How should I get started as a new student?

As a new student, you should have received a welcome letter to your personal email address. In this letter, you will find your school username and school email address. These credentials will be used to sign in to your school account so that you can access school technology resources like the Student Gateway and WiFi on-campus.

Step 1: Set a password for your account

The first thing that you will need to do in order to access your school account is to set a password. Your account currently has a temporary password, and you will need to reset this password to a new, permanent one for your own use. To set your new password, go to https://apps.tcsedsystem.edu/Password_Reset and follow the instructions. For help with resetting your password, visit the article on resetting your password.

Please note that we set school account passwords to expire every 180 days, at which point you will need to update your password. This is to keep your account secure. We will send you reminder emails when your password expiration date is drawing close. For more information, see this article on our password expiration and complexity policy.

Step 2: Sign in to your school email

A. Navigate to your email

Once you have set your password for your school account, you can then access your school email. For privacy reasons, you should only use your school email account for all school-related correspondence. It is important that you check this account on a regular basis, beginning today, as several departments will send you information before you begin classes.

We use Microsoft Outlook exclusively for email. Please refer to the following articles for more information on Outlook and how to access your account:

• What is Microsoft Outlook and how do I use it?
• How do I access my school email through Outlook?

Note: Please read through the next section (B. Sign in and enroll in MFA) before proceeding to access your email so that you know what to expect on your first sign-in.

B. Sign in and enroll in MFA

For signing into your account, you will use the email address and the new password you set. Please note that on your first sign-in, you will be prompted to enroll a method for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA helps safeguard your account by using two steps to verify your identity when signing in. All students are required to be enrolled in MFA for security purposes. To learn more about MFA and for help with enrolling and signing in, please visit the following articles:

1. What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?
2. How do I enroll in Azure multi-factor authentication (MFA) for students/alumni for the first time?
3. How do I sign in to my student/alumni account and complete Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?

Once you have enrolled in MFA and successfully signed in, you will now be able to access your email. You will also now be familiar with how to sign in to your school account so that you can access other school technology resources through Single Sign-On (SSO).

Step 3: Get to know this Help Desk Portal

You are viewing this article on the Help Desk Portal for The Community Solution Education System. The Community Solution Education System is a system of higher education institutions that work with each other to support students like you, and your school is one of the institutions in this system.

One way we provide support at the system-level is through technology support, including this Help Desk Portal. You can use this portal to find information and answers to any questions you have about school technology resources, and to contact the Help Desk for any additional support. Feel free to use this portal whenever you need help with school technology resources, including as you settle in now as a new student. We strongly recommend you bookmark this Help Desk Portal for future reference.

Make sure to sign in to this portal with your school account so that you can see all articles specific to your institution and needs as a student. You can also keep track of any requests you submit to the Help Desk through this portal.

Learn more about the Help Desk Portal and how to use its features.

Step 4: Check your school's IT policies and tech requirements

Visit the articles in this section to read through your school's IT policies and to check the technology requirements and recommendations for your school. Checking these will ensure that you have the right technology and that it is set up in a way that you can access all available tech resources and maximize your digital academic experiences.

Step 5: Familiarize yourself with school technology resources

Please refer to this section of articles to learn about the applications and websites that are available to you as a student.

Take your time to familiarize yourself with each resource, especially the following as these are the sites you will use most as a student:

• The Student Gateway: The site where you can:
  • keep up to date with your institution's community
  • access student resources & support
  • search and/or register for courses
  • access your account & financial aid information and make payments
  • view and update your student personal information
  • check out your academic records, grades, transcripts, and progress
• Canvas: The site for accessing your courses; our learning management system.

Also, don't forget that you can use this Help Desk Portal to find information about all school technology resources, including:

• Your account & passwords: basic info on your account, how to set up your account and make changes, how to sign in, how to reset your password
• WiFi: how to connect to WiFi on-campus (if applicable)
• Email & calendar: how to access and use your email & calendar through Outlook
• On-campus technology (e.g., printers, computers, classroom technology): where to find this technology and how to use them
• School applications & websites (e.g., Canvas, the Student Gateway, Office 365): how to install/access an application or website, basic tutorials

You can explore all this information through the categories on the Help Desk Portal home page here.