WWU Notes on using ESRI's Virtual Campus

As a WWU Student or Staff many of the ESRI Virtual Campus course offerings are available at no additional cost (See List of Available VC Courses). To register for a course, you will need to create an ESRI Global Account as well as a VIRTUAL CAMPUS (student profile) and have a Course Access Code. You will also need an internet connection and access to the ArcGIS software. (For notes on obtaining a home version of ESRI software, see the GIS Links page.)

Virtual Campus Member Login (your ESRI Global Account & Profile):

To use the ESRI Virtual Campus you need BOTH an ESRI Global Account, and a Virtual Campus Profile.

If you don't have a Global Account, click on the 'Login' link from the ESRI Training home page. From the Login page, click the 'Create a New Account' link and fill out the online form. You will need an email address and will be asked to create a Username (which will become your future Login) and a Password. Remember your username and password - you will need them for returning to online courses later or if you take additional courses.

You will then receive an email from ESRI, which you need to respond to in order to activate your Global Account. This should take you to a login page for the Virtual Campus where you will need to create your Virtual Campus profile. Completing this step gets you into the campus.

Click on the 'Start a new course' link to enter your ACCESS CODE and begin the course.

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If you already have a Global Account, you can go to the ESRI Training home page and click on the 'Go to My Training' link. You will then need to go to the 'My Virtual Campus Courses' link. From there, you can follow the 'Start a new course' to enter your access code.

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Returning to your Virtual Campus Course: Once you have a Global Account and a Profile, you can return to your course(s) from the ESRI Training home page by clicking the 'Login' or 'Go to My Training' link and entering your Username and Password.

When done working with the Virtual Campus, be sure to logout: Follow the 'ESRI Training' or 'My Courses' link from the top of the course pages and click on the 'LOGOUT' icon.

Course Access Codes:

Course Access Codes (up to three per student at a time) are obtained from a WWU faculty member (if they are requiring or recommending a Virtual Campus course) or from stefan (AH-201).

These codes are specific to a particular ESRI course (i.e., you will need one for each course you wish to take). In brief, you login to the Virtual Campus and go to the 'My Courses' link and click on the 'Have a new access code?' link, enter your code and away you go (see more detailed ESRI instructions below).

Using the Virtual Campus:

Courses typically have a series of 'modules.' If you don't finish a course your profile will remember where you left off for when you return. At the end of each module, successful completion of a short exam will be rewarded by a completion certificate (which you might want to print for the benefit of your WWU faculty should they require it).

Sample data for some of the more frequently used courses are available from the J:\GEO\GEO_data\ESRI_data\Virtual_Campus server (saving you the trouble of downloading and unzipping it yourself).

Printing an Exercise from the Virtual Campus:

While students are discouraged from printing the entire Virtual Campus, many find printing the Exercises to be helpful. To print just the Exercise (and not the virtual Campus Table of Contents, etc), use the Print icon in the upper right hand section of the Exercise (next to "<< Previous | Next >>"). Note that you can print 2 pages per page (1/2 size) by clicking on the Preferences button (or the Properties button in Firefox) in the Print dialog box.

Other Resources (Benefits of Being a Member of the ESRI Virtual Campus):

- GIS library, including a searchable database of GIS related Books,

Journal & Paper Articles, Conference Proceedings, etc.

- Many of the introductory courses are free (no Access Code required)

- Virtual Community - Clubs - Newsletter - etc.

- Support for ESRI software, etc.

ESRI INSTRUCTIONS FOR STARTING A COURSE:
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1. LOG IN
Go to http://campus.esri.com. If you already have an ESRI Global Account, log in using your account username and password. If you do not have an ESRI Global Account, click "Create a Global Account" located below the login button.

2. ENROLL IN A COURSE
Click "My Courses" on the left side of the page. Next, click the "Have a new Course Access Code?" link. Type your 14-character Course Access Code in the field provided and click "Enroll Now." The title of the course will appear in your course list.

3. GO TO CLASS
From your course list, click the course title to begin.

If you have any questions, check the Virtual Campus Support pages or Contact Us.

Thank you!

ESRI Virtual Campus Team
http://campus.esri.com