mail account. You will not be able to log into Blackboard or other college resources. Student records are not associated with your network account, so they will not be affected when your account is removed. If you want to access your student records without an active network account, you will need to contact the college.

If you re-apply to the college at some point, you will be given the same username and e-mail address you had previously. E-mail in your mailbox at the time your account was removed will not be restored. For this reason, we do not recommend using your Cincinnati State e-mail address for any important personal or business communication.

Where is my e-mail?

Microsoft has implemented several features to help users keep track of their most important e-mails. Check these folders to see if an expected e-mail been redirected.

Junk Email - As always, check your junk email folder for missing e-mail. Sometimes the filters can be over zealous and put e-mails you want in the Junk Email folder. If you’re expecting an important e-mail from a particular sender, add them to your contacts. That will prevent their e-mails from going to Junk.

If you have attempted to log in more than 3 times with an incorrect password, the system will lock your account for 30 minutes after the last attempt. If you need to access your account immediately contact the Technology Helpdesk. We can verify your information and unlock your account.

If you haven’t attended classes for over a year, and you can’t reset your password, your network account may have been removed from the system. To reinstate your network account, you’ll need to re-register for the college.

If you need to create a password or are unable to log into MyCState or SurgeMail, please follow the instructions below to reset your password.

1. Navigate to MyCState/BlackboardMyCState/Blackboard. In the Login Here box, click the red link that displays "Forgot/reset password?."

   

2. Follow the prompts to reset your password.

3. If you are syncing your SurgeMail on any other devices, change the password there too! The process will vary depending on the device, but you can usually change the password in the account settings.

Additional Things to Keep in Mind:

If you have attempted to log in more than 3 times with an incorrect password, the system will lock your account for 30 minutes after the last attempt. If you need to access your account immediately contact the Helpdesk. We can verify your information and unlock your account.

If you haven’t attended classes for over a year, and you can’t reset your password, your network account may have been removed from the system. To reinstate your network account, you’ll need to re-register for the college. If you’re not sure what your account status is, contact the Technology Helpdesk.

You can also visit the Apple EducationApple Education store for more information on discounts for apple products available for students, staff, and faculty.

Students can access student software benefits at onthehub.comonthehub.com. Please register with your Cincinnati State email address before requesting an account.

If you are curious about whether a student discount exists for something, search Google or another search engine.

If you’re looking for software used here at the college, please call the Helpdesk to see whether a student version is available.

To view public job postings, please go to: https://www.cincinnatistate.edu/employment-opportunities/External Job Postings.

You can find your Financial Aid Award or Offer in Self-Service.

To get to your Awards/Offer:

1. Click the Self-Service tab in the top right of Blackboard
2. If a login box appears, type your Cincinnati State email, then password
3. Click on the Financial Aid tile
4. Click on Financial Aid in the top of the screen to see the options list, and choose the one you want

In Ohio, you can access LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) through your local public library.local public library. Public libraries across the country often offer similar resources to their patrons.

Your Grade Report lists the grades for each class you took during a particular semester

To access your Grade Report:

1. Click on Self-Service in the top right of Blackboard
2. If a login box appears, type your Cincinnati State email, then password
3. Click on the Grades tile
4. Select the semester you wish to view

Walk-up Service Window:

Location: Room 349 Main Building (Clifton Campus)

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone Support:

Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Reduced hours observed during all breaks and Summer semester

Please fill out an eform for the ITS Suggestion BoxITS Suggestion Box. The CIO will review your suggestion and respond accordingly.

LinkedIn Learning is a video based learning site. Their material covers a wide variety of subjects in many fields, but they began as a company specializing in tutorials for creative software. You’ll find courses on some of the more specialized software used in our college like Solidworks, Quickbooks, Tableau, ProTools, and Blackboard; as well as courses on Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud and Information Technology.

While Cincinnati State does not have its own subscription to LinkedIn Learning, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County provides LinkedIn Learning free of charge to its patrons. More information about library cards can be found at the Cincinnati Public LibraryPublic Library.

Every Ohio Public Library, but not college libraries, has free access to LinkedIn Learning. If you’d like to look for the library nearest you, look up your local libraries by county on the OPLIN siteOPLIN site.

You can map a network drive to your computer by following the steps below (Windows 11 instructions):

1. Click on “File Explorer”
2. Right click on “Network,” which is to the left, at the bottom
3. Click on “Map network drive”
4. Select a letter from the “Drive” drop-down box
5. Type in the path of the drive in the “Folder” text box

If you do not know the name of the path, please contact the Helpdesk at (513) 569-1234.

• All Microsoft 365 Training

Cincinnati State is able to offer Microsoft Office for free to students, faculty, and staff via our agreement with Microsoft.

Click Microsoft Office Specialist Certification OverviewMOS Certification Overview to learn more about taking the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification tests in the Testing Center on the Clifton Campus, Main building, room 176.

Accounts are locked after too many failed attempts to log in. The lockout lasts for 30 minutes. Often, this is caused by a mobile device or computer that’s been synced with your email. If the program is using an old or expired password while connecting, the account will lock.

If you need to get into your account right away, please call the Helpdesk at (513) 569-1234. Press option 1 when you are prompted.

Accounts are disabled for various reasons. Student network accounts are most likely in a disabled state because they will soon be removed from our system. If you have not attended classes in a year or more, your account will be removed from the system. Before it is removed, it is disabled.

If you need access to information or emails in a disabled account, please contact the Helpdesk to request that the account be temporarily re-enabled. The phone number is (513) 569-1234(513) 569-1234.

Once the account has been removed, existing emails that were in the mailbox can no longer be accessed.

O’Reilly On-line Learning (previously SafariBooks) is a subscription service that provides access to thousands of books and videos. If you are looking for information about a technology or software related topic, you’re likely to find it there.

The Helpdesk does not support O’Reilly Learning or any other Ohiolink materials.

When you run the Office for Mac Installer, the applications are installed in the Applications folder. Aliases are not put in the Dock. Unless you received an error indicating that the install failed, you’ll find the Office apps in your Applications folder. This article explains different ways to find installed applications on your Macinstalled apps.

You can visit Microsoft’s OneDrive websiteOneDrive to learn more about this product and how to use it.

Navigating the instructions and software you need to access your coursework can be frustrating. To help ease some of that frustration, we’ve gathered some support resources for the publishers and tools commonly used at Cincinnati State. The Helpdesk is unable to support textbook course materials or software beyond basic browser troubleshooting. If you are having problems accessing accounts, coursework, or any other technical issue outside of Blackboard, please contact the appropriate publisher support team for that book or service.

If you need help with your online course work, please contact your instructor.

For your convenience, we have gathered a list for the most common publishers and providers of course ware below.

Cengage (Services Include: CengageBrain, MindTap, SAM, WebAssign)

McGraw Hill (Services Include: Services Include: Connect, ALEKS, ConnectED)

Pearson (Services Include: MyLab and Mastering)

To purchase a parking pass, please follow these steps:

1. Login to MyCState/Blackboard
2. Click Self-Service
3. Click the Student Finance tile
4. Again, click the Student Finance link near the top left of the page, next to Financial Information
5. Click the "Purchase/Return Parking Privilige" link
6. Follow the prompts to purchase or return a parking privilege

Saved Passwords can cause a problem when the password is changed, or when there’s an issue with how the browser is managing the password.

If you are having a problem with a password, please make sure it has been removed from any built-in password manager your browser may have.

These are our password requirements:

• At least 9 characters
• At least one capital/upper case letter
• At least one number
• We suggest using at least one special character

Microsoft will reject password it finds to be too simple.

Using common names, places, and words can cause a password to be rejected.

If you are unable to get Microsoft to accept any password you provide, you can generate a random password with a password generator.

The Danger of Reusing Passwords

When you reuse your passwords, you run the risk of credential stuffing. In a nutshell, credential stuffingcredential stuffing occurs when a hacker attempts to use a victim’s credentials from one site to gain access to another site. Password reuse is a real and growing problem.For example, let’s say Site A had a data breach and your email address and password were compromised. A hacker might then attempt to use those credentials to login to Site B.

It is important to make passwords for each site as unique as possible to prevent credential stuffing.

Keep Track of Passwords

If you create unique passwords for each site you use, it will be difficult to remember them all. Sometimes it’s difficult just creating all those passwords! That’s when password managers are very useful. They will help you keep track of existing password as well as generate new ones.There are a variety of managers available for all platforms. LastpassLastpass is one manager that is available for many platforms that also offers syncing between devices. Their basic version is free to use. If you would like to learn more about password manager options, check out this article from pcmag.compcmag.com

Where to Start

Many people already have a lot of different site accounts and passwords. If you don’t know where to start cleaning up your password habits, start with those accounts most at risk. Have I Been PwnedHave I Been Pwned is a site that allows you to input your email address to see if your credentials were compromised through a data breach. The same site allows you to search by passwordpassword search. Please note that the list does not cover all data breaches or all websites.

Microsoft made an update that automatically displays a Teams meeting button on all meeting invites, including Zoom meetings. This happens in Office 365/Microsoft 365 calendar but not the Outlook desktop calendar. Follow these instructions to prevent this from happening.

1. Open your Calendar in Office 365/Microsoft 365 (SurgeMail) [see Figure 1]
2. Click the Settings icon on the top right (gear) [see Figure 1]
3. Click View all Outlook settings (bottom right) [see Figure 1]
4. Click Events and invitations [see Figure 2]
5. Uncheck Add online meeting to all meetings [see Figure 2]
6. Click Save

If you are in a class, you can use the classroom printer for class related documents. You may also use the Open Lab and the Cincinnati State Library to print documents outside of class. The Open Lab is in room 316 ATLC. The library is in room 170 in the Main Building.

Each black and white page costs $.08, and each color costs $0.22. However, students are automatically given $18.00 worth of printing on their SurgeCards. If you exceed that, you must load more money onto your SurgeCardMoney to SurgeCard.

Find out how to register online, in-person, or via fax.register online, in-person, or via fax.

Please follow the steps below to access your registration statement, which contains course schedule information:

1. Click the "MyServices" tab in Blackboard
2. Click "Continue to MyServices"
3. Click "MyServices for Students"
4. Under "Registration," Click "My Registration Statement"
5. Choose the term
6. Click Submit

Safari Versions below v12 are no longer supported by Blackboard. You must be running MacOS 10.12 or later to download Safari 12.

If you are unable to upgrade to MacOS 10.12, we recommend downloading the latest version of Google Chrome. Compatible versions will run on MacOS 10.9+.

Blackboard no longer supports iOS devices running anything below iOS 11.

SafeAssign is integrated into assignments. When an Instructor wants an assignment submitted through SafeAssign, they set it up when they create the assignment. The only difference you’ll see when submitting assignments is a check box that indicates you agree to it being submitted to SafeAssign.

The screenshot below shows where you’ll see an indication that the assignment is being submitted via SafeAssign.

The most common way to make appointments with professors and advisers is through Starfish. Please follow the steps below to make an appointment through Starfish:

1. Log in to MyCState/Blackboard
2. Click the "Starfish" tab in Blackboard
3. Find the person you want to make the appointment with under "Your Connections"
4. Click the three blue dots next to the person’s name
5. Click "Schedule"
6. Find the topic you want to discuss under "What do you need help with?"
7. Click the down arrow to the far right of that
8. Click "Continue"
9. Choose the day and time of your desired appointment
10. Click "Confirm"
11. Choose alocation if you are asked for one
12. Write your reason for the visit in the box under "If you want, tell us a little bit about what’s going on so we can help"
13. Click "Confirm"

SurgeMail is your Cincinnati State email. SurgeMail is hosted on the Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Office 365) platform.

We recommend that most users install the Outlook app on their mobile devices. Instructions for installing the app on Android and Apple iOS devices are linked below:

Setting up your Cincinnati State email in built in mail clients is not supported. However, you can find basic information on how to set them up on Microsoft’s support siteMicrosoft’s support site.

Please Note: If you set up your email in your built-in mail app, loss of contact data and syncing issues can occur.

To access your 1098 form:

1. Click on the Self-Service tab in the top right of Blackboard
2. If a login box appears, type your Cincinnati State email, then password
3. Click on the Tax Information tile
4. Click on the 1098 form for the year you want

If you no longer have access to your Blackboard account, please contact the Cashier’s office at (513) 569-1580phone or send an email to: cashieroffice@cincinnatistate.eduemail.

For more information on our Title IX policies and procedures, please visit the link below:

Cincinnati State has several offices available to assist students with their assignments and courses

An Unofficial Transcript allows you to see what classes you have taken to date. Unofficial Transcripts are NOT a replacement to your official signed Transcript from registrar

To see your Unofficial Transcript:

1. Click the Self-Service tab in the top right of Blackboard
2. If a login box appears, type your Cincinnati State email, then password
3. Click on the Student Planning tile
4. In the top left click on Academics, and then Unofficial Transcript
5. It will download the file and you will need to navigate to your downloads folder to open it

Review and update your contact information through our My Profile page.

1. Navigate to MyCState/BlackboardMyCState/Blackboard and login
2. Click Self-Service from the main tabs across the top of the page
3. Click the User Options icon from the left menu
4. Click My Profile
5. Review and update your information and click the Submit button

Click Using USB Flash DrivesUsing USB Flash Drives to learn how you can access your files on another computer using a USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive or jump drive).

The Horizon Virtual Desktop (VDI) allows students to connect to a virtual campus machine remotely. Once they are connected, they have access to the programs loaded on that machine. The programs include Microsoft Office and various major-specific programs, among others. You can access a Virtual Desktop via any current browserVDI in browser.

You can also access a Virtual Desktop via the VMware Horizon Client. We have instructions for installing the client for MacOS and Windows. Please note that the screenshots may not look the same because the VMware user interface changes. However, the steps for installation still apply.

Remember, you are not able to save data on a virtual machine. When you disconnect from the Virtual Desktop, your files will be erased. Save your work to your Z: drive or your OneDriveOneDrive before logging off.

Students and Employees

Students and employees should use the Surge wifi networks when using their personally owned devices. An active student or employee logon is required. Click one of the links below for detailed instructions for that device.

• Android
• iOS
• macOS
• Windows 10
• Chromebook

Guests

Guests of the college should use the Guest wifi networks. These are visitors who don’t have an active college network account.

• Andriod
• iOS
• macOS
• Windows 10
• Chromebook

You can read more about Cincinnati State's Wi-Fi Networks.

Your z-drive is a personal storage space where you can keep all of your college-related files. You can access your z-drive on any computer that you log in to on campus with your MyCState/Blackboard login information. You can also access it if you use the Horizon Virtual Desktop. For students, Z-drives are deleted after every semester.

You can also store files on your OneDrive. Your OneDriveOneDrive is much larger than your z-drive, and can be accessed anywhere you have an Internet connection.