iPASS
Quicklook!
for students
An easy-to-use guide
to the
iPASS e-learning system
Funded by:
The State University of New York, The State Education Department,
Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, Project # 8000-05-6460.
Major Effort #1: “Strengthening the Academic and Strategic Learning Skills of Career Students Through Instructional Support”;
by The City University of New York, Coordinated Undergraduate Experience (CUE);
and by Queensborough Community College, Student Activities Association
© 2013 Campus Writing Center, Queensborough Community College / CUNY
.
This iPASS Quicklook! guide is intended to help students access and use the iPASS e-learning system
The iPASS Quicklook! sees light due to the creative efforts of the following persons
in conceiving, testing, and modifying the iPASS system:
Dion Pincus
Director, Campus Writing Center
Bridget Orozco
Assistant Director, Campus Writing Center
for assistance with their writing-related coursework or test preparation.
James Deng 0DUN5DELQRYLFK
iPASS Web Developer
Allen Rabinovich
iPASS Web Designer
Joseph Labozzetta
e-Tutor Coordinator
and all of the CWC tutors and students
who have contributed their thoughts and ideas
to help make iPASS a working reality for the QCC community.
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Table of Contents
What is iPASS?.............................................................1
Getting Started……………………………………..……..3
Registering with iPASS…………………………….……..…3
Taking the Learning Styles Inventory…………….………..5
My Learning Profile……………………………………….8
Writing Clinic………………..……………………………10
Submit a New Writing Assignment to an e-Tutor….……..11
See e-Tutors’ Feedback…….………………………………13
See Instructors’ Assignments……...……………………….15
iBlog………………..………………………………………16
Using iBlog for the First Time………………………………17
Look at the Most Recent Blogs…………………………….18
Search for a Blog…………………………………………….19
Create Your Own Blog……………………………………....20
© 2013 Campus Writing Center, Queensborough Community College / CUNY
What is iPASS?
iPASS is a web-based e-learning system to help QCC students
with their writing. There are 6 inter-connected parts:
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1. My Learning Profile
How all the results of your learning styles inventories fit together, with tips
and strategies to capitalize on your learning strengths and improve your
learning weaknesses;
This is what you will use
to submit your writing
to an e-tutor.
2. Writing Clinic
Send in your writing along with your questions, and get a response from a
specially-trained e-tutor within 48 hours;
3. iBlog
Your own online space for your blogs (weblogs, or “blogs” are public
online journals that can include comments by readers, pictures, sound
files, and links to other students’ blogs and websites);
4. e-Files
Find out your learning styles; get study skills and test-taking tips; and
check out test-prep materials for the ACT Writing Exam and CPE Exam;
5. Writing Resources
links to useful writing websites, with information about each site;
and
6. iTrain
where tutors learn to be e-tutors, working online to give you useful
feedback customized to the way you learn most easily.
The iPASS system is “asynchronous”
(e-tutors and students don’t have to be online at the same time
because they don’t chat in “real time”)!
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Getting Started
Registering with iPASS
The first time you use the iPASS e-learning system, you’ll need to
register. It’s free, quick, and easy! Just follow these steps:
1. Go to www.qcc.cuny.edu/iss/iPASS
2. Click on
I am a QCC Student
3. On the next screen, near the top of the orange box, it says “Have you
registered to use iPASS? If not, click here to register.”
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4. You’ll be taken to the Student Registration Form.

Fill in your first name, last name, the LAST TWO digits of your CUNYFirst
username, and your email address. Your CUNYFirst username should look
something like this:
John.Doe55

Your iPASS username will be created automatically.

Finally, enter a 6-character password twice, and click
Submit
Be sure to enter the last
2 digits of your CUNYFirst
username, NOT your
social security number!
iPASS will create
your username
for you!
Pick a 6-character
password
and type it here!
When you’re done,
click Submit!
(Hey, have you heard? All QCC students now have a QCC email address;
it’s your first initial, last name, and last 2 digits of your social security number
@tigermaill.qcc.cuny.edu. For example, if your name is Jane Doe and your social
security number is 123-45-6789, your QCC email address is
JDoe89@tigermail.qcc.cuny.edu.)
iPASS will welcome you to the system, and then you’re ready to go!
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Taking the Learning Styles Inventory
The first thing you do as a new iPASS student is to take a fast and easy
Learning Styles Inventory.
1. Click on the button that says
.
There are just 7 questions, so it’ll go quickly.
And you’ll get valuable information about how to study and learn in the ways that are
most effective for you! Your iPASS e-tutor will also put the inventory results to use
right away by working with you according to how you learn best.
Each sentence can
be finished 4 ways.
Maybe several
endings describe you,
but
click the box that
describes you BEST.
Then click
Next
to see the next
question.
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2. When you’ve finished all 7 questions, you’ll get your results in a graph:
The pink bar is your
preferred learning style.
Click on it
to see tips and strategies
that can help you learn
So what’s a learning style?
Although you can learn in many ways, your learning style is how you can learn new and
difficult information most easily. Knowing more about it can help you and your iPASS e-tutor
work more effectively.
.
When you click on the pink bar or bars, you’ll get a pop-up window like this:
Click here to Open the
tips and strategies page.
(You can also Save the
tips on your computer!)
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Clicking
styles.
Open
will show you a page of tips and strategies for different learning
Find your learning style
and read d
o
w
n that column.
You’ll see a description
and some tips on how to
learn effectively.
When you’re finished,
click the
X
to close the page.
You’ll see the graph with the
pink bars again.
Back on the page with your learning styles graph, click on the link at the
bottom that says:
Want to continue to visit the iPASS e-tutoring system? Please click here.
3. You’ll be taken to My Learning Profile.
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My
Learning
Profile
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My Learning Profile
My Learning Profile is where iPASS keeps track of your learning styles, study skills and
other inventory results (you can find these inventories in eFiles), and shows you how all
the results together form a picture of you as a learner.
If you’d like to
submit a paper
right away, click on
“Writing Clinic.”
Soon, My Learning Profile
will also be able to offer you
individualized advice on how
to succeed with homework
and classwork according to
your personal mix of styles.
What you see here is just a
sample of our work in
progress!
Congratulations!
Your registration is finished!
(The next time you login, you will only need to enter your username and your password!)
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Writing
Clinic
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Writing Clinic
What is the Writing Clinic?
This is where you can:



submit your writing assignments to an e-tutor
check your e-tutors’ feedback, and
see your instructors’ assignments
Let’s look at those options one at a time.

I want to submit a new writing assignment to an e-tutor
Click here to send
your writing to
an e-tutor!
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What class or
workshop is this
assignment for?
If you’re submitting an
assignment for the
CATW writing exam, just
click “continue!”
If you’re submitting an
assignment for one of
your courses, click
“other” and then click
“continue.”
This will allow you to
select your course.
After selecting your
course, click “continue.”
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Give your assignment a brief
title like, “Nursing Care Plan”
or “Analysis of Macbeth.”
Remember your learning
style? Your e-tutor will
know it too—to give you
the best possible
comments!
Here’s where you tell your
e-tutor what your professor
asked you to do.
This way, your e-tutor can
see if your writing is
on target!
Just type (or copy and
paste) your writing here!
What do you think about
your writing? What do you
want to find out?
Remember: the more
specific you are, the more
helpful your e-tutor can be!
Is this your first draft? Second? Third?
Click here to attach your previous drafts
so that your e-tutor can give you the
best possible feedback!
Don’t forget to click
Submit
when you’re done!
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
I want to see my e-tutors’ feedback
After you submit a writing assignment to an e-tutor, you can expect a
response in less than 48 hours!
How do you see your e-tutor’s response? It’s easy!
When you log back into iPASS, just go straight to Writing Clinic. You’ll see
this screen:
Click here to read
your e-tutor’s
comments!
When you click on “I want to see my e-tutors’ feedback,” you’ll see a list of
all the assignments you’ve submitted, the dates, and whether your e-tutors’
responses are ready yet.
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Click a title to see your writing
and your e-tutor’s comments.
Purple titles mean you’ve
already checked the comments;
blue titles mean you haven’t
seen them yet.
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If an e-tutor hasn’t started
working on your writing yet, you
can cancel it.