In this section you can find out about they key digital tools you will use as you study.
You will also find details of the help and support available to you.
Start with this 12 minute video, where Craig and Jill talk through the IT services that you are likely to use while you are a student of the University of Brighton.
Tools and apps summary
You will use all the tools listed below during your studies. Once you have enrolled online you will have access to all these tools (and more):
My Brighton:
- the student portal. We’ve listed this first because you can access all the other resources we have mentioned below from My Brighton. You can also access essential information such as your Timetable.
- How to find it: The web address is: https://my.brighton.ac.uk
- There is also a mobile app for My Brighton
My Studies:
- the university’s virtual learning environment. Resources for each module you study will be stored on My Studies.
- How to find it: you can access your My Studies resources from My Brighton.
- More info: The Navigating My Studies video gives brief information on how to find resources in your module areas.
Microsoft 365:
- online apps (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more) and file store (OneDrive).
- How to find it: You can access your Microsoft 365 account from My Brighton, or by going to https://office.com and signing in with your university email address and password.
- Your Microsoft 365 home page gives you access to a wide range of tools and documents. It also has a good search tool that will help you find information you have created, or that has been shared with you. (This includes information stored on your personal OneDrive folders, Teams sites and SharePoint sites . – You can search all of these places at the same time.)
- OneDrive gives you access to online versions of Office, Word Excel, PowerPoint and more. It is important to understand the difference between online apps and desktop apps (desktop apps are apps installed on your computer). See the section “What is Cloud computing” on the Digital Basics page.
- More info: Watch this ‘What is Office 365′ video
OneDrive:
- OneDrive is your online storage space for documents.
- How to find it: You can access OneDrive from My Brighton, or from your Microsoft 365 home page.
Teams:
- for online meetings and tutorials and also for chat.
- How to find it: You can access Teams from your Office 365 home page, but we recommend that you download the free Teams app for the best experience. If you are using a mobile device, you must have the app to access Teams.
- More info: This 3 minute video explains how to use the Join Code to join a Team
This 5 minute video shows how to join video calls in Teams.
Once you have enrolled online, you can find out more about using Teams here: Teams essentials for students
SharePoint:
- Each school has a SharePoint web site providing information for its students.
- How to find it: You can access your School’s SharePoint site from My Brighton. Alternatively, you can go to your Office 365 home page and select the SharePoint icon.
Email:
- you will be given a university account and an email address which the university will use to send you important communications. Please check your email address regularly.
- How to find it: You can access your email from My Brighton, or by selecting the Outlook icon from your Microsoft 365 home page.
Word:
- you will use Microsoft Word to create and edit documents.
- How to find it: You can use the online version of Word from your Microsoft 365 account, or you can download the full version of Word for free.
- More info: Once you have enrolled online, you can find out more about using Word for university work on the web page: Writing a dissertation with Word. (don’t panic – you don’t have to write a dissertation on this course!)
Meanwhile, this 6 minute video is an excellent introduction to using the online version of Word:
Word online from Learning Word Desktop (Office 365/Microsoft 365) (2018) by Nick Brazzi
Help with your Digital Skills
If you haven’t used these tools before, don’t panic. We will support you with help and information as you go through your studies .
If you don’t have much experience of using computers, you should take a look at the Digital Basics page. This includes a checklist of Digital Skills with some very short videos to help you fill any skills gaps.
We also have videos and other online resources, that you can access at any time, to develop digital skills at your own pace. Once you have enrolled online you will have access to the Digital Skills for Students web pages.