Faculty/Staff

You can access VandalStar through the following link:

vandalstar.uidaho.edu

In the future, VandalStar will also be accessible through VandalWeb.

To change your profile preferences, click on your name from the main drop-down menu and select the Institutional Profile tab. Some of your information is already imported from Banner, but your Phone, Time Zone, General Overview and My Biography sections can all be customized. 

Click the Submit button to save your changes. 

To adjust your appointment or email preferences, click on your name from the main drop-down menu and select Appointment Preferences or Email Preferences. You can adjust your preferences for location, calendar managers, and notifications.

You must add an office location under Appointment Preferences in order to allow students to schedule appointments with you.

If you would like your Outlook calendar synced to your VandalStar calendar, follow the instructions below:

1. Email vandalstar@uidaho.edu to request access.

2. Once you have received an email confirmation, go to your Email Notifications by clicking your name from the main drop-down menu in VandalStar.

3. Uncheck the "Change To My Office Hours/Group Sessions" box, and check the "Read Busy Times from my External Exchange Calendar" box.

4. Click Submit.

Your Outlook calendar will now be synced with your VandalStar calendar. You can schedule and delete appointments from either program, and Office Hours will not block off time on your calendar until a specific student schedules with you.

It may take 5-10 minutes for your Outlook calendar to be fully integrated into VandalStar. If you are having an issue seeing your calendar, please log out of VandalStar and try logging in again. If the problem persists, contact vandalstar@uidaho.edu. 

You do not need to follow the instructions listed on VandalStar in order to sync your calendar.

The first time you log in to VandalStar, it will provide a ‘wizard’ to walk you through setting up your office hours, which enables students to schedule time with you.  If you did not complete this step during your first log in, you can access the Scheduling Wizard at any time by clicking Appointments from the main drop-down menu in the left hand corner of the screen.

You can use the Scheduling Wizard or the Office Hours tab to set your office hours. The Scheduling Wizard makes it easy for advisors and instructors to schedule multiple office hours blocks for multiple days in a single week. This is useful for setting up your calendar for advising rush periods and other times when you book several blocks of time for seeing students.

1. To get started, specify the title, location, and other settings for the office hours blocks you are setting up.

2. If you are using Scheduling Wizard, select Next to setup the days and times for the week's office hours.

3. Click Submit or Finish. 

To setup additional office hours or make any changes, use the buttons on your Home or Appointments page to add Office Hours, Appointments, or use the Scheduling Wizard.

When you would like to schedule an appointment for a student, rather than the student scheduling their own appointment, you can use the Appointments tab located in the main drop-down menu.  

1. Select the Appointments link and then the “Appointment” button. 

2. Complete the fields necessary to specify:

·Who would you like to meet with? – you can select what term as well as a specific student by typing their name.

·When would you like to meet? – you can select the day, start time and end time.

·Where would you like to meet? – you can select from a list of locations in a drop-down menu. You can add locations on your profile. 

·Why do you want to meet? – select a reason for this meeting from the drop-down list. 

·Do you want this meeting to be shared or private? – most meetings are shared so the members of the student’s Success Network can see the appointment. Private meetings are to be used at faculty/advisor discretion. 

You can enter a Detailed Description of the appointment to provide more information regarding the appointment topic. This is viewable by you and the student. 

The Outcomes tab can be completed during or after meeting with the student, where you list the actual meeting time as well as provide notes in the student’s file.

When you would like to communicate with students regarding coursework or advising, you can message them as a group or individually from the Students tab located in the main drop-down menu. 

1. Click on the Students link to see your list of students. 

2. Find the desired student or students by typing a name or using a filter. You may also need to adjust the Connection or Term to see a more accurate student list. 

3. Check the box next to the student (or students) that you would like to message.

4. Select the Message button at the top of the page. 

5. Draft your message, and select Submit. 

An email will be sent depending on the student’s email notification preferences. 

You can choose to send a copy of the message to yourself by selecting Send Copy to Yourself when drafting your message. 

As always, you can select Never Mind if you decide to not send a drafted message. 

When you have a concern with a particular student, raise a flag to communicate your observations. When you want to congratulate a particular student, raise a kudo to let them know. The appropriate individuals will be automatically notified when you save the item.

1. Click on the Students navigation item to see your list of students. 
2. Find the desired student by typing the name into the Search box.  
3. Click on the student’s name to bring up the Student Folder. 
4. Click the item that you would like to raise on the student (Flag or Kudo.) A list of categories for the tracking item that you have permission to raise on this student is displayed. 
5. Select the type of flag or kudo you would like to raise from the list.
6. If relevant, select a course from the Course Context, drop down list, and enter notes in the Comment box.
7. Click the Save button.
8. To clear an item raised on a student, click on the Tracking navigation item to see current flags/kudos raised on your students. Select the item you would like to clear, and select Resolve. You will have the option to leave notes about resolving the action item.   

The Student View indicates whether the student can view the flag and the notes you include in the Comment box.  

The Permissions area lists roles that have permission to view the selected flag and the notes you include in the Comment box. 

View this video to find out how to respond to a progress survey.