Student computer orientation
STUDENT COMPUTER ORIENTATION ......................................................................................................................... 1
EMAIL .................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
SCHOOL OF NURSING WEB RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 1
MFILE .................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
CTOOLS................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
MFILE – YOUR SPACE ON THE WEB ............................................................................................................................ 2
WORKING WITH FILES IN MFILE ........................................................................................................................................... 2
GETTING TO YOUR MFILE SPACE.......................................................................................................................................... 2
VISUAL OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
SETTING UP MFILE SPACE FOR WEB PAGES/PORTFOLIOS ...................................................................................................... 3
SHORTCUTS AND HINTS ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
CTOOLS INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS ................................................................................................................... 4
RESOURCES .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
DISCUSSION .......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Reading messages ........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Writing a new message ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Replying to postings ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
ASSIGNMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6
SCHEDULE ............................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Viewing the Schedule ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Views ..................................................................................................................... 8
Activity List View ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Email
You can access your e-mail via the web at http://mail.umich.edu/ . You can also set up a mail program,
such as Eudora or Outlook, to check your mail from your own computer. Instructions are at
http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4321/ .
School of Nursing Web Resources
The School of Nursing web site (http://www.nursing.umich.edu/) has a long list of resources of
interest to students. Of particular interest:
 Student gateway: http://www.nursing.umich.edu/gateway/student_gateway.html - has links to
registration, academic calendar, etc.
 Student technology resources: http://www.nursing.umich.edu/studentresources/ - has info on
buying a computer, computer compatibility, computer instructions, and information on
portfolios.
 Academic programs: http://www.nursing.umich.edu/academics/index.html - lists requirements
for the degrees offered here, with links to course descriptions.
MFile
MFile is a large server-based storage space that you can use to save files, backup your hard drive,
move files among computers, or post web pages. Instructions are on page 2.
CTools
CTools is our “course management system.” (You may have used Blackboard, WebCT, or another
similar system at another school.) Instructions are on page 4.
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MFile – your space on the web
MFile, or Institutional File Space (IFS space), is a large personal storage space residing on U-M
servers, which you can access from any computer with an Internet connection. Everyone with a UM
uniqname typically has 1Gb of MFile space.
Working with files in MFile
Generally speaking, you do not edit documents while they are “in” MFile. Instead, you work on the
document on your computer, save the changes, then save a copy to MFile. (The process of saving a
copy to MFile is called “uploading.”)
When you want to edit an existing page, you need to copy it back onto your computer so you can work
with it (called “downloading”). After you’ve made changes, you’ll re-upload the document. This
means you’ll always have 2 copies of the document – the one on your computer, and the one in MFile.
Be sure you keep both copies updated!
Getting to your MFile space

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Go to http://mfile.umich.edu/ and log in with your Kerberos id and
password (same as your e-mail).
Click on the name of the folder (e.g., Private) to view its contents.
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Click the Download icon
to retrieve an item from MFile to your computer.
Use the menu bar on the left to upload files and perform most other functions.
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Visual overview
Store files in the Private
folder so you can work
on them at home and at
school – or backup your
whole computer here.
Your web pages – or
portfolio – go inside the
HTML folder within the
Public folder.
Setting up MFile space for web
pages/portfolios
You can set permissions
on the Shared folder so
only a short list of people
can view the contents.
Before you can post web pages to MFile, you must first set up
a web site folder. (You can use the rest of MFile without
taking this step – this is only if you want to make web pages or
a portfolio available to the public.) You only have to do this
once. To set up this space:
 Log into MFile at http://mfile.umich.edu/
 Click the “web sites” tab, then the “setup” link.
 Now click the “Home” tab, click the Public folder, and
finally click the HTML folder.
 Create a new folder called “portfolio” by clicking the
link on the left side. You will store all your portfolio files in this folder.
 Done! You only have to do this step once.
 Your web address will be http://www-personal.umich.edu/~uniqname/ ; your portfolio address
will be http://www-personal.umich.edu/~uniqname/portfolio/
Shortcuts and hints
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If you have an identical copy of the file on your disk (or hard drive or USB drive), you don’t
have to download the file before editing it – you can work on the one already on your disk, then
re-upload it.
If you are logged in on a UM SITES lab computer, your MFile account appears as a “disk”
under My Computer (it will have a long name with your uniqname embedded in it), and as an
icon on your desktop labeled “My IFS space.” So, you can choose File  Open or File  Save
and point directly to your MFile space. This only works in UM labs, however; the process
outlined above will work anywhere.
You can keep this space one term after graduation for free; after that, you can pay $10/month to
keep this space, your UM e-mail, and several other features. See
http://www.umonline.umich.edu/ .
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CTools Instructions for Students
Resources
This is where all the readings, web sites, PowerPoint decks, etc. for your course are stored. Your
instructor will tell you which ones to read when. All you need to do is click the Resources button, then
the file (or folder) that you want to open. You will be asked whether you want to “open” the file or
“save to disk.”
 “Open with…” opens the file immediately
using the appropriate program (usually
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Adobe
Acrobat). You can then save it to your own
computer, if you like.
 “Save to Disk” saves the file directly to your
computer, but you’ll have to go find the file and
double-click it to open it. This is convenient if
you want to download a number of files to a
jump drive to read later.
Discussion
This is a “threaded discussion” or “bulletin board” format. You post a message, and later, others can
post replies to your message. All of the messages are sorted by subject line (also called a “thread”).
Reading messages
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To expand a topic so you can see the replies, click the arrow next to the topic (just once).
To read a posting, click the blue title of the posting. The message will appear at the bottom of
the screen (in 2-Row View) or at the right (2-Column view).
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Writing a new message
Usually, only the instructor can start new threads. To answer a question the instructor writes, you will
reply to her initial posting (see below).
Replying to postings
To reply to a posting, click the “reply” button, fill in the form, and click “Post.”
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Assignments
Talk to your instructor before using the “Assignments” feature of CTools. Some instructors prefer that
you simply e-mail your homework to them. If they do want you to submit your assignments through
CTools, do the following:
 WRITE YOUR ASSIGNMENT IN MICROSOFT WORD! This means you’ll always have a
copy of your assignment in case something goes wrong during the process of uploading your
assignment (which happens fairly frequently). This is especially important for assignments
longer than a paragraph or two.
 Click the Assignments button within your course.
 Click on the name of the assignment you want to submit and do ONE of the following:
o Option 1: Copy all the text from Microsoft Word and paste it into the text box
o Option 2: Attach the Word document to this assignment by clicking the “Attachment”
button. Then browse to the file on your computer, click “Attach,” and continue with the
next step.
 Now click “Done” and your assignment will be posted. BE SURE TO CLICK “DONE”! Many
people forget this step and wonder why their homework was not posted.
Paste your assignment here, or…
…Use this button to attach it as a document.
Be sure to click “Done” after you’ve attached a
document.
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Schedule
Some instructors arrange CTools by the schedule. You can view the schedule page, click on the title of
the event for details, and find all the resources you need for that day or event attached on the details
page.
Viewing the Schedule
You can view the schedule for an individual course or workgroup by clicking on its tab, then clicking
“Schedule.” You can view a merged schedule, showing all your courses and workgroups on one
calendar, by click the “My Workspace” tab and then clicking “Schedule.”
Click on title to
view details
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Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Views
Using the drop-down menu, you can quickly change how many days are visible at once.
Change view here
Weekly View
Daily View
Monthly View
Yearly View
Activity List View
This shows all activities in a linear list and has
an option for a “Printable Version” that creates
a PDF of the activities without printing the
CTools buttons, tabs, etc. Unfortunately, as of
Sept. 2005, the list only shows the first line or
so of the activity description, and there is no
way to show more or less of the description.
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Additional Resources
CTools –Portal for online courses and online information
for on-campus classes.
Check your e-mail online
Basic Computing Package
 E-mail account info
http://mail.umich.edu/
http://www.itd.umich.edu/your-account/bcp.intro.html
http://www.itd.umich.edu/e-mail/

How to set up Eudora or Outlook for e-mail
http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4321/

Printing: 400 pages per semester (black and
white only)
http://www.umich.edu/~sites/printing/

Free dialup internet access
http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/dialin/michdial.html

About IFS (Institutional File Space – also
called MFile)
http://www.itd.umich.edu/help/faq/ifs/

Log in to IFS (MFile)
http://mfile.umich.edu/

Check on your usage (printing, dial-up hours,
etc.) at
https://www.umce.itd.umich.edu/umce-bin/umce
The “Blue Disk”, which contains:
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http://www.itd.umich.edu/bluedisc/ ; U-M Computer
Showcase, basement of the Union. Costs only $8, or
download for free!
Windows and Macintosh Internet Access Kits
- dialup access
Antivirus software
Quicktime
Itunes
Computer labs (called “Sites”)
There’s a small lab on the 4th floor of our
building. Other labs exist all over campus.
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http://ctools.umich.edu/
http://www.umich.edu/~sites/info/nurse/
Map and lists of services:
http://www.umich.edu/~sites/map/general.html
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