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http://ctools.umich.edu

2. When you open this URL, you will arrive at a page that we call the CTools Gateway. This is not the actual CTools software that you will use -- the gateway is the "public face" of CTools and is viewable by anyone with web access.

Logging in to CTools -- for UM Instructors, Staff and Students

1. To access the actual CTools software from the CTools Gateway, click the Login button in the top right corner of the CTools Gateway page.

2. Type your UM uniqname and Kerberos password in the spaces provided.

3. Click the Login button on the Authentication Required window.

(If you are already logged into another UM web service, such as Wolverine Access or mail.umich.edu, then you may not have to type in your UM uniqname and password again. CTools will open when you click the Login button on the Gateway page.)

When you log in to CTools, you will automatically open a site called My Workspace. This is your own personal workspace -- all CTools users have one. Read more about My Workspace here.

Logging in to CTools -- for Non-UM users (includes Getting a Friend Account)

1. While you have the CTools Gateway open, click the Login button in the top right corner.

2. On the left of the Login page, you will see "Need A Login ID?". In the next line, click "You can create one now". (You can also open https://friend.weblogin.umich.edu/ in your browser to create a Friend account.)

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3. Follow the simple instructions on the "Request a Friend Account" page.

4. Once the account has been created, you must then be manually added to a site by the CTools site owner or instructor. You will need to contact the site owner or instructor.

5. After you have been granted access to the site, you can open the actual CTools application by opening the CTools Gateway as you did before (using http://ctools.umich.edu) and clicking the Login button in the top right corner of the CTools Gateway page,

6. Type your Friend guest login id (which is the email address you used to request your Friend Account) and the password you specified in the spaces provided.

Note: The email address used to access CTools must match the address you provided for the creation of the Friend Account. Also, because the system converts the email address you submitted to all lowercase, you must enter it without any capital letters when you're logging in to CTools.

7. Click on the Login button.

When you log in to CTools, you will automatically open a site called My Workspace, which is a personal workspace -- all CTools users have one. Read more about My Workspace here.

Are you finding what you're looking for? Please send feedback about this online help guide to ctools-doc-comments@umich.edu Thanks! (For questions about using CTools, send email to ctools-support@umich.edu)

What would you like to do?

A. Set up a CTools course site for a course you are teaching -- Instructors

CTools is used to create official course sites for UM classes. When a student registeres for a class, he or she is automatically added to the course site for that class.

For information about the tools and features in CTools and what instructors can do with them, click the links below. You can see what's possible and decide what you'd like to include in your course site. Note that after you create your site, you can go back at any time and add or remove tools and features. Only instructors can create sites for official UM courses.

What Can Instructors do with CTools?

Tools and Features in CTools

When you have an idea of what you'd like your site to include, go to one or both of the following online help sections to learn about setting up a course site. Once you get started, you can also follow the easy on-screen instructions.

Simple Outline of the Site-Setup Process

Setting up and Publishing a Site

B. Open and participate in a course site for a course you are registered for -- Students

If you are officially registered for a course, you will automatically see the site for that course when you log on to CTools. Each site has a tab along the top of the main CTools window. Click the tab to go to the course site.

If you are registered for a course but you don't see a tab for the course site, you may find the reason here: FAQ

Instructions for using the tools in a course site can usually be found right on the site's web pages. You can also view detailed online help for the tools by clicking Help in the upper right corner of each tool's window, or by looking in the first two sections of the CTools Online Help. (To open the Online Help table of contents, click Help at the bottom of the left-hand menubar.)

C. Set up a CTools project site for research collaboration or a project you're working on -- Instructors, Students, Staff

A CTools project website is one that has been set up for projects, research, or other activities involving collaboration. Instructors, staff and students can create project sites.

To set up a project site, you can look at the following Online Help pages. Once you get started, you may want to follow the easy on-screen instructions.

Simple Outline of the Site-Setup Process

Setting up and Publishing a Site

D. Open and participate in a project site that someone else has set up -- Instructors, Students, Staff

To open and participate in a project site, you must be a member of that site. Sometimes, a project site creator will add you as a participant of his or her site, in which case you are already a member and you should see a tab for that project site when you log on to CTools. (If there are too many tabs to fit across the window, some sites may appear in the drawer, which is a panel that appears when you click More Sites along the top of the main CTools window.) Other times, site creators choose make their sites "joinable." These are sites that you are not automatically a member of, but you have the option to join. To join a site, click this link and follow the intructions.

Joining a site

Instructions for using the tools in a project site can usually be found right on the site's web pages. You can also view at detailed information about the tools by clicking Help in the upper right corner of the main window of each tool, or by looking in the first two sections of the Online Help. (To open the Online Help table of contents, click Help at the bottom of the left-hand menubar.)

Are you finding what you're looking for? Please send feedback about this online help guide to ctools-doc-comments@umich.edu Thanks! (For questions about using CTools, send email to ctools-support@umich.edu)