Faculty & Staff Technology Resources

Information on connecting with faculty and staff technology at Drake, whether you're new to campus or not. Start with this short YouTube video, and find more in-depth information below.

Password: Every two years you’ll receive an email from ITS prompting you to change your password through Drake's Password Manager system to keep your information safe. Make sure you set up recovery options; this allows you to reset your password without waiting for ITS to intervene. If you don't change your password when prompted, you'll be locked out of Drake systems until you do.

This password guide will help you easily make the change. Along with your Drake email address, you'll use your password to log into most campus systems. NOTE: Faculty and staff should change their password on campus, using their Drake-owned computer, whenever possible.

Drake ID: This nine-digit number is your unique identification in the campus information system. Although you can log into a couple systems using your Drake ID number, most require you to use your Drake email address.

All Drake faculty and staff have official email accounts through Microsoft Outlook with addresses typically in the format firstname.lastname@drake.edu. Your Drake email is an official method of campus communication. Email is accessible from myDrake as well as Outlook online, the desktop application, and mobile apps. Additionally, your Drake email address will be your username to log into most campus systems. See guides on setting up Drake email on your devices in the Email and Calendar guides.

For security purposes, an external email label is added to most emails coming from outside the drake.edu domain. To learn more, see External Email Label (FAQ). Receive a suspicious looking email? Follow the information at Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

Drake requires the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) on certain systems to ensure sensitive information is kept safe. It pairs something you know (your username and password) with something you have (a phone or mobile device) to perform a secure login. Learn more at Using Multi-factor Authentication (FAQ).

myDrake is our campus portal, available at my.drake.edu. See Signing in to Microsoft-connected systems (How-to) for login instructions. myDrake provides links to many other applications and sites with information about life on campus and access to the campus functions you need on a regular basis, including Banner Self Service, email, document sharing, and other key systems.

Self Service provides students, faculty, and staff access to personal information, student records, financial aid information, pay information, tax forms, and more. Access Self Service from the myDrake portal. Learn more in these Self Service for Faculty & Staff guides.

Blackboard Ultra is the online learning management system (LMS) used by Drake, and is a secure web-based tool used to organize and deliver materials and engage learners. It provides tools and functionality for file sharing, grading, discussion, and collaboration in face-to-face, blended, and online course environments. You'll find resources on using it in our Blackboard Ultra guides.

Learn more about the other academic technology resources supported by Drake ITS.

ITS Service Portal: Browse this ITS service portal to learn about technology services available, view how-to technology guides in the knowledge base, or get assistance. It's the best place to start if you're looking for information or help.

ITS Support Center: The Support Center provides help with passwords, general technology questions, or solving software, computer and network related problems. Classroom related emergencies while teaching on campus should be reported by calling 515-271-3001 and selecting option 1. Bring your device to the Support Center in lower level Carnegie Hall for limited walk-in assistance for faculty and staff, or call 515-271-3001 and select option 2 to speak with a Student Tech. Most issues will require scheduling an appointment with a Campus Tech.

Want ITS to text you outage notifications? Opt in by texting DrakeITSALERTS to phone number 226787. You first need to be signed up to receive Bulldog Alerts by text. Check your Bulldog Alerts Settings.

On Instagram? Follow us @DrakeITServices

Wireless Internet access is available in all buildings on campus and some outdoor areas. Connect to the eduroam network on either your personal or Drake-owned devices and enter your Drake email address and password when prompted. eduroam is a global roaming educational wireless network. When you visit any of the thousands of eduroam-connected instutitions worldwide, you'll be able to connect securely using your Drake credentials. Learn more at Connecting to the eduroam Wireless Network (How-to).

Having issues connecting on campus? Let ITS know by reporting a Network Issue.

Computers: ITS manages all faculty and staff computer purchasing. We recommend specific computer bundles that meet our technical requirements. Learn more at Computer Purchasing Guidelines and Standard Computer Models (FAQ).

Software: Drake provides self-service access to software for Drake-owned computers. See Using Company Portal (How-to) for PCs and Using the Self Service App (How-to) for Macs. Faculty and staff are also eligible for discounted or free software for their personally owned-machines. For more information, please see Available Software Downloads (FAQ).

OneDrive personal storage: As part of our campus Office365 subscription, faculty and staff can store up to 5 terabytes of data in OneDrive. The OneDrive client is automatically installed on faculty and staff computers. Log in using your Drake email address to store documents and share with others on campus or beyond. You can log directly into the OneDrive web interface or access it through myDrake.

Microsoft Teams: Everyone with a Drake email account has access to Microsoft Teams, a product combining tools and resources such as group chat, calendars, and file sharing into one location using the Office 365 platform. You can access Teams from the My Teams button in the Commonly Used Apps section of myDrake. From there you can access shared files and any personal files backed up to OneDrive.

When you use Teams online, you can create, update, work collaboratively on, and save documents directly to the cloud regardless of what device you’re using. Microsoft Teams also has apps for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, you can use Teams to hold virtual meetings, either as part of a Team or an individual or group chat, no matter where everyone is located. Learn more in these Teams Guides.

All faculty and staff printing and copying is charged to the department. See more information on printing by reading Printing for Faculty & Staff (How-to).

Starfish is an academic early alert and communication software system. Course instructors can communicate with students about their progress by sending notifications. Learn more about using Starfish at drake.edu/starfish/facstaff/.