SMG Tools
Support: smgtools@bu.edu
For tool-by-tool instructions, see the menu to your right.
SMGtools,
http://smgtools.bu.edu, lets faculty manage their courses
online. The system is built on Sakai (
http://sakaiproject.org), an
open source platform developed in collaboration with other educational institutions to provide an enhanced learning environment
for higher education. The Boston University School of Management is an official Sakai partner.
To log into SMGtools, go to
http://smgtools.bu.edu and enter your
BU username (the portion of your BU email address that precedes the @ symbol) and your
Kerberos password
.
FAQ Topics for All Users
User Accounts and Logging In
What are my username and password?
Why can't I log into SMGtools?
What should I do if I forgot my password?
How can I change my password?
Course Sites and Access
How do I know what course sites I can access?
Why don't I see all my classes on SMGtools?
How are class user lists updated on SMGtools?
How can I get access to a course site?
How much space can my files take up on SMGtools?
Navigation secrets you need to know
Why doesn't the browser's back button do what I expect?
Why can't I see all of my sites in the tabs?
Why can't I see content posted under Resources anymore?
Instructions for Use
Are there instructions available online?
FAQ Topics for Instructors
Course Site Creation
How can I have a course site created?
Why can't some of my students see my site?
Why can't some of my students log into SMGtools?
How can I set up sites for my student groups?
Will content from my previous SMGtools sites be copied over?
User Lists
Can I add users to my courses?
What if I'm trying to add a user who is not registered for my course and does not have access to SMGtools
(e.g., visiting students)?
How can I add TAs or other Instructors to my courses?
Instructions for Use
Are instructions available online?
Online Research (Pardee Library)
How can I make the Pardee Library online resources available to my students through SMGtools?
How can I post persistent links to database articles in SMGtools?
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FAQ Answers for All Users
User Accounts and Logging In
What are my username and password?
Your username for SMGtools is your ACS username: your BU email address without the @bu.edu. If your BU email address
is '
johndoe@bu.edu' your username is
johndoe.
Your password is your Kerberos password.
Why can't I log into SMGtools?
It's usually one of two issues:
- You're entering the wrong login information.
Make sure you are entering the correct (Kerberos, or BU email) username and password.
OR
- You have not activated your Active Directory login.
Click here to activate your Active Directory
login
What should I do if I forgot my password?
SMGtools uses your Kerberos (BU email) password. Kerberos passwords are maintained by the main
Office of Information
Technology (OIT). If you have forgotten your Kerberos password, you will need to re-establish it in person at the Office of
Information Technology located at 111 Cummington Street. You must present your BU ID card for photo verification.
How can I change my password?
SMGtools uses your Kerberos (BU email) password. Kerberos passwords are maintained by the main
Office of Information
Technology (OIT). You can change your ACS (Kerberos) password by going to the link below and completing the online form for
changing your Kerberos password.
Change Your Kerberos Password
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Course Sites and Access
How do I know what course sites I can access?
Once you log into SMGtools, up to five course sites will appear as
tabs along the top of the web page. If you
have more than five courses, some will appear in the -more- dropdown at the upper right.
You can also see your course sites by logging into
SMGnet. On SMGnet,
you will see your course websites listed as links. Clicking on a link will prompt you to log into the system.
Why aren't all my classes on SMGtools?
Before you see a course listed on
SMGtools,
- The instructor must make the site "published." Instructors may keep sites unpublished before the semester starts while
they are still preparing them.
- You must be added to the user list for that course site. If you've recently added a course or received your
ACS account it may take a few hours for those details to update.
How are class user lists updated on SMGtools?
Initial class lists are uploaded two weeks before classes open for a given semester. They are then updated several times a day
from the latest registrar information, until the registration deadline.
Students who add a class late or receive their
ACS account late may see a delay of a few hours before their
registration is reflected on
SMGtools.
How can I get access to a course site?
Students are added automatically through scheduled updates from registrar information. If you're "sitting in" on a class or
otherwise not officially registered, the instructor for the course site can add you, provided you have an account on the system.
How much space can my files take up on SMGtools?
Answer: There is a quota of 600MB for each tab or site on SMGtools and an individual file size limit of 50MB.
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Navigation secrets you need to know
Why doesn't the browser's back button do what I expect?
In SMGtools, clicking the browser back button takes you to your previous tool. This is the way the system is built. To compensate,
each tool—e.g., Resources, Assignments, etc.—has a built-in button of its own known as the "reset" button. You can find this
reset button at the top left corner of each tool. Clicking on it will return you to the starting point of that tool.
Why can't I see all of my sites in the tabs?
Only five sites appear in the tabs at the top of the page. If you have more than five sites, a drop-down list appears on the far
right of your screen, showing additional sites.
You can customize this display.
To reorder or hide site tabs:
go to My Workspace > Preferences > Customize Tabs.
Why can't I see content posted under Resources anymore?
Sometimes, if you have a side pane exposed in your browser window (e.g., the Favorites toolbar or Search panes in Internet
Explorer), its width on your screen pushes your Resources content far down on the page. The content is still there; use the scroll
bar on the right of your screen to find the content, or close the extra pane to return the content to the top of the page.
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Instructions for Use
Are instructions available online?
Yes, students should see the
Getting Started with SMGtools document in the
Quick Reference Guides section for an overview.
Detailed, tool-by-tool instructions are available for instructors and for students using group (team) sites.
See the menus at the upper right for links to specific tools.
There is also a
Help tool within SMGtools. When you are logged into a course site, the Help tool appears as the
last tool button on the left side of the page. You can also launch the Help tool by clicking on any of the small question mark
symbols you see. It is context-sensitive, so clicking on a small question mark symbol will bring you to the help page for the
particular tool you are using at the time.
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FAQ Answers for Instructors
Course Site Creation
How can I have a course site created?
Course sites are automatically created from registration data; each section of each course gets its own site. If you wish to
combine sections or courses in your site, send a note to
smgtools@bu.edu.
Why can't some of my students see my site?
- Some or all of your students may not yet be on the user list for the course from the registrar.
- Your site may not yet be "published". When sites are first created they are "unpublished" - or inaccessible to students -
by default. You need to "publish" them when you are satisfied with their content. Go to Site Info and
Manage Access.
Why can't some of my students log into SMGtools?
Click here to see the previous section listing some possibilities.
How can I set up sites for my student groups?
Student group sites are created by ITS upon request from the instructor. While there is a group feature instructors can use within
their course sites, more collaboration tools are available if we give each student team its own course site. Instructors are not
included in these group sites unless so requested.
Request a group site by completing the spreadsheet here and sending it to
smgtools@bu.edu. You will receive a confirmation message when the group sites have been
created.
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Will content from my previous SMGtools sites be copied over?
You can do this independently, following the instructions below, or ITS can assist you. See details for both options:
Go it alone -
You can Copy Resources content from one site to another directly within the Web browser or through WebDAV network connections:
Within the Web browser -
- Within the Resources tool of the site whose content you are copying, scroll toward the bottom of the page and
expand the Show Other Sites link by clicking on it. This will expose the Resources areas from your other sites, where you
will likely be copying content "to".
- Check the boxes next to any Resource items you want to copy.
- Click the Copy button at the upper left of the Resources tool.
- At the bottom of the page, select a clipboard icon and click on it to paste content to the associated folder.
Using WebDAV -
WebDAV lets you map the Resources areas of your sites as network drives on your computer. Once you have established WebDAV
connections for the sites you want transfer content among, you can use copy and paste commands as you would to copy items from
your desktop to a network drive. Click here for WebDAV setup instructions.
Request ITS Assistance -
Mail your request to
smgtools@bu.edu and include complete details of which courses are
involved (include sections and semesters).
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User Lists
Can I add users to my courses?
Yes, but in most cases you shouldn't have to because of the automatic upload process. However, any unregistered users will need to
be added by you. This includes any extra instructors, teaching assistants, students "sitting in" on the class, etc.
To add a user to your course, go to
Site Info and click on
Add Participants. In the FIRST text
box you see, enter the BU username (the portion of a BU email address that precedes the @ symbol) for the user you wish to add,
and complete the pages that follow. See the next section for instructions on adding users who are not registered for your course
and do not have access to SMGtools e.g., visiting students.
What if I'm trying to add a user who is not registered for my course and does not have access to
SMGtools (e.g., a colleague at another university)?
These users will be considered guests on the system. To add a guest user to your course, go to
Site Info and
click on
Add Participants. In the SECOND text box that you see, type their full email address (e.g.,
johndoe@tufts.edu). Complete the pages that follow and be sure to opt to send an email notification to them when prompted.
This email notification will inform them that they have been added to your site and it will include an auto-generated password
that they will use to log into the system.
How can I add TAs or other Instructors to my courses?
Use the same process
described above for adding users and select the TA or Instructor role at the
appropriate step. If the user already exists in your site, then assign them the 'Teaching Assistant' or 'Instructor' role using
the drop-down menu next to their name under
Site Info.
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Instructions for Use
Are instructions available online?
Yes, students should see the
Getting Started with SMGtools document in the
Quick Reference Guides section for an overview.
Detailed, tool-by-tool instructions are available for instructors and for students using group (team) sites.
See the menus at the upper right for links to specific tools.
There is also a Help tool within SMGtools. This Help tool appears as a button in the left-hand tool
menu. You can also launch the Help tool by clicking on a small circled question mark at the upper right. Since this link is
context-sensitive, it will bring you to the help page for the particular tool you have open at the time.
Pardee Library
How can I make the Pardee Library online resources available to my students
through SMGtools?
You can either link to them in your course site (see below) or direct students to the
Pardee Library web site.
How can I post persistent links to database articles in SMGtools?
Provided the library database in question supports this option (see the
Pardee Library site for more information), copy the
article link (the URL or web address of the page) and then paste it into an announcement, or as a content item in the
"Resources" area.
From Resources:
- Click on the Add button next to a folder
- In the Add Item Type drop-down menu, select Add Web Links (URLs)
- In the Web Address (URL) text area, paste the URl you have copied
- Provide a Title
- Click Add Web Links Now.
All databases that support such linking have resolved any copyright concerns before making this feature available.
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Didn't find the answer to your question?
You can contact our SMGtools Administrators by sending email to
smgtools@bu.edu.
