Library / Digital ClinicThis page contains a step by step introduction to the digital tools you’ll encounter after enrolling at Ghent University, to get you up to speed on applications like Ufora, Oasis, Athena, etc.
Library / Digital Clinic
Welcome to the Digital Clinic!
Hang on, why is a library organising a ‘digital clinic’?
These days a library is so much more than just storage space for books. A lot of sources are available online, so it’s important for you to know your way around the electronic environment of Ghent University. This page contains a step by step introduction to the digital tools you’ll encounter after enrolment, to get you up to speed on applications like Ufora, Oasis, Athena, etc. And do remember that you’re always welcome to visit the faculty library for information of all kinds, whether it’s on paper or online.
You can also download this information as a pdf document.
Structure
The image above is an overview of the tools and applications discussed in this document and the way they relate to each other. The intention is not to give you detailed information on how to use each application, but rather to give a short introduction and to demonstrate what you use when, and what steps you need to complete to get full access to the information you need. Use this image as a map guiding you through this process, or as a checklist for any steps you still need to look into.
Our tour starts at the top left with your UGent account and password.
UGent account and password
You will always need your UGent account and password to use the applications at the university. Normally you should have received these by e-mail, max. 3 days after you’ve enrolled.
If you haven’t received your account details yet or you’re experiencing other issues, you should contact the helpdesk: helpdesk.ugent.be/account/en
Multi-Factor Authentication
Your password alone is not enough to sign in. Every once in a while you’ll be asked to confirm that you are who you claim to be by multi-factor authentication (MFA). You’ve probably already encountered this on social media or your personal e-mail. It’s just an additional step for extra security.
Once you’ve activated your account and password, you can start using the university’s Wi-Fi network: Eduroam. After selecting this network, you’ll be prompted to log in. Fill in your UGent e-mail address (usually it’s firstname.lastname@ugent.be) and your password.
The first time you’ll be asked to accept a certificate.
Fun fact: the Eduroam network is not exclusive to Ghent University, but is used by many educational organisations around the world. If you happen to be near a school or university in another city or country, you may find you’re suddenly (and automatically) connected to Eduroam.
At Ghent University you will often have to sign in to the digital platform Athena (more on that below). However, to use Athena you will first have to download and install Citrix. This is a piece of software that will allow you to connect to the UGent network from your own computer. We strongly recommend completing this step right away, or you will run into trouble later on.
Another way to connect to the UGent network is by VPN (Virtual Private Network). But rest assured: you aren’t likely to need this, since you probably won’t encounter situations that Citrix doesn’t cover already. If you do want more information on VPN, you can find it here:
Athena is a digital platform providing access to all sorts of applications and software for which UGent has purchased a license. So if you want to use Microsoft Word, for example, you can just click on the icon and start working right away, without having to buy your own subscription. You don’t even need to install it to your own computer.
When you log into Athena (athena.ugent.be) and you’ve starred your favourite applications, it will look something like this:
This is just a selection of the many applications on Athena. You can find the full catalogue under ‘APPS’.
Note that there’s an app called ‘File explorer’. If you’ve ever used OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, you’ll know that it’s possible to store your files online. This is an option in Athena as well. The file explorer provides access to your personal disk space on the UGent servers: the H: drive or ‘home’ drive. This way you’ve got your files at your disposal no matter where you are, as long as you’re logged in to Athena.
You could describe Athena as a type of ‘gateway’ to other tools and applications. As soon as you’ve stepped through the gate, you’re connected with the UGent network and will be recognised as such.
After enrolment you’ll receive your own UGent e-mail address. It’s important to know that this address is the official communication channel for the UGent as soon as it’s been activated. In other words, if we need to reach you, we will try to contact you via your UGent e-mail address. It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your inbox.
You can do so via Athena by clicking on the Outlook icon, or you can visit owa.ugent.be directly.
Tip: if you’d rather keep all your e-mail (both UGent and private) in one place, you can set your UGent e-mail to be forwarded to another e-mail address. How? Find out here: helpdesk.ugent.be/email/en/owa365.php
Ufora
Ufora is the university’s online learning environment, facilitating communication between lecturers and students. Here you’ll find everything to do with the courses you’re taking: announcements, calendars, PowerPoint slides, … Any online classes will take place on Ufora too and you’ll also find the recordings here afterwards.
Normally, any courses you’ve registered in Oasis (more on that below) will automatically appear in Ufora. If not: don’t worry, you can also manually add your courses.
Oasis is the university’s administrative platform. If you’ve enrolled at Ghent University, you should already be familiar with Oasis. Not only can you complete your enrolment here, but Oasis is also where you submit your curriculum, find your class and exam schedules, transcripts of records, … If you’d like a student discount on public transport, you can also find the required certificate of enrolment on Oasis.
In short: Oasis is where you take care of administrative matters, while Ufora is all about the practical side of the courses you’re taking. We recommend checking Ufora daily, while you probably won’t need to use Oasis more than a couple of times a year.
Do keep in mind that Oasis is binding: any changes you make here will have consequences for your ECTS-credits, the exams you’re expected to take, … Ufora on the other hand does not come with obligations. You’re not necessarily expected to go to classes just because you’ve added the corresponding course in Ufora.
You can also access a browser via Athena. You might wonder why you would visit Athena in a browser, only to open another browser via Athena?
This may indeed seem a little counterintuitive, but as mentioned before, it’s only after stepping through the Athena ‘gateway’ that you’re inside the UGent network. Any web pages you visit through the Athena browser will then recognise you as a UGent user and provide access to pages and information you might otherwise not be able to view. This is especially important when browsing the library collections; more on that below.
We recommend using Microsoft Edge as your default browser in Athena. While it may not be the most popular option compared to Chrome, Firefox and Safari, it’s the one that currently receives the best support.
This document is brought to you by the faculty library of Psychology and Educational Sciences, so of course we would like to draw your attention to our website.
You can browse the University Library collections via lib.ugent.be. We strongly recommend visiting our website through a browser in Athena, as this will make sure you have access to all offline and online sources. Note that the catalogue is not indexed by subject. In other words, it’s not possible to search the catalogue by key words related to the subject of a book or article. The best way to search the catalogue is by title or author.
Visit the library for its quiet study room, for using the public desktops or of course to consult and/or loan something from our collection. We also offer scan requests, so you don’t even have to leave your home to read an article or chapter! And finally, you can click ‘prepare for loan’ to have us take a book off the shelves and keep it ready for pick-up at the circulation desk.
Prints, copies and scans
Before we tell you about the printers (or ‘multifunctionals’) at UGent, we urgently request that you keep your prints and copies to a minimum. We can all agree that the planet is suffering quite enough already, and limiting your prints is a simple but powerful way to give nature a little break.
If you do want to print something, you will have to open your document via an application in Athena (e.g. Ufora, Outlook, a browser, …). That’s the only way to print something at Ghent University, e.g. it’s not possible to print from a USB stick.
Once you’ve opened your document, you’ll have to select the ‘ricoh on pcounter’ printer. Go to one of the public multifunctionals the same day you sent the print job and use your student card to activate it.
Do note that printing is a paying service, so you’ll need to top up your student card beforehand. How? Find out below.
Scanning is free of charge. Any scans will end up in the S: drive, which you can also access via Athena (through the file explorer). This folder clears itself automatically at midnight, so do make sure you move your scanned documents elsewhere before the timer runs out.
