What is MyBGSU?

MyBGSU is a secure Intranet - Enterprise Portal environment that helps to enhance campus communications and integrate multiple administrative systems into one centralized environment. All applications and communications will take place in a secure environment, accessible by authorized audiences only. With only one sign-on, students, faculty and staff will be able to access WebMail, BlackBoard/E-learning, PeopleSoft HCM, Registration Services, Financial Services, Meeting Maker, etc.  

Features and benefits of the enterprise portal are:

• Unified access to multiple systems, which streamlines processes across organizational boundaries by providing unprecedented access to information interrelating multiple systems and databases.
• Personalization, which provides a Web-based experience tailored by role and job function. Single access point, which gives access to virtually all authorized systems and collaboration tools with one password.
• Security, which meets needs defined by the business role or user.
• Advance search and navigation capacity, which streamlines navigation of multiple databases.
• Accessibility, from anywhere at anytime via Internet and Web browsers.
• Administration, which, because no local software installation is required, allows for rapid development of Web-based solutions.

Following the intial rollout on August 15, 2005, portal improvements will be added in upcoming phases of the project. The MyBGSU enterprise portal presents a vast amount of opportunities to customize and present information and services in a more concise and appropriate means for the BGSU community.

What is an Enterprise Portal?

An enterprise portal creates a central point of web access that provides all members of the campus community with :
Integration - bringing together multiple systems and services into one easily accessible environment.
Customization - allowing the user to receive customized information and to configure how content is viewed.
Authentication - supporting a single sign-on process to access multiple resources.

Why was the existing My BGSU web portal upgraded to an enterprise portal?

BGSU received a CampusEAI Oracle Portal Grant. To read more about it, see Enterprise Portal Project in the Projects and Strategic Initiatives pages of the CIO's Office.

What do I need to access My BGSU?

All you need to access My BGSU is:

• an Internet connection
• a current web browser
• the URL of BGSU's enterprise portal which is http://my.bgsu.edu
• an account on BGNet (available to all current and admitted BGSU students, faculty, and staff)

How soon after my BGNet account is created can I access My BGSU?

You will be able to login to My BGSU as soon as your BGNet account is created.

Does everyone logging into My BGSU see the same view of the portal?

No, your view depends on your affilliation with BGSU. A staff member, for instance, will see information and services tailored to his or her needs. The services and resources will be different than the resources presented to a prospective student who accesses the portal.

What happened to Blackboard?

The distance learning opportunities available via Blackboard will continue under the implementation of the enterprise portal. The Blackboard/eLearning portlet called MyCourses will be available on the Welcome tab in My BGSU.   If you prefer to remove the MyServices portlet from your view, you can click on "Blackboard" on the horizonal navagation bar to access to the Blackboard portal.  You can also enter the URL https://elearning.bgsu.edu in any browser to log into Blackboard directly.

What is eLearning?

elearning.bgsu.edu is the host name for Blackboard.

What is a portlet?

Portlets on the My BGSU enterprise portal can be identified by the title bar at the top of each portlet.  They provide access to a variety of information sources that are all within one source - the portal.  The single sign-on feature provided by a portal lets you access multiple systems without re-authenticating.

What are the default portlets available on My BGSU?

The default portlets are:

1. My Services - Your view of this portlet depends on your affiliation with BGSU.  It provides access to Academic Services, Account Administration, Financial Services, Registration Services and Miscellaneous Services.  For BGSU employees, these links provide PeopleSoft HCM related information such as Compensation History, View Paycheck and Manager Information.   Click here to see a list of My Services applications available to those with the following affiliation: Employee, Student and Prospective Student.  If you have more than one affiliation designation, you will see a combination of the My Services applications.
2. MyCourses - BGSU's Blackboard portal. For information on any feature included in this portlet, see the Blackboard Self Help page.
3. Campus Update - Campus Update provides details of campus-related news items. This will also be the means to update the University community on information that had previously been published through Marketing & Communications broadcast emails.
4. Campus Events - Outlines details of events taking place across the BGSU campus.
5. Current Weather - Daily weather and radar map information is available via the Campus Weather portlet. This information can be customized by zip code area to be displayed as well as by the option to show current conditions and/or to display the local radar map.
6. BGSU Monitor - Weekly publication for the BGSU community.
7. Quicklinks - Commonly used links on the BGSU web site.
8. *MyFavorites - All your favorite URLs may be quickly and conveniently referenced at this site.
9. *MyPortal Search - Provides the ability to search the BGSU Web site or to use several other popular search engines in addition to the reference tools of a dictionary and thesaurus. Each user can customize the search options to be displayed.
10. *MyWebMail - Porlet that provides a link to access BGSU's WebMail.
11. *Top Stories - This portlet brings top news stories from CNN using their RSS feed.
12. * Campus Views - Pictures of various scenes on the BGSU campus.

* - portlets you can add to your view

What is a region?

A region is an area on a portal page that is used to define the layout of the page.  It often includes other portlets and can also contain images, links, text, files and other content for your portal page.  You can easily see the regions defined on MyBGSU when you click on the 'Customize Page' link in the upper right corner of any MyBGSU portal page.  At the top of some regions, you will find a title bar with icons for adding and arranging portlets. 

What is a portlet repository and how do I access it on MyBGSU?

A portlet repository is a location on the portal where you can go to add other portlets to your portal pages. The steps to get to the portlet repository can be found in the instructions for adding a portlet.

Can you customize individual portlets?

You can customize any individual portlet that has a 'Customize' link included on its title bar.

What does the error message 'No Context configured to process this request' in the MyCourses portlet mean?

If you see the error below in your MyCourses portlet or when you click on Blackboard on MyBGSU's horizontal navigation bar, it means that you have no Blackboard account.

Because your access to Blackboard is not available until the day after your access to MyBGSU/BGNet becomes available, every new MyBGSU account holder will see this error message until their Blackboard account is created.  You do not need to contact the Technology Support Center unless you are seeing this error message more than 24 hours after your BGNet account was created.

Why am I seeing a message about holds on my account when I login to MyBGSU?

Twice daily the status of student accounts is checked. Students who have a hold on their account will see a notice like this when they login to MyBGSU.

After the hold is removed, this note will disappear the next time the status of student accounts is checked again.

When I request services in the My Services portlet, why am I seeing a wait for information to load message?

When you click on a link marked with asterisk (*) in the My Services porlet on MyBGSU, those applications need to request information from BGSU's mainframe computer which takes a few seconds.  While MyBGSU is waiting on the mainframe to respond, you will see this notice:

The wait time should be no longer than 60 seconds.