Access to and Preservation of Account Data for Students, Faculty and Staff


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Accessing someone's account

In some circumstances, it may be necessary for you to obtain authorized access to a university account. This access may be facilitated by submitting a request via the Service Desk or may be granted in response to the completion of a Removal of Account Access form (see the Removal of Account Access section below).

The Service Desk can also help in cases where a person needs access to someone else's account for specific information as part of a confidential matter.

Removal of account access

To terminate someone's account access, please read and submit the Removal of Account Access request form. Account access termination can be set for a future date or for immediate action.

Note: Form Removal of Account Access is limited to users with off-boarding process form access permissions. 

Once the form is submitted, the IT Security group initiates action on the request.

This action will not cover removal of access to local applications (e.g. department sponsored email systems, departmental databases), local area computer networks, personnel/payroll actions, and return of keys, ID card, and equipment.

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Setting an email auto-response for someone's account

In the event that you need to set an auto-response for someone's account (for instance, if they are currently unable to because of a health issue or have left the university), contact the Service Desk.

NOTE: An auto-response is also called an out-of-office notification or vacation responder.

The Service Desk will work with Project NEThics and IT Security to set the auto-response that you designate.

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Preserving your data

DIT encourages you to take ownership of your personal digital data and create backups of any Google (Gmail, Drive, et. al.) or Box data. This also applies to personal data stored on local machines that belong to the University. All work-related data is considered property of the University of Maryland and should not be preserved into personal ownership.

Google

To learn how to create a copy of your Google data, follow the download your data instructions at Google's Account Help page.

Box

Visit Box's Community support pages to learn how to upload files and folders and download files and folders.

ELMS-Canvas

Access to ELMS-Canvas courses ends 30-180 days following voluntary separation from the university. We advise that instructors take three steps to preserve course data for access external to ELMS Canvas.

  1. Manage an ELMS-Canvas Gradebook for Instructors from those courses for which you wish to have a record of students' grades.
  2. Export the course content as .zip file. Canvas exports (and imports) zip files recognizable by Blackboard, Desire2Learn and Moodle.
  3. Download individual files or folders of files from your course Files area (note, there is no bulk export of all files feature in ELMS Canvas).

Adobe Creative Cloud

Students

Student access to your UMD Enterprise Adobe Creative Cloud account ends after graduation.

Adobe provides students with the Student Asset Migration tool to safely and easily move your assets from your UMD account to a new Creative Cloud free membership account. You will be ensured ongoing access to your assets and web portfolios. The Creative Cloud Free membership includes trial versions of most of Adobe's creative apps.

Access the Student Asset Migration tool by visiting graduation.adobe.com.

Graduating students are also eligible for a 40% discount on Creative Cloud individual licenses ($29.99/month) for the first year after graduation. You will continue to have access to all the apps you had access to from your UMD account. View this discount offer by visiting: https://adobe.ly/2YA2YkC.

If you are interested in the individual license discount, be sure to migrate your assets first, before claiming the discount.

Microsoft 365 and OneDrive

Students

Student access to your UMD Enterprise Microsoft Office account ends after graduation. Transfer any Microsoft Office data to a personal account or storage to preserve it.

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How long is data preserved?

How long your data is retained will depend on the product and the type of account you have (staff, faculty, or student). Here is the relevant information for Google and Box accounts.

To learn more about what happens to a student account at separation, read our IT Library article, Overview of Account Terminations for Students.

To learn more about what happens to a faculty/staff account at separation, read our IT Library article, Overview of Account Terminations for Faculty and Staff.

Google

Google data will be deleted 12 weeks after the the user's Directory account becomes inactive.

Box

Faculty and staff

Faculty and staff accounts and files contained therein will be terminated 12 weeks after separation.

Students

The account termination timeline that applies to student Box accounts is found in the Overview of Account Terminations for Students article.

Students should transfer their accounts and all included files and folders to a free personal account linked to a non-University of Maryland email address. These new lite accounts will allow students to maintain their existing storage quota and upload files no larger than 250 MB. Collaborations and user-owned content will be maintained through the new lite account, but group administration privileges and membership will be terminated.

ELMS-Canvas

ELMS-Canvas course spaces are not removed when an instructor or owner leaves the university. Deans, department chairs and program directors can request access to these spaces. Faculty should discuss how your course content might be used in future semesters with their supervisors as part of their employment termination process.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Students

Student access to your UMD Enterprise Adobe Creative Cloud account ends after graduation.

Microsoft 365 and OneDrive

Students

Student access to your UMD Enterprise Microsoft Office account ends after graduation.

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