Your First Lesson Plan: Assignment Zero

Assignment Zero guides students through the IT account setup process. It is called Assignment Zero because it is designed to be completed in-class before ACP coursework begins so that your students are able to register, access IU Canvas, and course materials..

This lesson plan includes everything you need to ensure your students are successfully registered for your ACP course. The accompanying PowerPoint presentation contains information for each of the steps below.

Assignment Zero Powerpoint (may be used in-class to accompany lesson plan found below)

Assignment Zero Accessible PDF Version of Powerpoint (if handout is preferred)

Before getting started #

Assignment Zero is a required in-class assignment for all Indiana University (IU) courses offered through the Advance College Project.

This in-class assignment helps students navigate IU IT account setup.

Students will not have access to ACP online registration, IU Canvas, course readings, IU library resources, Gmail at IU, or billing information until the #A0 steps are completed. #A0 is required for all students in your course, regardless of whether or not they are registering for dual credit.

Please keep in mind that ACP staff is available to assist and will do their best to answer any questions you have. You can reach ACP at acp@indiana.edu or 800-255-7943 M-F 9am-4pm EST.

Important: Due to delays in processing time, complete #A0 at least one week before the registration deadline.

Before getting started:

  1. The ACP representative at your school (usually a school counselor) is responsible for sending us student data through a secure method. ACP creates a permanent University ID Number (UID for short) for each student. Without a UID, students cannot complete #A0 nor have access to course Canvas sites or other IU library resources. It can take up to 48 hours for a UID to be assigned so the earlier we are sent the data, the earlier students are able to complete #A0 and register for your course.
  2. School firewalls sometimes block traffic and need approval from your school’s IT department. Please confirm before beginning #A0 that you and your students are able to access IU websites.

Once students have their UID numbers and access to IU websites, you are able to move on to IU IT Setup.

IU IT account setup #

The IU IT account setup process accomplishes the following:

  • Each student creates a unique username (Note: this is different from their UID#).
  • Each student creates an IU email address (example: username@indiana.edu).
  • DUO setup provides a dual-login so that your students' accounts and data are protected and secure.

Some things to keep in mind:

  • Plan on 30-40 minutes of in-class time to complete Assignment Zero with your students.
  • Access to a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile device is required.

Note: If students have previously taken an IU course, they may already have an IT account. Those students should take this time to login to one.iu.edu, Canvas, and their Gmail at IU account to confirm they know their username, IU email address, and passphrase.

The IU IT account setup process:

  1. Begin by having students open the email provided by ACP containing their UID#. If they have not received an email from ACP, the email on file may be incorrect. Students should contact us at acp@indiana.edu or 800-255-7943 M-F 9am-4pm EST to ensure this information is up-to-date.
  2. If they are unable to find their UID#, use the ACP UID Lookup tool at acp.iu.edu/uid.
  3. Have your students navigate to access.iu.edu/starterkit.
  4. Students should then follow the steps for account creation and DUO setup.
  5. Students will receive a "Process Complete" message once they are finished with IU IT Setup. This does not mean they are registered for the class.
  6. Once the "Process Complete" message is received, there is a 24 hour processing period before the student will be able to log in with their new credentials.

Note: The process will time out if too much time is taken to complete. Closing the screen before receiving the complete message also interrupts the process. In both cases, the student will need to start the process over. Students must record their UID, IU Username, IU email address, and passphrase for their records. They will not be able to register without them.

About Two-Step Login (Duo) at IU #

Two-Step Login (Duo) provides an additional layer of security when you log in at IU. Also known as two-factor authentication, this helps protect sensitive data and guard against increasingly sophisticated email and online scams (for example, phishing attacks) that can leave you vulnerable to identity theft. IU has partnered with Duo to provide this service.

How to use and video tutorials

Collecting IU usernames #

  • After students receive the "Process Complete" message, they need to turn in their IU Usernames to you.
  • The process by which you collect IU Usernames from students is your choice.
  • This step not only serves as confirmation that students have created their IU IT accounts, but is also a way to provide you with a list of usernames so that you may add students to your Canvas site (see next step).

Adding students to your Canvas site #

  • Students are automatically added to course Canvas sites upon registration, however, ACP registration is normally ongoing into September for fall/year-long and into February for spring. If you are using Canvas to deliver your course materials to students, you may need to add students manually.
  • You will now have record of their IU usernames so that (after a 24-hour processing period) you can manually add them to your Canvas site.
  • For instructions on how to manually add students to your Canvas site, see Adding Students.

Course Registration #

Once you have completed the steps above and your students have successfully setup their IU IT accounts, you can move onto the registration tutorial.

Information for parents and guardians #

  • Notify students that parents and guardians can find more information about IU courses through ACP, tuition, fees, transcripts, grades, and more here: ACP Student Handbook.

Note: The Student IU IT Setup Guide is available to students who were absent for Assignment Zero in-class sessions in the ACP Student Handbook.