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Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College
Columbia University
Computing & Technology
Computing & Technology
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University

 

 

Support and Training * Support for Students

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Academic Computing Services provides technical support to TC students. Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions and their answers, which may help you resolve some of your computing and network problems.
If you have a question whose answer is not posted on our site, please email acs@tc.columbia.edu with your question, or call at 212-678-3302.

  • Email, myTC, and ClassWeb
  • Getting Connected
  • Student Computer Labs
  • Computer Purchases and Software
  • Cable TV and Phones
  • Support and Training

  • Email, MyTCPortal, and ClassWeb

    Your UNI (University Network ID) is the part of your Columbia email address before "@columbia.edu." For example, if your email address is "aaa123@columbia.edu" then "aaa123" is your UNI. In addition to being your email login ID, your UNI allows you to access myTC and ClassWeb (see myTC and ClassWeb below) as well as  library resources such as bibliographic searching, the computers in the labs, register for techology workshops, register for classes, retrieve payment infromation  and other University assets. 

    How do I create/activate my UNI and Columbia email account?

    Activate your UNI using your TC ID (usually your Social Security number) and birth date by going to: mYUNI website (http://uni.columbia.edu). You can look up your UNI and create your email account on this page.

    How do I check my Columbia email?

    CubMail, Columbia's web-based email program, can be accessed by clicking on the "My TC & EMAIL" link at the top of any TC website and then clicking on Cub Mail. You may also click on the myTC blu icon at the top of the Teachers College homepage and login into myTC.  Instructions on using CubMail can be found here: CubMail tutorial (http://www.columbia.edu/acis/email/cubmail/cubmail-tutorial.html). You can also check your Columbia email using supported programs such as Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Mail. Information on configuring these programs is available from the Columbia web site (http://www.columbia.edu/acis/software/email.html).

    How do I forward my Columbia email?

    Students are responsible for being aware of official messages sent to their Columbia email accounts. Teachers College expects that every student will receive email at his or her Columbia University email address and will read email on a frequent and consistent basis. However, you can forward your Columbia email to your Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo account or any other e-mail address.  If you do so, make sure to check this account frequently.  To set up email forwarding visit myUni website (http://uni.columbia.edu).

    What do I do if I forget my Columbia email password?

    You will have to stop by Academic Computing in 234 Horace Mann in person with your student ID card. Ask for a password reset, and they will flag your account to allow you to reset the password online (http://uni.columbia.edu).

    How do I change my Columbia email password?

    G to myUni website (http://uni.columbia.edu)and click on Log in to Manage your Uni account.

    What are MyTC and ClassWeb and how do I access them?

  • myTC is the Teachers College new portal. The portal consolidates information from several TC sources into a central place accessible through a single sign on ( your Colunmbia UNI and password). It comes with a variety of “information channels” such as email, library resources, employee self service, room assignments, software dowloads,college and course announcements, news, links to courses, ClassWeb and more.  To access myTC, click on the blue icon at the top right corner of theTC homepage. MyTC  requires a University Network ID or UNI and a password. This password can only be obtained by activating your UNI (see Email Accounts above.)

  • ClassWeb is a course management system where you can find information about your courses including syllabi, announcements, and course material. You may also use ClassWeb to participate in on-line discussions and chat sessions. To help you determine which courses are of interest, many faculty members post their syllabi online. To access these, click on "Students" from the top menubar on the TC homepage, then click on "Class Schedule." After choosing a semester and other search criteria, you will see a listing of courses with a highlighted Course Number, or CRN, to the left of each listing. Click on the CRN to open the syllabus page. Once registered for a course, you will find a link directly to its ClassWeb pages from your MyTC Portal page.

  • How can I publish a personal webpage?

    CUNIX is a Columbia server on which all Columbia faculty, staff, and students (including TC) have accounts and can publish webpages. Your UNI gives you access to an account on CUNIX.  Instructions and policies for publishing to CUNIX can be found here (http://www.columbia.edu/acis/webdev/create.html).  ACS offers workshops (http://www.tc.edu/computing/workshops) on web design and publishing using Mozilla Composer and Dreamweaver.


    Getting Connected

    How do I connect to the TC network/Internet on campus?

    Ethernet-capable personal laptops can be brought in and connected for Internet connectivity in the Everett Lounge (1st floor of Main Hall) and the Library. Wireless network access is available throughout most of the Teachers College campus, with total wireless coverage in:

    • All academic buildings
    • Harlem Campus (Theresa Tower)
    • Interchurch Center (TC suite)
    • Whittier Hall (common areas on floors 1 and 10)
    • New Residence Hall (common area on floor 1)

    These computers should be registered with CIS before attempting to connect. To register your laptop, please go to our Laptop Registration Form (http://devcw.tc.columbia.edu/resnet).  For instructions on how to connect to the wireless network, see our connection guides here (http:www.tc.edu/computing/wireless and click on "Connection Guides").

    How do I connect in Whittier, New Residence Hall, Grant, or Sarasota?

    Every room in Whittier Hall, New Residence Hall , Bancroft, Grant & Sarasota has a high speed Ethernet jack. Any resident with a personal computer (PC/Apple) can connect to the Internet at high-speed using an Ethernet cable connection to this jack.  All computers connected to ResNet are expected to have up-to-date virus protection software installed. All computers should be registered with CIS using our Laptop Registration Form (http://devcw.tc.columbia.edu/resnet). For more information, including support information, please visit the ResNet (Residential Networking) website (Email & Network Access > Information for Students > Residence Halls).

    How do I connect in Bancroft?

    Wireless network access has been installed in the Bancroft residence hall. Due to security concerns, the new wireless network uses WPA-PSK encryption with the 802.11g standard to ensure privacy.  An 802.11g wireless card that supports WPA-PSK encryption is required.  An encryption key has been provided to all residents at move in.  All computers connected to ResNet are expected to have up-to-date virus protection software installed. All computers should be registered with CIS using our Laptop Registration Form (http://devcw.tc.columbia.edu/resnet). For more information, including support information, please visit the ResNet (Residential Networking) website (Email & Network Access > Information for Students > Residence Halls).

    How do I connect off campus?

    In order to access your email and other Internet resource from off campus, you need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Columbia provides a free dial-up service (Email & Network Access > Information for Students > Off-campus) for faculty, students, and staff. However, we strongly recommend broadband (DSL or cable-modem) because students have reported dissatisfaction with slower access when using resources such as TC ClassWeb.

    How do I protect my computer from viruses?

    For those who will be using the campus network, for example in Whittier or New Residence Hall or through wireless connections, we require that you maintain your computer with current virus protection and operating system patches. For others with home computers we strongly encourage you to follow the same recommendations. The College has site licensed virus protection software for both Windows and Mac. You can download it free of charge from "Software and Tools" section of MyTCPortal (http://cw.tc.columbia.edu/prometheus). Click on the "Software and Tools" tab. For operating system patches, those with Windows may point their internet browser to http://www.windowsupdate.com; those with Mac OS X can click on Apple>System Preference>Software updates to configure automatic updates. For more more information, please see the TC Computer Security guide (Computing & Technology Home > TC Computer Security Guide).


    Student Computer Labs

    Where are the student computers labs on campus and what are their hours?

    Windows and Macintosh computers, printers, and scanners are available for student use in the newly renovated Student Computing Support Center in 242 Horace Mann and in the 345 Macy Computer Classroom.

    The 242 Horace Mann computer lab is open every day and its hours are:

    Monday - Thursday: 9:30 A.M. - 11:30 P.M.

    Friday: 9:30 A.M. - 10:00 P.M.

    Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M.

    345 Macy is a computer classroom available as a lab to students when no classes are in session (the class schedule is posted in 345 Macy) and its hours are:

    Monday-Friday, 1:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.

    Saturday, 12:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

    Sunday, CLOSED

    Remember that no eating, drinking or use of cell-phones is allowed in the labs. You can ask for help about printing, saving and the use of labs from the consultant on duty at the front desk. The labs also sell media including floppy disks (50 cents) and CD-R ($1). See the consultant for details.

    Additionally, the Instructional Media Lab (IML) (http://quicktime.tc.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/kwiki/pages.pl?page=InstructionalMediaLab) in 265 Macy provides students with video and sound recording and editing, DVD burning and other multimedia development resources. IML is open 1-6 PM Monday - Thursday and 1-6 PM on Saturdays.

    For more information about the labs, including a list of available software, please visit the Classrooms & Labs website (Classrooms & Labs > General Information).

    **Please check the Computing & Technology homepage (http://www.tc.edu/computing) for special holiday lab hours.

    How do I login and print in the computer labs?

    For 242 Horace Mann and 345 Macy, your username is your Columbia UNI, the part of your Columbia e-mail before @columbia.edu. Your default password is your UNI followed  by the last 4 digits of your TC ID number.  After initial login, the system will require you to create your own password. The domain to log onto is TC-ACS.

    To print from the Windows PCs, you must add money to your account. See the consultant at the front desk of the lab. The cost is 5 cents each page, and you have to add one dollar minimum, which gives you a 20 page print quota. The Macs do not deduct money from your printing account. Please pay 5 cents perpage to the consultant on duty on your way out of the labs.


    Computer Purchases and Software

    What are the recommended requirements for a personal computer?

     

    The answer depends on what tasks you will perform on your computer. Most computers at Teachers College are used for the following:

    • Word processing

    • Internet browsing

    • Accessing TC online resources (email, ClassWeb, library journals, etc.)

    • Programming/Data analysis (e.g., SPSS, SAS)

    • Creating multimedia content (e.g., Macromedia, Adobe, Final Cut, iMovie)

    • Recreation/games

    We offer the following minimum system requirements for your computer, but you might want to keep in mind that programming/data analysis, multimedia creation, and some gaming require significantly more computing power (see recommended additional requirements below):

    Processor (CPU) Windows: Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron, or AMD AthlonD (desktop); Intel Pentium M, Centrino, Core Duo, Celeron M, or AMD Mobile Athlon (laptop)/ Mac: Power PC G4*
    Memory (RAM) 512 Megabytes (MB)*
    Hard drive 40 Gigabytes (GB)*
    Media drives CD-RW (CD re-writable) drive strongly recommended. Floppy disk drive also recommended.*
    Ethernet network adapter Built-in 10/100Mbs network adapter. For wireless connectivity for laptops, built-in 802.11b, g, or b/g WiFi adapter.
    Ethernet patch cable CAT 5 or CAT 6, at least 10 feet long.

    *Recommended requirements:

    • At least 1GB of RAM
    • At least an 80GB hard drive (even more for video editing)
    • DVD-RW drive for large data storage and DVD authoring
    • For Macs, G5 or Intel processors
    • USB memory key (aka flash or thumb drives) for easy file storage

    Are there student discounts available for new computers?

    Yes, TC students can get discounts on personal computers from Dell and from Apple. Please check here (Getting Computers & Software > Purchasing New Equipment > Personal Purchases) for more information.

    What free software is available for TC students?

    Students can download McAfee antivirus software, secure telnet and FTP programs, Firefox, and Endnote from the "Software and Tools" section of MyTCPortal (http://cw.tc.columbia.edu/prometheus). Students enrolled in the CCTE program can obtain most Microsoft applications, languages, and server programs by visitng Academic Computing Services in 234 Horace Mann. Other TC students are not included in TC's campus licesenses, but many software vendors provide student copies at a discount. Please contact Academic Computing for more information.


    Cable TV and Phones

    Where can I find out about cable TV and phones for the residence halls?

    There is a basic phone service charge which is included in your monthly rent. Request for an additonal phone line is not permitted. All new students should fill out a telephone work request form (http://www.tc.columbia.edu/cis/telecomm/forms/requestform.pdf) to indicate whether they would like voice mail and call waiting service (these are provided at no additional charge). Cable TV service is available in all rooms; the cost will be included in your communications package. For more information, please see the Telecommunication FAQ (Telephone & Cable TC > Information for Students > Frequently Asked Questions).


    Support and Training

    Who can I call for technical support?

    If you need help with your Internet connection in the residence halls or using TC's wireless network, please email resnet@tc.columbia.edu

    If you have questions concerning ClassWeb, email cwsupport@tc.columbia.edu

    Please direct all general questions to Academic Computing Services by phone at 212-678-3302 or by e-mailing acs@tc.columbia.edu

     

     

    Where can I sign up for computer technology workshops?

     

     

    Academic Computing Services offers free and fee-based workshops for students on topics such as Word processing, Web design, Multimedia, ClassWeb, and Email. Please visit 234 Horace Mann or click here (http://www.tc.edu/computing/workshops) for the current semester's schedule.