My VT

My VT is a gateway or portal to Virginia Tech online services and information designed to be used by all Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The automatic single sign-on capability My VT offers with several university services, such as Hokie SPA, Filebox, and Departmental Software, uses Central Authentication Services (CAS). Single sign-on means that once you log on to My VT, you won't have to retype your PID and password to access those online services. Featured also in My VT are several information channels that focus on a particular topic. Currently there are over 30 different channels created by various university departments and some channels are from outside sources, like headline news.

Contents

• Content and Layout
• Navigation Hints
• Supported Browsers
• Enabled Cookies
• Privacy
• Contact Information

Content and Layout

Roles and Affiliations

Each person has a role in the Virginia Tech directory as a student, faculty, staff, or alum and has a personalized set of information that is displayed according to that role. For example, a student who logs on will get a list of all classes they are currently enrolled in with links to the class Web site and other information. Similarly, a faculty member, when logged on, will be presented with links to the classes they are teaching.

People with multiple roles with the university will see content for each role. For example, an employee who is currently taking a class would be considered to be a student and staff. This person will see content that is appropriate for both Virginia Tech employees and students.

Customization

You may customize some of the content and layout in My VT, such as adding and moving channels. Instructions can be found once you have logged on.

Navigation Hints

My VT is based on a tab/channel design. Use the navigation tabs, shortcut links, and search box to find what you need.

• Along the top of the page, you may select the "Home", "Courses", "Personal Info", "Community", "Services"', or "My Stuff" tabs.
• The shortcut links at the top of the page will take you directly to common services such as WebMail or Filebox.
• The "Search" text box searches Virginia Tech Web pages.

Once you have finished using My VT, be sure to log off or close your browser window. This action will ensure that no one else can view your personal information.

Supported Browsers

You must be using one fo the following browsers to access My VT. Please verify that you are running the latest version of one of these browsers to ensure the best My VT experience and to eliminate any potential security issues associated with older versions.

Windows

• Internet Explorer 6
• Mozilla 1
• Netscape 7

Mac OS

• Internet Explorer 5
• Mozilla 1
• Netscape 7
• Safari 1

Linux

• Mozilla 1

Enabled Cookies

You must have cookies enabled in your browser to use My VT for two reasons:

• My VT sessions expire after a given time so that your browser cannot accidentally remain logged in, allowing someone to access your information.
• Cookies are also used for the authentication system that provides single logon to other VT applications.

For instructions on enabling cookies in Internet Explorer and Netscape in Windows and Mac OS, refer to Enabling Cookies.

Privacy

My VT has a database that contains your user profile which includes information such as the tabs in your layout, the channels to which you have subscribed, and any bookmarks you have saved through the portal. Information such as channel subscriptions will be accessed periodically to improve the usability and functionality of My VT.

Your user profile does NOT include personal information such as your address, phone number, passwords, etc. Specific user information will not be shared outside of Virginia Tech, but broad data such as usage trends may be shared with other universities and development groups.

Contact Information

If you have any problems or need assistance with this service, contact 4Help twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by using the Help Request Form or by calling (540) 231-HELP (4357).

If you are an application or content developer and would like to add content to My VT, send us a note using the My VT Team: Contact Us form.