Skip to Main Content

New Faculty, Staff and Student Guides

2023 Student Technology Guide
2023-2024 Faculty Staff Technology Guide

Welcome to the University of Georgia!

EITS is the central IT department on campus. We offer many tools to make learning, teaching, working, and living at UGA easier. Get started by exploring these checklists.

Need to request a new employee MyID, find out more information below in our Getting Started: A Checklist for New Employees. 

Getting Started: A Checklist for New Students

Your MyID is the username that's required to log in to a number of online University resources and other functions. If you are a student, your MyID was assigned to you during your admissions process, and you should have received a link to set up your MyID password. If you're a new employee, contact your department's HR representative to establish your MyID.

Your MyID password must:
1) Have at least 10, but no more than 16 characters
2) Must not include your name or MyID as part of the password
3) Have a combination of 3 of the following: upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters
      (such as, @!#)

Don't forget to also set up your security questions in the MyID Profile Forgotten Password Service, so you can change or reset your password at any time without contacting the Help Desk. Visit myid.uga.edu

Some UGA systems, including eLearning Commons and Athena, as well as UGAMail, OneDrive, and other Office 365 applications when you're off-campus, require more than your MyID and password for access.

To log into these systems, you'll need to use ArchPass, UGA's two-step login solution, powered by Duo.

UGA systems protected by ArchPass will ask you to: 
1)Enter your UGA MyID and password
2)Verify your identity with the Duo mobile app, a text message, or a phone call to your Duo-enrolled phone or tablet

This two-step login process adds an extra layer of security to help protect your UGA accounts.

To begin using ArchPass, enroll a smartphone, cell phone, landline phone, or tablet through the self-service portal at archpass.uga.edu. You can enroll ArchPass on multiple devices. 

 Your UGAMail is provided through Microsoft and includes access to your University email, calendar, and tasks. 

You can access your UGAMail at ugamail.uga.edu, through the UGA Mobile App, or by configuring a desktop client or app to access your account. The University will send official information to your UGAMail account, so be sure to check it regularly.

To change your UGAMail address, visit myid.uga.edu

Your UGA identification number begins with 81.

It's used instead of your Social Security number to access personal data. Your UGA ID number appears on the back of your UGACard. 

The UGA Mobile App is the official mobile app for the University of Georgia, where students, staff, faculty, and visitors can find campus resources and learn more about the University. The app allows users to track buses on and off campus, learn about the dining facilities, log in to various academic resources, check parking deck occupancy, and so much more!

The mobile app is free via the App Store and Google Play. For more information visit mobileapps.uga.edu

Once the app is downloaded, make sure to enable push notifications so you can receive important information around the University!

Phishing emails are emails designed to trick you into replying to them with personal information, such as your username and password, Social Security number, or financial account numbers.

Large institutions like UGA are targets for phishing and getting phishing emails is a daily reality. 

Did you receive an email that looks suspicious? Send it to abuse@uga.edu  for review.
Athena is the University's student information system.

On Athena, students can register for classes, pay tuition and fees, view academic and financial aid records, and update personal information.

To register for classes, you must first meet with your advisor. You can find more information about the class registration process on the Registrar's site.
UGA's online learning management system is called eLearning Commons (eLC).

Instructors use eLC for course assignments, learning materials, quizzes, class communication, and more. Each semester, you have automatic access to eLC for your classes.

For eLC instructional resources, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning's Help site.

Learn on the go with the Pulse App. Pulse is UGA's mobile online learning management system connected to eLC. 
On Pulse, you can see class modules, assignments, and grades without having to log into eLC on a desktop or laptop. 

To download the Pulse - Brightspace app, visit Pulse - Brightspace App
vLab is UGA's virtual desktop. 

vLab allows anyone with a MyID to access lab software anywhere, anytime via a web browser on their devices. The vLab gives access to a computer lab environment with applications to use on work and personal devices, regardless if you are on or off campus. It's like going to a computer lab without leaving your residence hall or home.

To log in to vLab, visit vlab.uga.edu
Are you staying on track for graduation?

DegreeWorks helps students and their advisors monitor progress toward degree completion. Much like a checklist, it combines their UGA degree requirements and the coursework completed into an easy-to-read electronic worksheet that shows how courses completed count toward degree requirements.  
Zoom is an online meeting tool that allows for video or audio conferencing from desktops or mobile devices. Zoom can be used for classes, hosting meetings between colleagues, and more. 

All UGA students, faculty, and staff have free access to Zoom with their UGA MyID. Your UGA Zoom account gives you access to host longer meetings with more participants and can be made more secure by requiring all participants to log in with a MyID. For more information, visit zoom.uga.edu
The EITS Help Desk is the central point of contact for computing services for UGA students, faculty, staff, and visitors. 

Visit: eitshelpdesk.uga.edu
Email: helpdesk@uga.edu 
Online chat: hd.support.uga.edu

Technology on Campus: FAQs

UGA doesn’t require that you purchase a certain type of computer, but a few degree programs, such as those in design or engineering, may require that you have certain software.

Most student just need a laptop with a word processor and the ability to connect to the Internet and access email. We recommend modern laptops with at a minimum Windows 10, or Mac OS High Sierra or newer.

Due to compatibility issues with many online services, we do not recommend tablet devices, such as the iPad or Android devices, or netbooks, such as Chromebooks, as your primary computing device. 

For more information about which computer is best for you, visit the UGA Bookstore

Your professors will let you know if you need to purchase specific software for certain classes or degree programs. 

UGA offers some software, such as Microsoft Office, Zoom, Adobe Creative Cloud and MatLab to students for free or at a discounted rate. You can find more information on our software site.

Other lab software, such as SPSS and STATA, is also available to students in our computer labs or through vLab, our virtual computer lab.

You can bring your own printer for your residence hall room, but if you want to save space, we recommend leaving your personal printer at home and using our print kiosks instead.

There are more than 40 print kiosks located across campus. Black and white printing is $0.09 a page and you can pay with a credit card, debit card, Bulldog Bucks, Apple Pay, Venmo or PayPal. 

If you choose to bring a printer, use a USB connection to connect it to your laptop. Wireless printing interferes with the wifi network in the residence halls, PAWS-Secure, and is not secure. Learn more at getconnected.uga.edu

The UGA Bookstore offers computer repair for a nominal fee. There are also several off-campus options, including Best Buy and Simply Mac. 

UGA offers two secure wireless networks: PAWS-Secure and eduroam.  

PAWS-Secure is available across campus and can be accessed using a valid MyID and password.

To access eduroam, students must provide their full UGA credentials with their MyID followed by "@uga.edu" (example: YourMyID@uga.edu). Students can also use their UGA credentials to get wireless service when visiting participating eduroam institutions in the United States and abroad.

All of the residence halls have wired Ethernet connections, but there are two different forms of Ethernet access in the residence halls. Please look at the connection in your room to see which best resembles the configuration in your room. You can find more information in the Wireless and Wired Networking section of our EITS Knowledge Base.

You will need to provide your own Ethernet cable to connect to the wired network. 

For more information on technology in the residence halls, visit getconnected.uga.edu.  
No. Personal routers cause significant interference with UGA’s wireless network. Personal wireless routers (such as WiFi-enabled printers and cell phone mobile hotspots) create issues with accessing the PAWS-Secure wireless network for yourself and people around you. Also, there is a security risk for people who connect a personal wireless router to UGA’s wireless network.

People using a personal wireless router will be asked to remove it from the network. This also applies to people using their cell phones as mobile hotspot (tethering).

Find more info on how to get the most of out wireless in housing
No. Smart home devices, such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Hue bulbs will not work with PAWS-Secure. 
Most streaming devices are not compatible with PAWS-Secure. If your streaming devices uses a wired connection, you may bring it. 
Yes. Make sure you also bring an Ethernet cable to connect your system to the wired network in housing. For more information about connecting gaming systems, visit our Wired Connections guide on our EITS Knowledge Base. 
Yes. Make sure you also bring an Ethernet cable to connect your smart TV to the wired network in housing. For more information about connecting smart TVs, visit our Wired Connections guide on our EITS Knowledge Base.

 

Getting Started: A Checklist for New Employees

Follow the Getting Started Checklist for New Students, as well as the following:

The University of Georgia Office of Telephone Services coordinates telephone service for all units on campus.

Each department or unit of the University has designated an individual, known as the Departmental Telephone Representative (DTR), who is responsible for coordinating changes or additions to their telephone service. 
The Remote Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to access the UGA campus network and computer resources securely from locations off-campus. 

Several UGA resources may require you to be on the UGA network in order to access those sites. By using the VPN, you have a secure connection that acts as a "tunnel" to the UGA on-campus network.

Learn more about the VPN here.
The Georgia Advanced Computing Research Center (GACRC) provides to the UGA research and education community an advanced computing environment comprised of a high-performance computing and networking infrastructure located at the Boyd Data Center, a comprehensive collection of scientific, engineering and business applications, as well as consulting and training services..

Request information about research computing tools from the GACRC.
Normal University business and classes can be disrupted by events and unforeseen circumstances such as weather, natural disasters, or health concerns. In many cases, faculty and staff may continue to teach and conduct business remotely using technology resources available to everyone at UGA.

There are many technology resources available for you to use remotely, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Kaltura, Virtual Private Network, eLC and more. 

Many colleges and units at UGA have their own technical support for their faculty and staff.

These unit-level IT help desks are typically responsible for hardware support and software and services specific to their department's needs. Faculty and staff in these colleges and units may need to contact their departmental IT staff for assistance.

EITS supports the centralized IT systems at the University.

The EITS Help Desk is the central point of contact for computing services for UGA students, faculty, staff and visitors. 

VISIT: eitshelpdesk.uga.edu
EMAIL: helpdesk@uga.edu 
ONLINE CHAT: hd.support.uga.edu
As of August 2022, MyIDs are auto-provisioned for employees in primary positions using the following guidelines.

Before a MyID is created, all hiring processes must be complete and entered into OneUSG Connect, and the employment information, including a hire date, must be delivered to the Identity Management System (IDM). 

MyID accounts can be created up to 2 weeks prior to the hire date for staff and 2 months prior to the hire date for faculty.

Your department’s HR practitioners can use the views in OneUSG Connect to see new hire information, using 180_HR_FUTURE_DATED_ACT_RSN and 180_TL_ABS_ENROLLED. Employee reports are also available to HR practitioners at https://reports.uga.edu. 

Questions should be directed to OneUSGSupport@uga.edu.

For more information about requesting a MyID visit our KnowledgeBase article "How to Request a MyID"