ICT services and facilities

Services offered by the IT department

The IT Department maintains and develops common IT infrastucture at the University and assists Faculties and Departments in organizing their own IT support and services. The IT Department offers support services for studies, teaching, research and administration. The Department's AV Unit provides services in photography, graphic design and sound recording.

The services are offered on all campuses. Services include access to e.g. e-mail, computer labs, the programme distribution service, and home directory. Basic services are free of charge for those who have either student or personnel status at the University. To use the services, a user account is needed. All new students are automatically assigned a user account and an e-mail address. The account must be activated and it has to be renewed periodically.

Computer labs

There is a multitude of workstations as well as several terminals available at the computer labs. They are all connected to the local networks and Unix systems. The labs offer a great variety of application software, printing services, and server storage capacity as well as guidance and advice. Various applications can be used. These include text processing, e-mail readers, Internet browsers, graphics and desktop publishing, statistical analysis and many other programmes. The computer labs are usually open when the buildings are open, often between 8:00 and 20:00. However, you can apply for a key card to use the labs outside the opening hours, which means 24-hour service. Some faculties and departments have their own services.

Most faculties offer some basic IT courses for students, some even in English. In all fields of study and basic degrees, the requirement for studies in information and communication technology is a minimum of five credits.

University networks

HUPnet (Helsinki University Public network) is a network to which anyone who has an account at the University can join with his/her own (laptop) computer. No special software is needed. The connection to Internet and University network is authenticated with a web browser. All you need is a network adapter.

The IT Department's Microcomputer Network is divided into domains so that each Faculty is its own entity. This means that to access your Faculty's domain you need to know the context of your user name.

WebOodi

You can get your (unofficial) transcript of records, enroll in the University, update your (contact) information, register to courses etc. using WebOodi, which is a www application for accessing the student database. More functions are being added as the system evolves. To use WebOodi you need a University of Helsinki user account.

Flamma

Flamma, the University of Helsinki Intranet, is a joint communication channel and personal worktool for all University people. One of the basic principles is that all internal communication within the University should take place through Flamma.

You need a University user account to use the Flamma. Upon login you will see a layout customized according to your department, faculty, and campus, later on also according to you status at the University e.g. undergraduate and graduate student or postgraduate student. You can access your University e-mail and, for instance, the study information system Weboodi, with the same single login.

Intranet Flamma is, firstly, an information retrieval system organised according to various topics or functions to information channels: i.e. studies and student services, support for teaching and research, library services and IT, etc. You can easily make yourself up to three own personalised default views where you can gather information and links of your own interest.

The Educational Centre for ICT

The Educational Centre for Information and Communication Technologies at the University of Helsinki is a development unit for innovations in the use of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning. The Centre offers support services for the teaching staff and acts as a strategic coordinator of the University's virtual university operations.

The Educational Centre for ICT offers versatile services to teachers, researchers and supervisors at the University of Helsinki. Some of the Centre's services are also available to students. Services include e.g. the online learning environments and their support services, digital learning materials, video conferencing. The Centre coordinates a network for educational technology advisers who work on campuses and in faculties and departments. Their most important task is to aid teachers in resolving technical and pedagogical issues related to online teaching.