myPortlandState (myPSU) is a vehicle for bringing the campus together: everything from day-to-day transactions to building communities. myPSU provides the Portland State community secure, synchronized, on-line tools to:
Send and/or receive university communications
University e-mail
Targeted Announcements
Campus Announcements
Campus Events
Conduct transactions with Portland State
PSU Information System
OAM Account Management System
Collaborate with others in the campus community
On-line collaboration tools for groups
Calendar tools
Interact with other on-line systems at Portland State
Computer account management
Additional systems as resources allow
Discover more about Portland State
Links to common needs/questions
Information about campus community and culture
Customize personal myPSU interface
Add and remove optional channels
Modify standard layout
Policies
myPSU is administered by the Office of Information Technologies, with oversight provided by the myPortlandState Advisory Committee:
Mary Ann Barham, Undergraduate Advising and Support Center
Sharon Blanton, Office of Information Technologies
Eric Blumenthal, Business Affairs
Brian Everall, User Support Services
Hannah Fisher, Student Representative
Rob Fullmer, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Jess Goodwin, Student Affairs
Therese Graner, University Communications
Ann Harris, Information and Systems Technologies
Adriene Lim, Library
Kirsten Newbury, Office of Information Technologies
Joe Oreste, Office of Information Technologies
Ellen Weeks, Office of Information Technologies
In addition to the policies contained in this document, myPSU will abide by all PSU policies, including, but not limited to:
myPSU’s design follows general university visual identity standards and presents an interface and user experience consistent with Portland State’s main web site at www.pdx.edu. myPSU strives to meet the standards for usability and accessibility for users of all abilities.
Section III: Security/Authorization
myPSU provides a secure environment for online communications and transactions using single sign-on access for integrated systems. Initial access to myPSU requires that users complete a one time, on-line form using an existing “Odin” ID or PSU ID number.
Section IV: Roles
Purpose
myPSU roles enable the portal to deliver information and tools tailored to specific user needs. The following are roles delivered with the existing myPSU software:
Administrative
Alumni
Employee
Faculty
Friends
Student
All Users
Policies
New myPSU roles will be created only after consideration by the myPSU Advisory Committee. New roles approved by the myPSU Advisory Committee are then submitted to the Administrative Priorities Committee to be placed in the project queue.
Section V: Layout
Purpose
myPSU Login Screen: The myPSU login screen informs users about portal contents and provides a link guiding those without login credentials (first time users).
Tabs: Tabs organize and group related channels. The standard layout presented to portal users contains a specific set of tabs, based on user role. The initial layout of myPSU includes four tabs: Home, Student Central, Library, and Campus Help:
Home
All Users
Provides broad campus-focused content, with channels and integrated systems for official university communication.
Student Central
Role: All Users
Provides student-focused content, with tools and information needed to get things done at PSU.
Library
Role: All Users
Provides the PSU community with tools and information needed to navigate the library and other research systems.
Campus Help
Role: All Users
Provides information on resources available to support success at PSU, examples include:
Health and human services
Public safety
Information technology support
Policies
Additional Tabs: Additional tabs can be added to the initial portal layout, and then “pushed” to the portal user as needed. The portal layout offers information considered essential to the PSU community as a whole (see Section V: Channels), while minimizing the number of tabs, to avoid overloading the user. Once logged into the portal, users may create personalized tabs, add channels, and move content as desired.
New Tab Requests
After the launch of myPSU, no additional tabs will be added until the future phases of the project. Future tabs may include Employee and Faculty tabs.
New tab requests must be presented to the myPSU Advisory Committee for approval. Approval criteria will include:
Requested tab does not duplicate an existing tab.
The content proposed for the tab pertains to all members of one or more of the available roles within myPSU.
The amount of content requires the creation of a new tab, rather than inclusion on an existing tab.
A plan to maintain the tab and its content exists.
Section VI: Channels
Purpose
Channels organize the delivery of dynamic information and services to portal users. Channels created for myPSU are classified as either Default or Optional. Default channels are delivered to all users in a given role. Default channels may be locked into a fixed position on a particular tab. Optional channels may be added, moved, or removed by the user at any time.
Channel Categories: All channels are assigned to one or more categories, which group similar channels. These groupings make it easier to locate channels according to area of interest. Following are channel categories and example channels within each category:
Academics and Research
School of Business Administration
Sustainability Research
Campus Life
Events
Student Organizations
Help
Public Safety
Health and Wellness
Library
Ask Us!
Library Basics
myPSU Tools
My Classes/Grades
PSU Information System
My Announcements
News
Student Voice
Local News
Student Resources & Services
Important Student Resources
Forms
Policies
All channels exist to provide information and services of interest to some segment of the Portland State community. Channels may include synchronized sign-on to external systems. All channel content must be consistent with existing PSU policies, including, but not limited to:
The official PSU entities eligible to request a channel are as follows:
PSU departments/units
Student organizations recognized by Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP)
Default Channels
Default Channels address universal interest among users or provide exceptional utility for portal users. myPSU provides a starting point for students, faculty and staff, therefore the number of Default Channels is minimized.
Send the Channel Request Form to the myPSU Advisory Committee. The Committee will approve requests based on the criteria in section d. Channel Approval Process. (See below)
Optional Channels.
myPSU users may customize their portals by adding channels or tabs. These channels are categorized as listed above. They may be added, moved, or removed by the user. Optional channels may be developed independently by PSU staff or with the help of OIT User Support Services (USS) staff. USS periodically provides channel development training to university staff and students.
Create the channel in the test instance of myPSU, following the recommendations provided in the myPSU Channel Development Guidelines document. If the channel cannot be created by the requesting department, then contact OIT USS for information on channel development resources.
Send the Channel Request Form to the myPSU Advisory Committee. The Committee will approve requests based on the criteria in section d. Channel Approval Process. (See below)
Channel Approval Process
Minimum criteria to be used to approve creation of default or optional channels:
Channel functionality should not duplicate an existing channel.
Channel functionality, content, or audience supports creation of a new channel, rather than inclusion in an existing channel.
Channel appeals to a reasonably large audience.
Small audiences can be accommodated with myPSU Groups functionality
Specific justification should be provided for a channel with a narrow audience.
Resources must be dedicated to ongoing channel maintenance.
Channel must meet channel design standards as detailed in the myPSU Channel Development Guidelines.
Once approved, the advisory committee will determine:
Channel category
Channel title
Channel tab and column placement (for Default Channels only)
Channel Deployment: Once approved, channels will be deployed as resources allow.
Channel Maintenance
Channel Developers will be responsible for on-going channel maintenance.
Periodically, the myPSU Advisory Committee will review all channels for use and currency and remove channels no longer in use or applicable.
Section VII: Announcements
Purpose
Announcements provide the ability to send electronic messages to specific segments of myPSU users. There are two types of announcements: Targeted Announcements, sent to users based on criteria such as group, role, or major; and Campus Announcements, sent to all users of myPSU. In order to maintain the significance of the content in Announcements, the use of either type of announcement will be restricted to critical, time-sensitive information deemed essential for the portal user.
Policies
General
PSU faculty or staff must complete “myPSU Targeted Announcement” training before being authorized to send Targeted Announcements. Because the portal software cannot restrict populations by sender, the capability to send targeted announcements will not be widely distributed.
Campus announcements: will be managed centrally, through the Office of Information Technologies.
Membership lists of all targeted announcement populations are kept confidential from users within the portal.
Targeted Announcements Population Selection
Pre-defined Populations. The portal software comes with the following populations immediately available for sending Targeted Announcements:
Role - Student, Faculty, Employee
Major - Note this group could be different than anticipated. More information is available in Targeted Announcement Training.
Course
Students in a cancelled course
Students with a grade change
Custom Populations. Custom populations are groups of faculty, staff, and/or students selected from Banner using Banner's population selection tool.
Requests for custom populations must be submitted to the myPSU Advisory Committee for approval. Approval will be based on the following criteria:
Recurring need for the population
Critical nature of the content of the announcement.
Priority will be given to announcements which replace existing, paper and resource intensive official university correspondence.
To request a new Custom Population:
Submit a myPSU Custom Population Request to the myPSU Advisory Committee.
If approved, requestor is notified, and Targeted Announcements may now be sent to the custom population.
For all custom populations, membership is static and will not change until the extract process is run again.
Announcement Content
Targeted Announcements
Content for Targeted Announcements should be specific and essential. Targeted Announcements should be employed only when no other avenue within myPSU is available to convey information. Examples of appropriate content for Targeted Announcements include (but are not limited to):
For students: crucial academic calendar dates, such as registration availability, deadlines, etc.
For faculty and staff: open enrollment for benefits, policy changes
Financial information such as bills
Course section cancellations
Room changes
Grade changes
Critical messages related to an academic major
Targeted Announcements should be posted only one time.
Targeted Announcements should be concise. Links to an external web sites can be used to provide more information.
Targeted Announcements may be sent either to the recipients’ email or to the My Announcements channel. Using both delivery options should be reserved for urgent messages to avoid abuse of these communication tools.
Campus Announcements
Content for Campus Announcements should be essential information for all faculty, staff and students. Examples of appropriate content for this channel include:
Snow closures
Power or computer outages
Emergency information
Campus Announcements should be no more than three lines of text. Use a link to an external web site to provide more information.
Text and Format
To ensure consistency among announcements in tone, style and adherence to technical requirements and limitations of the system, use the following guidelines:
Appropriate Use – Announcements are meant to be brief, informative, and cordial. Text should use an appropriate tone or attitude. Please avoid blunt statements and brash directives. Messages in violation of university policies, regulations or state laws will not be posted.
Title – The announcement title should convey its topic or subject. The system only allows 255 characters (including spaces) for the title. The title appears as a link in any announcement; to read the full announcement, the user clicks the link whereupon the body of the message appears in the browser window.
Text – Announcements and emails must have text; sending just a title or subject is not acceptable. It is recommended that messages be kept to a few lines of text. Place a web link within messages if more information is necessary. Attachments are not possible. The announcement sender is responsible for all content, including spelling.
Required Text Information - The author of the announcement must be identified by name and email address.
Recommended Text Information - When applicable the body of the message should include time, location, meeting room, point of contact, phone, or email address within the announcement itself.
Delivery Options – Non-campus-wide messages can be sent through the Targeted Announcements function or as email. Campus Announcements cannot be sent as email.
Considerations for sending an announcement:
Delivery Date and Expiration – An announcement’s sender must specify the announcement’s delivery date and expiration date, typically one to seven days. Messages on the system for more than seven days are automatically deleted.
Announcements are not archived and cannot be retrieved after expiration.
Email messages do not expire.
Approval of Announcements
Campus Announcements
Approval authority for campus announcements is the Campus Announcement Oversight Committee.
Requests to send a campus announcement should be sent to xxx@pdx.edu with the following information:
Name and contact of the requester
Purpose of the announcement
Justification for sending the announcement system wide
The text of the message, following the guidelines above
Timing requirements such as start and expiration dates
Targeted Announcements.
PSU faculty or staff who have been approved and trained to send announcements will be given the authority to send Targeted Announcements for their department(s) only.
Announcement administrators must receive appropriate approval from within their department or unit before sending a Targeted Announcement.
Section VIII: Groups
Purpose
The Groups application allows subsets of the campus community ways to communicate and collaborate with other interested members. Groups provides multiple tools, including an organization home page (accessible only to myPSU users), email lists, calendar, chat room, photo space, and bulletin boards. Membership in groups is self-subscribed and may be open to all with no approval process, or may be restricted, requiring approval by a group leader.
Policies
Eligible Groups
Student Organizations: Eligibility will be restricted to student organizations registered with Campus Recreation, Student Publications or the Student Activities and Leadership Program (SALP). All student groups are public and open to all users of myPSU.
Administrative Groups: Groups may be created for official university related activities, and must have a PSU faculty or staff member assigned as a Group Leader.
Academic Groups: Groups may be created for official university related activities, and must have a PSU faculty or staff member assigned as a Group Leader. Faculty may also want to consider using the Blackboard group tool, which may have more functionality.
Group Categories
PSU Student Organizations
Academic/Honorary
Campus Recreation
Fine & Performing Arts
Greek Life/Leadership
Multicultural
Political
Service/Advocacy
Spiritual
Publications
Administrative/Academic
University Committees
Colleges/Schools/Departments
Administrative Units
Work Groups
Courses
Research
Group Types
Public: Open to all myPSU users
Restricted: Members must request approval by Group Leader to be admitted to group
Hidden: Groups are not visible, and members can only be added by the Group Leader
Group Administrators
Group Administrators approve new group requests, assign group privileges, and manage group categories (sets of groups).
Student Organization Group Administrator: Student Affairs Tech Team.
Administrative/Academic Group Administrator: Office of Information Technologies and/or University Communications..
Each myPSU group has a Group Leader responsible for creating and maintaining the content of the group homepages and guest views, managing member profiles, and deactivating or deleting members.
Student Organization Groups: The primary Group Leader shall be the group's advisor. This advisor shall in turn designate one or more student Group Leader(s) who will be responsible for regular maintenance and monitoring of group activities.
Administrative/Academic Groups: The primary Group Leader will be the PSU faculty or staff member indicated on the group request. The primary Group Leader may then assign additional group leaders as appropriate using the tools available through myPSU Groups.
New Group
Request Process
Complete the myPSU Group Request Form {link}.
Student group requests are forwarded to the Student Affairs Technical Team and must receive approval by the group's advisor.
Administrative/Academic group requests are forwarded to the Office of Information Technologies and/or University Communications..
If approved, the group is created on myPSU within two days of receiving the form.
Group Membership Behavior Expectations
Members of a group, including group leaders, must conduct group affairs in a professional and responsible manner consistent with existing PSU policies, including the following:
