Here are some of the frequently asked questions for PLU's Sakai System. If you have a question that doesn't appear on the list, please feel free to contact us at sakai@plu.edu,
What is my login UID and password?
Why can't I log in to Sakai?
How do I change my PLU ePass password?
I don't remember my PLU ePass username and password, how can I reset my ePass?
I want to all email from Sakai sent to another non-PLU email account. How do I set that up?
Where are my Sakai courses?
My students aren't able to see my course. Where is it?
How do I add students/TAs/other Instructors?
How do I remove users from my site?
How do students post assignments to Sakai?
How do I send an email to all my students?
How do I create a custom email list to send to a select groups of students in my course?
I just lost two hours worth of a response I was typing in Sakai!!! What happened? How do I get it back?
Sakai won't let me paste in outside content--what can I do?
How do I remove or move my course tabs for courses I don't want to access any more?
Q: What is my login UID and password?
A: Your username and password is your ePass (i.e. the same as PLU's Webmail).
Q: Why can't I log in to Sakai?
A: Sakai uses your PLU ePass username and password for login. If you have not yet activated your ePass you may do so at https://www.plu.edu/tools/newacc_request.php. Check to see if you can login to PLU webmail at https://webmail.plu.edu/. If not, you may need to check and/or reset your password at https://epass.plu.edu/secured/passwd.html. Check if the "caps lock" of your keyboard in on. It may take up 24 hours from the time you activate your ePass until you can log in to Sakai.
Q: How do I change my PLU ePass password?
A; Visit the page at https://epass.plu.edu/secured/passwd.html.
Q: I don't remember my PLU ePass username and password, how can I reset my ePass?
A: Visit the page at https://www.plu.edu/tools/epass_passreset.php.
Q: I want to all email from Sakai sent to another non-PLU email account. How do I set that up?
A: You can forward your PLU email account to a non-PLU email account. Use the for at https://epass.plu.edu/secured/cgi-bin/forward.pl?sub_opcode=2.
Q: Where are my Sakai courses?
A: After you've logged into Sakai, your Sakai courses will be listed as tabs across the top of the Sakai window. If you are enrolled in more courses than fit across the page, there will be a drop-down menu on the right side of the tabs for your remaining courses. Not all PLU courses have corresponding Sakai sites. Check with your professor if you are unsure of whether a Sakai site is available for their course. It may take as long as 24 hours after you register for a class before your username will be added into a Sakai course.
Q: My students aren't able to see my course. Where is it?
A: Your site needs to be published. Sites are created as "Unpublished" to give Instructors time to add content prior to students having access. To make your site viewable and accessible by students, go to "Site Info -> Manage Access," check "Publish Site," and click "Update."
Q: How do I add students/TAs/other Instructors?
A: To add any new users to your course or project site, go to "Site Info -> Add Participants." In the "Username(s)" field, supply the ePass of the user you want to add to your site. The ePass will be the same as the user's email sans "@plu.edu." In the case of email aliases, user ePasses can be derived from the first six letters of their last name, their first initial and their middle initial.
You may enter multiple ePasses in the "Username(s)" field, each on its own line.
If you receive an error message while attempting to add an ePass, first make sure it is a valid ePass by double-checking it in the Directory, LDAP lookup, or similar resource. If it appears correct and you still receive an error, please email sakai@plu.edu with the user's information and the site you're trying to add the user to, and we'll check it out.
Q: How do I remove users from my site?
A: To remove any user from a site, go to "Site Info." Find the user's name from those listed under "Participant List," and check the "Remove" checkbox next to that user. Finally, click "Update Participants" at the bottom of the page.
Q: How do students post assignments to Sakai?
A: If you have created an Assignment via the "Assignment" tool that students will complete online, then students can either fill out their responses inline or by attaching a document.
If you need students to submit assignments outside of the "Assignment" tool, they can upload documents via the "Drop Box" tool. Each student has a specific folder for him/her, which s/he can use to upload documents to for instructor review. Students can only see their specific Drop Box folders.
Q: How do I send an email to all my students?
A: Sakai offers two main ways to contact your students via email: the Message Center and the Email Archive tools. To send emails via the Message Center, you'll first need to activate Private Messages, which is available from the "Settings" menu in the Message Center. Once Private Messaging is activated, click on Compose Private Message. From the list provided, select which user, groups of users, or specific users you would like to send a message to. Note: you can select multiple students or groups by holding the CTRL key while selecting names. Be sure to select "Send to Recipient Email Address(es)" to ensure your message is sent as an email.
Additionally, you can send emails to everyone in your site via the Email Archive tool. Copy the email address provide in the Email Archive tool (only copy the first one if two are provided) and Paste the address into the "To" field of your email client of choice. If you are sending your email from off campus, add ".plu.edu" to the end of the address (example "Sakai_101@sakai.plu.edu." This will send an email to everyone listed in the site as well as archiving a copy to the Email Archive tool.
Q: How do I create a custom email list to send to a select groups of students in my course?
A: You will first need to create the student Groups via the Site Info tool. In Site Info, click on "Manage Groups." Create a new group by clicking on the "New" link at the top of the page and give it a title. Move over all the students you would like to have in the group from the lefthand list to the righthand list via the "Add to Group" button. When the list is complete, press "Update." Now you have a group list to send to.
At this point, you will send out a Private Message to that group via the Message Center tool. For directions on using the Message Center to send emails to individuals, groups, or the whole class, consult the previous frequently asked question.
Q: I just lost two hours worth of a response I was typing in Sakai!!! What happened? How do I get it back?
A: Unfortunately (not how you wanted this to start), you have just lost your work. Sakai times out after 45 minutes, meaning the system will automatically sign you out due to inactivity. However, you will stay at your present location within Sakai until you try to navigate within or between sites, meaning it won't seem like you're timed out despite being so. Then, when you hit the "Submit" button on your masterpiece, it gives you an error message.
You can avoid this by drafting up any lengthy response in Word or another text editor. Once you are ready, copy and paste it into Sakai. This will avoid using Sakai as a Word editor. Additionally, you can save your progress with "Save" buttons in many of Sakai's tools. Drafting in another program and saving your work periodically are both suggested practices for working on the web.
Q: Sakai won't let me paste in outside content--what can I do?
A: Sakai will let you paste in outside content, just not as easily as you are probably used to. Due to how Sakai was developed, the Ctrl+V shortcut for "Paste" doesn't work in Sakai. Instead, you will need to utilize the Edit menu in your web browser to Paste your copied content into Sakai's text boxes.
Q: How do I remove or move my course tabs for courses I don't want to access any more?
A: Course tabs (listed across the top) can be moved or removed per user preference. To do so, go to the "My Workspace" tab and choose "Preferences" from the tool menu on the left. Within "Preferences", choose "Customize Tabs." Once there, you can move your sites between "Visible" and "not Visible," as well as left or right by ordering them vertically in the "Visible" field. Be sure to click "Update Preferences" when done to have your changes take effect.