Welcome to Northwest Mississippi Community College!

General Computer and Network Information
Northwest maintains a Web site at www.northwestms.edu. Students will find contact information for administrative offices, a faculty listing, course offerings, academic calendars, and other helpful information there. A Computer Help Desk is available, open 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is located in the Student Union building on the Senatobia campus, inside the open computer lab. The Help Desk offers software help and limited hardware troubleshooting. To contact the Help Desk call 562-3934 or e-mail helpdesk@northwestms.edu.

Student Access
Students may access information such as their class schedule, course history, traffic fines, etc., via the Web page using their 9-digit Student ID and the password assigned to them for access to the Northwest Network and e-mail. This is also where other options are available, such as Complete Registration, when active.

Network Access
Students are assigned a Username and Password for the Northwest Network to be used for the semester in which they are enrolled. Each student’s Username information and Password is printed on his Promissory Note, which is received at registration when completing his financial obligation. If login information is misplaced, it may be obtained by contacting a counselor at the DeSoto or Oxford campuses, or by going to the Help Desk in the Student Union computer lab with a student ID. Help Desk Personnel are not allowed to give login information over the phone. A student’s Username is their first initial, last name, and the last 4 digits of their 9-digit Student ID. Network access is terminated at the end of each semester.

E-mail Accounts
Students are automatically assigned a Northwest e-mail address when they register. E-mail addresses are in the form of username@northwestms.edu. All e-mail accounts can be accessed through the WebMail icon on the Northwest website using the Username and Password assigned for access to the Northwest network. Student email accounts are deleted at the end of each semester.

Network storage
Students are allowed 50mb of storage space on the Northwest Network to store coursework or other classroom projects. Access to this network storage space is given to the student upon login to the network in the form of an extra (virtual) drive listed under the ‘My Computer’ icon on the PC. This storage space may be accessed from any classroom, lab, or residence hall computer connected to the Northwest network. Storage space is deleted at the end of each semester. Students are encouraged to backup any files they would like to save to another media before the end of the semester.

Internet Access
All residence halls are wired for Internet access. Each room has at least 1 high-speed Ethernet connection. Students who wish to access the Internet from their dorm room must have an Ethernet adapter installed in their computer. Access is granted by connecting the computer to the network jack provided with a network cable. Upon opening the browser, a page will appear prompting a scan of your computer to check the status of virus protection, relevant patches, etc. If the computer has issues, the screen will tell the student what needs to be done to correct the problem. Once any issues have been resolved, the computer will be granted access to the Internet. Internet connections ARE monitored for appropriate usage. Students are expected to read and follow the Acceptable Use Policy for Computing which is printed in the Northwest Bulletin/Student Guide and listed on the Northwest website. Dial-up access is not allowed.

Computers on Campus
Northwest maintains open computer labs for faculty and student use. On the Senatobia campus they are located in the Student Union and in the R.C. Pugh Library. On the Southaven and Oxford campus, the open labs are located in the Library. These computers are Microsoft Windows XP PC’s, with Microsoft Office 2007, Internet browsers, and various academic programs. All users must be prepared to show a current ID to utilize the labs. Check the Northwest Bulletin for lab hours.

Internet chat and messaging programs are not allowed on any Northwest classroom or lab computer. Users are not allowed to install/delete any programs, or change any desktop settings on these computers.

Blackboard for On Campus Classes
Using any Web browser, students can access course materials for courses taught on a Northwest campus through any Internet connection at their convenience. Through the Northwest website, students enrolled in on campus classes that utilize Blackboard may login to the Northwest Blackboard server using the same Username and Password assigned for utilizing the Northwest Network. Students are encouraged to contact their instructors for the necessary enrollment access codes needed to gain access to specific course sites on the Northwest Blackboard system.

Blackboard for Virtual Community College
This courseware is used by all students enrolled in the VCC state -wide. Through the Northwest website, students enrolled in online courses may login to the MSVCC Blackboard server using their Username for the Northwest Network as both the Username and Password. A Blackboard tutorial can be found on the Northwest Virtual College website at http://www.northwestms.edu/virtualcollege/tutorial/bbtutorial.swf.