Navigating the CSI Student Portal: A Comprehensive Guide

The CSI (Computer Systems Institute or College of Southern Idaho, depending on the context) student portal is a crucial online hub designed to streamline your academic journey. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding and effectively utilizing the CSI student portal, covering everything from initial registration to accessing essential resources and support services.

Understanding the CSI Student Portal

MyCSI is a secure online portal dedicated for use by students at CSI. This portal provides access to important information about course schedules, adding/dropping courses, checking account balances, checking grades, accessing official and unofficial transcripts, contacting advisors, and more! This portal also provides students with full access to Office 365 applications on up to 15 devices (5 desktops, 5 tablets, and 5 smart phones).

Key Features and Functions

The CSI student portal offers a wide array of features designed to support students throughout their academic careers. These features can be broadly categorized as follows:

Academic Resources

Course Schedules: View your current and past course schedules, including meeting times, locations, and instructor information.
Adding/Dropping Courses: Manage your course enrollment by adding or dropping courses within the specified deadlines.
Grades: Access your grades for completed courses, allowing you to track your academic progress.
Transcripts: View and request official and unofficial transcripts for academic verification purposes.
Online Learning Management System (LMS): To facilitate the delivery and access to course content, CSI utilizes an online learning management system (LMS) known as Canvas. This system enables instructors to post their syllabi, class notes, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, quizzes and tests, grades, etc., to assist students through the course sequence.
Course Evaluations: CSI uses an online course evaluation system for students to provide feedback on most of their courses. All students enrolled in courses being evaluated are encouraged to fill out the online form for each course included in the survey. Faculty members and administration rely on the feedback to continually improve CSI’s courses and offer the best possible experience for students. Evaluations are anonymous and confidential; faculty members are not given access to the survey results until after grades have been posted.

Financial Information

Account Balances: Check your student account balance and view payment history.
Financial Aid: Access information about financial aid awards, applications, and requirements.
FAFSA and TAP Applications: Come and complete your 2024-2025 FAFSA and TAP Applications. Financial Aid representatives will be available for assistance. We encourage dependent students to bring their parent contributor, if possible.

Communication and Support

Advisor Contact: Find contact information for your academic advisor and schedule appointments.
Announcements: Stay informed about important announcements, deadlines, and events.
Office 365 Access: This portal also provides students with full access to Office 365 applications on up to 15 devices (5 desktops, 5 tablets, and 5 smart phones).

Accessing and Navigating the Portal

To access the CSI student portal, you will typically need your student ID and password. If you are a new student, you may need to claim/activate your account at www.cunyfirst.cuny.edu. Once logged in, you will be presented with a dashboard or homepage that provides access to the various features and functions.

Student Organization Registration (UC San Diego Example)

While the core functions of a student portal remain consistent, specific features like student organization registration may vary depending on the institution. Using information about UC San Diego's student organization registration process as an example, here's an overview:

Read also: Comprehensive ETAR Guide

Registration Steps

Principal Member Selection: Start your student organization registration by selecting one Principal Member to initiate the online registration process for your student organization. Choose your student organization’s name from the drop-down in the re-registration portal.
Organization Name and Purpose: If registering a new student organization, create and choose a unique and clear name for your organization. Each student organization is required to describe clearly and specifically the purpose of the organization.
Organization Category: Determine the purpose of your student organization and select a student organization category. Your Principal Members determine your type of group. A combined organization if at least 1 but fewer than 50% of the principal members are graduate students.
Principal Member Selection: Select a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 currently registered and enrolled UC San Diego students to be your fellow Principal Members. Attend the Tritons Together - ART of Inclusive Communication Workshop. If you previously completed the workshop, you do not need to take it again, even if the requirement was completed for a different student organization. Principal Members (PMs) should familiarize themselves with the 25-26 Principal Member Agreement. Principal Members continuing from the previous academic year must complete all of the steps above annually. Only students who are currently registered UC San Diego students may be Principal Members.
Workshop Enrollment: Principal Members must enroll in the Tritons Together - ART of Inclusive Communication Workshop, a three-hour workshop. Workshops will be offered both virtually and in-person. The workshop is required for all undergraduate student Principal Members to complete.
Constitution Update: Your organization must have an updated constitution on record. A constitution serves as a guiding document of operations for your organization. When you fill out the registration form you will be required to upload a constitution. Ensure your constitution includes all required sections and language which is outlined in the Constitutional Guidelines document.
Community Mentor (Optional): A Community Mentor is a UC San Diego staff or faculty OR a member of the San Diego community that is familiar with the focus and purpose of your organization. Community Mentors are not required for ALL student organizations but are highly encouraged. Community Mentors must review the Community Mentor Resources Training and complete the Community Mentor Signature Page. Please find the organization you advise in order to sign the Signature Page. Please note, your CSI Advisor is different from a Community Mentor.

Approval Process

Once you have completed all the registration steps, your status will change from “pending” to “ready for approval.” Your CSI Student Organization Advisor will be notified to review your registration. CSI advisors are available to help student organizations virtually!

Additional Resources and Support at CSI

CSI offers a variety of resources to support students' academic and personal success:

Accredited Career Programs: Explore CSI's range of accredited career programs.
ASC (Admitted Student Celebration): Designed to help you and your family learn more about our excellent programs, resources, and facilities. You will have the opportunity to meet with CSI students, faculty and staff. The program features: School/Divisional Admitted Student Presentations, Academic and Student Services Fair, Campus Tours, Housing Workshop, Financial Aid Assistance, Enrollment Services and more!
Tutoring, Advising, Counseling, Mentoring: CSI offers free tutoring, advising, counseling, mentoring, and more. Ask your student to review these resources with you and talk through which support services may be helpful.
General & Liberal Studies: Our General & Liberal Studies department offers programs that let them explore many subjects-arts, humanities, science, communication, wellness, and more-while they decide.
Housing: Yes, CSI offers on-campus housing through Eagle Hall, located right on the Twin Falls campus. Living on campus can be a great option for students who are moving from rural areas, commuting from farther towns, or just want to stay close to classes and campus activities. Make Dolphin Cove your home and independently live in a supportive community where you could stay connected to friends. Know you're supported around the clock with 24/7 on-site staff, furnished apartments, multiple amenities, and kick your commute!
Off-Campus Centers: CSI has off-campus centers in Mini Cassia (Burley) and Jerome that offer many of the same services as the Twin Falls campus. Some specialized labs, technical programs, or support services are only available on the main Twin Falls campus.
Eagle Renew Scholarship: You can apply for the Eagle Renew Scholarship, created to assist non-traditional students with tuition costs.
Childcare Center and Gilbert’s Pantry: On campus, the Childcare Center provides accredited early learning for children of CSI students, and Gilbert’s Pantry offers short-term food assistance.

Tips for Effective Portal Use

Regularly Check the Portal: Make it a habit to check the portal frequently for important updates, announcements, and deadlines.
Explore All Features: Familiarize yourself with all the features and functions of the portal to maximize its benefits.
Seek Help When Needed: Don't hesitate to contact the IT support or student services if you encounter any issues or have questions about using the portal.

Important Considerations

Acceptable Use Policy: CSI is committed to protecting our students, employees, and community constituents from illegal and harmful acts, either intended or unintended, when using our computing resources. Anyone accessing technology devices, systems, networks, data, software, or services that are owned, managed, or operated by CSI do so with acceptance of certain responsibilities and obligations defined by college policies and procedures, and local, state, and federal laws. Acceptable use is ethical, non-offensive, reflects academic honesty, and shows restraint in the consumption of shared resources.
FERPA: Your student’s tuition balance is part of their educational record, which is protected by a federal law called FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
Text Message Consent: By checking the box(es) below, I give consent to Computer Systems Institute to text my mobile number provided. Message frequency varies.

CPI 3.0 Tool for Physical Therapist Programs

The Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant Clinical Performance Instruments are performance assessments designed to evaluate student performance during their clinical experiences. The CPI is completed by the Clinical Instructor at midterm and at the end of the clinical experience. Students also complete a self-evaluation using the same tool.

CPI Development and Updates

The PT CPI was developed in 1997 and revised in 2006. The PTA CPI was developed in 1998 and revised in 2009. Both instruments underwent content and format changes and were adapted from paper-and-pencil administration to online administration. In 2020, APTA partnered with HumRRO (a research company) to streamline the CPI content and rating scales and, as a result, continued to build support for the validity and reliability of the CPI. The psychometric review of the CPIs and the revisions were completed in November 2022, and APTA then partnered with CompetencyAI to create a new CPI 3.0 web platform. The new CPI 3.0 web platform was released on May 15, 2023. Use of the CPI 3.0 tool also captures data important information required for accreditation as a PT or PTA educational program. The Clinical Site Information Forms are housed within CPI 3.0.

CPI Training and Access

Anyone using the CPI, must first pass the required free training available through the APTA Learning Center. There are five different training courses for the new CPI 3.0. Participants only have to take one of the trainings that best fits their role. These courses are specific to a user role and are required before one can access CPI 3.0 in the new platform. This training is for the CIs and SCCEs. The courses include a narrated video and are approximately 20-28 minutes in length depending on the course version. The assessment includes 16-21 questions depending on the course version and participants must score 100% on the assessment to receive their certificate of completion. Once you have successfully completed the required APTA CPI online training, you will then be required to login to CPI 3.0 (with your APTA login credentials) to complete the CPI assessment. CPI 3.0 User Guides are available in the CPI 3.0 portal. Look for the blue question mark in a white circle at the top right of your screen. Academic Institutions, not clinical sites, pay for the annual PT/PTA CPI 3.0 subscription. All CPI 3.0 updates and information are posted to APTA's PT and PTA CPI 3.0 Users Community. This community is exclusively for educational program DCEs, ADCEs, and administrative staff who are currently utilizing the tool.

Read also: Accessing the Cal Poly Portal

Read also: Accessing the MUSD Student Portal

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