Frequently Asked Questions

Password Related Issues:

Wireless Related Issues:

Email Related Issues:

Blackboard Related Issues:

**Please click on the desired link above to go to the particular section.

Q:Who can use myWSU?

Ans: Only WSU students, faculty, and staff who have a myWSU ID and password can login to the myWSU portal for personalized content.

Q: How do I get a myWSU ID password?
Ans: To get/reset a myWSU ID password, visit https://wichita.edu/SSPR

Q: I can't get logged in?
- Don't remember your password?

Go to mywsu.wichita.edu and click 'manage your password'. Follow the procedure explained above.

- Can't remember your myWSU ID?

Go to wsuaccess.wichita.edu. Fill out the form, and attach a valid government issued photo ID with the form. Your myWSU ID will be emailed to you after your request has been processed.

Q: Is my myWSU ID and password case sensitive?

ANS: myWSU ID is not case sensitive. Password is case sensitive.

Q: Do myWSU ID passwords expire?

ANS: myWSU ID passwords expire after 180 days. WSU is committed to maintaining security to online services. Regular expiration of passwords is a key component of the security plan.

Q: What are the password requirements?

ANS: visit WSU's password tips at https://wichita.edu/password for full list of password requirements.

Q: What are examples of strong passwords?
ANS:
• Strong passwords are easy to remember, and hard to guess.
• Start with a dictionary word and incorporate numbers, and special characters to create a non-dictionary word (e.g., Flagpole: Fla4@gpo8l~e).
• Use the first letter in a phrase, and incorporate numbers and special characters (e.g., Jack and Jill ran up the hill: jaJ,Ru48#th).
• Don't use personal information, or these examples when creating your strong password. Avoid making passwords with patterns. (ie: a1234567 or mmmmm9)

Q: Where is the myWSU ID and password used?
ANS:
• myWSU
• Email
• Banner Self Service
• Blackboard

Q: Why does myWSU say my account is locked when I was admitted today?

ANS: You cannot create a password for myWSU until the next business day after being admitted. The update process is run overnight. The Help Desk cannot remove this lock. This lock is usually removed the next morning by 10 AM.

Q: How do I reset the username and/or password on the Undergraduate Admissions Application?

ANS: The username and password for the Undergraduate Admissions application is set by the applicant. The Help Desk cannot lookup, or reset this information. It is usually faster to start the process over if the application was not completed. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions office at 316-978-3085 for assistance. Graduate School Admissions and International Admissions questions should be directed to those departments.

Q: What are the Steps for connecting to WSU Secure Network ?

1. Find ‘WSU Secure’ in your list of available wireless networks
and click ‘connect’.
2. A window will pop up asking for your login and password.
a. Your Login is your WSU ID
b. Your Password is your WSU ID password
(If you are not a current student or faculty/staff, you will need to connect to WSU Guest)
3. A Security Alert box may come up asking to validate security credentials. Click connect.
4. Test your connection by accessing any web site.

Q:How can I manually add a profile?

Ans: By clicking on the wireless signal appearing on lower left side of the screen you can go to network sharing center and add profile.

Q: I am still facing problems connecting to a secure network after setting up the profile. What should I do?

ANS: If you are new student you have to change the password one more time to access the secure network. If it does not help please call the Help Desk for assistance at (316) 978-HELP, option 1.

Q: I am trying to connect to the WSU Guest network and it is showing MAC address is not registered. What should I do?

Ans: Wait a few minutes and try again. It is not unusual sometimes due to high traffic load on the guest network for it to display error messages.

Q: Why do I have to accept a security certificate manually?
ANS: To protect your myWSU ID and password, your credentials are encrypted even before your wireless session is completely set up. The credential encryption is the same type used for secure web browsing (HTTPS), and the security server uses the same kind of certificate to prove to your computer that it really is a WSU server. Unfortunately, even though your browser has a list of certificate authorities to trust your computer's wireless system isn't set to trust the same list of certificate authorities, so by default it doesn't recognize the (legitimate, commercial, purchased) certificate on our server. This means the first time you connect to WSU Secure you'll have to accept the certificate manually.

Q: Where on campus is WSU Secure wireless available?
ANS: Everywhere at WSU that wireless is available!

Q: Can I use a third party Client to connect to WSU Secure?
ANS: Yes. You can use one, but sometimes it can have problems, so it is advisable to only use the Windows/Mac utility instead of a third-party client.

Q: I clicked on the email link on myWSU, and nothing happened. What did I do wrong?

ANS: You may have a pop-up blocker blocking the new page from opening. On Edge it will notify you of this by putting a yellow bar on the top of the page. You can click on that bar and allow pop-ups. Other browsers will have the setting also, but in other locations. If you have trouble finding it please call the Help Desk at (316) 978-HELP option 1.

Q: If I mistakenly sent an email can I get it back?

ANS: If the mail was sent from one faculty/staff member to another it can be retrieved, providing the other user hasn't opened/deleted it, and it wasn't sent to a mobile device. Go to your sent folder and find the email you want to retrieve. Double click to open the email. In the "actions" section, click "other actions". Then select "recall this message". The message will be recalled.

Q: I am a student at WSU. I am able to get into my myWSU account and Blackboard, but can't access my email account. What should I do?

Ans: Try to access your email account through “studentmail.wichita.edu”. If it does not work please call the helpdesk for assistance at (316) 978-4357, option 1. Also, make sure to login using your myWSU ID@wichita.edu, along with your myWSU password.

Q: I am faculty/staff at WSU. I am trying to get into my staff email account but it is not letting me in. What should I do?

Ans: Make sure to type your myWSU ID@wichita.edu along with your current password. If it does not help please call the Help Desk for assistance at (316) 978-4357, option 1.

Q: How do I find my WSU student email address?

ANS: Your student email address is displayed after logging on to https://mywsu.wichita.edu hovering your mouse over the Shocker Alert Contact Info box. 

Q: What is my username?

ANS: It is your myWSU ID (x123y987 for example).

Q: What is my password?

ANS: Use your current myWSU ID password. More information about using or changing your myWSU ID password is located under Manage your password on https://mywsu.wichita.edu.

Q: How do I access WSU email?
ANS: Email is easily accessible from various WSU web pages and:
• Students: https://studentmail.wichita.edu, or by clicking on the StuEmail icon inside myWSU.

• Faculty, staff, and departmental accounts: https://o365.wichita.edu.

Q: Why should I use my WSU student email account?

ANS: Official email from the University is sent to a student's campus email address. Most students use student email to read their email.

Q: Can I change my email address?
ANS: In most cases it is not possible to request a change to your email address. If you feel a change is necessary, please contact the ITS Help Desk at (316) 978-HELP option 1 or helpdesk@wichita.edu.

Q: How do I find out more about student email functions?

ANS: Logon to student email and click the Help button.

Q: What do I do when it says my mailbox is 90% full or more?

ANS: Delete email messages stored in one or more of the folders in your mailbox. Some suggestions:
• Messages with attachments often take up the most space. Start by saving the attachment onto your computer's hard drive.
• Find the largest messages and delete them first.
• Check the "Sent" folder for copies of emails that can be deleted. Turn off the option to save copies of outgoing messages (this will differ from one email client to another).

Q: How do I delete and expunge email?

ANS: For information about deleting and expunging messages, logon to student email and click the Help button. Refer to Mail; Managing Messages; To Mark a Message for Deletion.

Q: Can I use Mail Filters?
ANS: The Mail Filters option is used to manage mail filters for incoming email messages. Additional information can be found by logging into student email, and clicking on the Help button. Refer to Options, Using Mail Filters.

Q: Why am I not able to log on to Blackboard, but I am able to log on to myWSU?

ANS: If your myWSU password has expired, it would let you log in to myWSU sometimes because myWSU portal provides a grace period of 1-2 days before you set a new password. Blackboard does not let you in if it has expired. Try changing your password to a new one, and login to Blackboard. If you still have problems, call the Help Desk at 316-978-HELP, option 1.

Q: What are the supported browsers for Blackboard?

Ans: Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the supported browsers for Blackboard. Other browsers may work with Blackboard, but users may experience unexpected issues. For this reason users who are attempting tasks, such as taking exams in Blackboard are highly encouraged to use a supported browser.

Q: When can instructors/faculty access their courses?

ANS: Course enrollments should be up to date with your current list of enrollments as seen in the portal (myWSU). If you are the instructor of record for a course and see the course only in your portal list, but not Blackboard, please submit a Help Request Form for resolution. Please note: upcoming semester courses are made available to instructors 4 weeks prior to the semester start, while student access is set as a default to 20 days prior and 20 days after the semester start dates.

Q: When can students access their courses in Blackboard?

Ans: Course enrollments should be up to date with your current list of enrollments as seen in the portal (myWSU). If you are registered for a course and have no holds due to payment/etc., and see the course only in your portal list but not Blackboard, please submit a Help Request Form for resolution. Please note: Students may be registered for a course and see it in myWSU, but not in Blackboard if the instructor has made the course unavailable. If you are not sure if this is the case contact your instructor, or us, and we will check the course settings for you.

Q: How can I edit the list of courses?

ANS: On the My Blackboard tab your courses are listed in the My Courses module. Simply click on the "gear" icon in the upper-right of the My Courses box. You will then see a list of all courses with options to check the box next to what you wish to see or not see. Make your selections, and click Submit. To view full listing of courses quickly in the future without changing your settings simply click on the Course tab which displays all enrolled courses.

Q: How do I upload, and link a zipped package or webpage?

ANS: First, go to the course files area. Select upload package, find the zip file you wish to upload, and click submit. This will automatically be unzipped in the course files area. Then, from the content area, go to Create, File. Select the .html file you wish to add and submit it. You have an option to manage the read rights of students to the folder at this time only. If you wish to restrict access differently, we suggest creating subfolders in your course files area, and uploading and managing access rights according to your preference.

Q: How do I add additional users (instructors, students) to a course?

ANS: To add users to a course perform the following steps:
1. Go to the Control Panel, Users and Groups, and click Users.
2. Select Find Users to Enroll.
3. If you know the myWSU ID, simply type it in here, select the appropriate role, and submit. If you do not know the myWSU ID (username) use the browse feature to select the user, and then submit.
Note: users who are not in the Blackboard database cannot be added. You will need to submit a help request in those instances. Also, you can edit the user's role at any time by clicking on the chevron symbol next to their name in the Users list page.

Q: I am receiving an error when updating announcements or creating new announcements.
[example, Invalid date fields provided. RestrictionStartDate must be prior to RestrictionEndDate.]

ANS: This issue is due to the fact that there is an announcement from Blackboard 8 that included a start date prior to an end date. Blackboard 9 checks for this inconsistency and users will receive this error. To fix this users will need to correct the announcement with the incorrect dates, or delete the announcement in question. We have added a new tool for seeing availability dates, as well as an easier way to delete announcements. This tool, Manage Announcements, is located in the Course Tools area of the Control Panel.
Alternatively, users may delete all announcements by going to the Control Panel, Packages and Utilities, Bulk Delete, select Announcements, type Delete and click submit.

Q: How can I view my grades?

ANS: Grades can be viewed a couple of ways in Blackboard. One way is dependent upon whether your instructor has a Tools page in their course available. If this is the case, in the list of tools for students (such as Roster, Collaboration, etc.) there is a tool called My Grades. Clicking on this will give you access to grades. The link to My Grades is typically available in a module that can be added to the My Blackboard / Courses tab. This module is currently unavailable. We are working on a solution with Blackboard. We have also received reports that some users are not seeing their spring courses in the Report Card module. With this alternative, a student may click on the "Add Module" option on the My Blackboard tab (the page after login or when first entering Blackboard). There is an option for Report Card. Check the box and submit to add the module. This module by default only shows the Total column, which your instructor may or may not be using, and will only show up for a class once a grade has been posted for that course. The grade or "-" for a course will be a link. Clicking on this link will take you directly to the My Grades area for that course. For those who are unable to use the alternative we are working with Blackboard to resolve it, and hope to have it working as soon as possible.

Q: Students are seeing expired or not yet released Announcements.

ANS: There is a known bug with the current version of Blackboard where if an instructor is using the regular Announcements page, as they may have in the previous version, announcements with expiration dates set are not expiring, or disappearing from view. If an instructor is using a Module Page with an Announcements module the expiration functions as designed. Below are some steps for ensuring that Announcements expire:
1. If you have a Tools area/page visible you will first need to hide the link for the Announcements on that page.
2. Create a Module page by clicking on the plus sign above the course title, and selecting Create Module page.
3. Give the page a title such as Home, Course Home or Announcements. Check to make visible to students and submit.
4. Navigate to the new module page, and click Add Module. Here you can add numerous modules that may be of value to students. Check the box next to Announcements, and click submit.
5. Last, delete your Announcements page. Announcements that have restrictions on availability will no longer be visible to students; even if they select to view all. Please note you must have both the start, and end dates selected for this to work.

Q: Are there any tutorials for students?

ANS: Yes. There are some tutorials provided by Blackboard that provide some "how to" videos of common student tasks. Please check the following link http://ondemand.blackboard.com/students.htm

Q; How do I allow my students the ability to record with Panopto?
Ans: Panopto allows you to create a separate folder called "dropbox" that gives students the ability to record and upload to this folder. Students will only have the rights to see, and administrate over their own recordings. The professor will be able see all of the student recordings in the folder.

Steps to add drop box:
1. Log into http://panopto.wichita.edu (Make sure you select Blackboard when you login).
2. Under My Folders (left-hand column) click on the folder you want to give students the ability to record.
3. Right-click on the name of the folder in this column, and select Info.
4. Click on the Create Drop Box button.

Q; How can I get a copy of Microsoft Office for home use?
Ans: Go to https://wichita.edu/?u=userservices&p=/MCAWAH/. Follow the instructions. Office 365 is only available to staff, faculty, and currently enrolled students.