Skip navigation

Current Students Header: Links

Penn State World Campus

My Campus: Home » Technical Support » Best Practices

Best Practices

Here are some tips to make sure you can access your classes and important Penn State resources, no matter where you are.

Optimize Your Personal Computer for School


Install an Antivirus Program

Ensure that a current and up-to-date antivirus program is installed on your computer. Penn State provides Symantec Endpoint Protection free to students, staff, and faculty (select “Virus Detection/Spyware Tools”).

Install Penn State's Virtual Private Network client

If you travel or use publicly accessible networks, such as free WiFi in coffee shops, book stores, etc., you should install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) client, which creates an encrypted connection from your location to the Penn State network. Such a connection is useful when accessing library resources from a distance and required for accessing the campus wireless networks. Penn State provides Cisco VPN free to students. (Select “Connecting to Penn State.”)

Tip: Use the "ISP to PSU" connection entry for general access; "LIAS-VPN" for accessing library resources.

Set Up Multiple User Accounts on Your Computer

This lets you separate your class work files from your regular files, almost like having two desks — one for school and one for personal use. It also allows you to save custom settings in various applications such as iTunes and Mozilla Firefox.

Some of our courses use iTunes for students to post content — but it can only be accessed using a student’s Penn State permissions. If you already have an iTunes account, by default iTunes will try to log you in under your regular account, not your Penn State Account.

Create a Penn State Folder in Your Documents Directory

This will help you keep your class work organized. In this folder, create a folder for each class to hold your course assignments, handouts, and notes. If you need to make your Penn State folder available to multiple user accounts, add your Penn State folder to your Windows C: or Macintosh HD drive.

Back Up Your Files Regularly

On your home computer — If your computer does not automatically back up important files at least monthly, copy the contents of your Penn State folder/assignments and create a compressed zip file. Many operating systems include a basic zip utility.

  • If you use Mac OS X: in Finder, click on a file while pressing the "CTRL" key, then select "Create Archive of [filename].”  A zipped copy of the file will appear next to the original.
  • If you use Windows XP: right-click on the folder you’d like to compress, move the cursor to “Send To,” and select “Compressed (zipped) Folder.”
  • In Windows 7/Vista: right-click on a blank spot on your desktop and select "New" from the context menu, then select "Compressed (zipped) Folder."

Save the compressed zip file to alternate media such as an external hard drive or writable CD/DVD disks.

Tip: Pick a name for your compressed zip file that will allow you to quickly identify when you made it (e.g.“backup_2011March3.zip”).

In a shared space — All Penn State students receive Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS), which allows them to store files on Penn State's personal server, accessible via the PASS Explorer at https://www.work.psu.edu. Your quota is initially set at 500MB, but you may request an increase of up to 10GB of storage space.

Use Microsoft Office 2003 or Higher

This is what instructors typically use in courses. If you do not have Microsoft Office installed, please visit the Penn State Computer Store to check out the Microsoft Office personal purchase offers for both Windows PC and Apple Macs.

Get to Know Penn State's Online Resources and Systems

Familiarize Yourself with Access Accounts and WebMail

You can access your Penn State email anywhere online using WebMail. You will use your Penn State Access Account to log in to WebMail.

Tip: You can also use an email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. Settings can be found at http://kb.its.psu.edu/article/1170.

Because the Penn State Directory is publicly accessible, you may receive spam and phishing emails. Remember: Penn State will never ask you for your Access Account password.

Find Free Software Training

Web-based training is available to Penn State Students for various program applications. Please visit Penn State ITS Training Services for more information.

When Accessing Courses on ANGEL, Use the Recommended Version of Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox 3.6.18 is currently the recommended Internet browser for accessing Penn State's Course Management Server ANGEL for both Windows PCs and Apple Macs. Due to known compatibility issues, it is not recommended that students use Apple Safari or Google Chrome to access ANGEL. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 can be used but may have issues. Mozilla Firefox 4 and 5 and Internet Explorer 9 have not been fully tested.

Installing and setting up Mozilla Firefox — During the installation, Mozilla Firefox will ask if you want to make it the default browser. If you are happy with Internet Explorer, deselect this check box before continuing with the installation.

We recommend the following settings in Mozilla Firefox for accessing ANGEL:

  • Make the World Campus “Current Students” page your homepage. In Mozilla Firefox, enter http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/ into the address bar and press the enter key on your keyboard. When the World Campus page appears, click on the "Tools" menu and select "Options." In the “General” tab, under Startup, click on "Use Current Page" to set this as your new home page. This will give you easy access to ANGEL and other valuable Penn State resources.
  • Always save files to a place where you can easily find them. If you created a Penn State folder as suggested above, select “Tools,” click “Options,” and in the Downloads section of the General tab, click on the option "Save files to," and browse to your Penn State folder. Or, you can select "Always ask me where to save files."
  • Disable Firefox’s pop-up blocker when you’re accessing ANGEL. ANGEL uses a security cookie to authenticate, which can be blocked by pop-up blockers. To allow pop-ups for ANGEL, select “Tools,” click “Options,” and click on the Content tab. Make sure that "Block pop-up windows" is checked, but click on the "Exceptions..." button to add "www.psu.edu"; "courses.worldcampus.psu.edu"; and "cms.psu.edu" as Allowed sites.
  • Check Your Privacy Settings. To ensure that old information from previous sessions is not being kept and incorrectly displayed by Firefox, please take the following steps: In the same "Options" dialogue, click on the "Privacy" tab. In the History section where it says "Firefox will:" select "Use custom settings for history." Please make sure that you select "Accept cookies from sites"; "Accept third-party cookies"; “Keep until I close Firefox"; and "Clear history when Firefox closes." Select the “OK” button to save your settings.

Get to Know ANGEL

You’ll be using ANGEL for many activities related to class, including taking exams, turning in assignments, and participating in group work with other students. Understanding how ANGEL works can help you do these activities more successfully.

Time-out period for inactivity­ — If you’re inactive for 90 minutes, you will be logged out of ANGEL. Activity in ANGEL includes clicking links, submitting a post, or submitting an assignment. It does not include typing in a text box or selecting answers in a quiz or test. Because all work takes place within your browser window, it is possible that you can be logged out while taking a long quiz or exam and lose all your work. If available, please remember to regularly press the "Save and Continue Later" button at the bottom of your quiz or exam to save your answers and to remind ANGEL that you are still active.

Please note: "Save and Continue Later" does not stop the timer in timed quizzes and exams. If you start a thirty-minute quiz at 5 p.m., you will have until 5:30 p.m. to submit the quiz.

Maximum File Sizes — ANGEL Drop Boxes are limited to 2MB unless your course states otherwise. If your attachment is larger than 2MB, you will need to compress it as a zip file, divide it into two or more parts, or re-examine the file to see how you can make reductions.

Tip: Learn the basics of ANGEL through our ANGEL tutorials.

Be Ready to Access Content Outside of ANGEL

Some of our courses use additional content provided via a publisher-provided website that requires a code to access. This code is usually provided in a new textbook sold by our provider, MBS Direct, or may need to be purchased separately. Please review your course syllabus carefully for required course materials before ordering.