Frequently asked questions

Your username will be in the format A123456B (Letter – 6 numbers- Letter) The first letter is usually the first letter of your surname. This forms the first part of your email address and O365 login (A123456B@student.staffs.ac.uk).

Your initial temporary password will have been sent via email at the start of your studies.
IMPORTANT – Even if you have changed your E:Vision password, your IT password will still be this temporary password until changed (they are 2 different passwords).
We don’t know your password you will need to reset your password using our self-service password reset facility www.staffs.ac.uk/sspr

Go to www.staffs.ac.uk/sspr and in the User ID prompt, enter your Staffordshire University email address and follow the prompts.
This changes your password for everything (O365, Blackboard, Apps and E:Vision).
Any problems, contact us stating your:
•    Username
•    DOB
•    Postcode
•    Mobile Number

Yes, we encourage all students to add as many contact methods as possible, which will allow you to get back up and running should you forget your password. You can view and update your details at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/mysecurityinfo

For more details about your account (including access to the password policy and tips to protect your account) visit our passwords page.

We recommend you install Beacon - Your Digital Coach, which will assist with your studies.

Beacon provides personalised and responsive information on student timetables, enables contact with personal tutors and provides the answers to over 1000 frequently asked questions, covering campus facilities and support services.
It is available from Google Play, the App Store, and via the standalone Beacon website.

Beacon is your intelligent digital coach to guide and help you through your university experience. Use Beacon to access your emails, view your timetables, get information on societies, get directions and much, much more. Beacon chat is your first point of call if you need to know anything about the university and its services. Just ask Beacon…

To log onto Beacon, you will just need your university email address and password.

When logged in as a guest you will not get personalised information. You will need to log out of the application and log in with your Staffordshire university username and password.

Go to www.staffs.ac.uk/sspr and in the User ID prompt, enter your Staffordshire University email address and follow the prompts. Once reset log back into the app using these credentials.

If the new credentials are not being accepted, please delete the app and reinstall it, then try again.

Click on the associated tile for the application you want to open, you may initially be prompted for your Staffordshire university email address, input the address and password and when prompted to stay signed in select ‘Yes’. You will not be prompted for credentials when accessing the tiles in the future.

The easiest way to access your timetable is via Beacon. Please note it can take 72hrs from enrolment for your timetable to appear.

Personal timetables are usually available a couple of weeks before the start of term. If you can log onto Beacon but have no timetable please contact studentconnect@staffs.ac.uk

Yes, you can access your timetable online. If you log on and still cannot see a timetable, you will need to contact the student hub to investigate.

Yes, you can access your email via the Email tile in Beacon. You may be prompted for your email address and password the first time you access email via the app.

Yes, we will send push notifications from the app – usually about maintenance, important news or campus updates.

The campus wide wireless network that students should use is Eduroam (please note this is different to the wi-fi in the Halls of Residence). When on campus search for available networks, select Eduroam and log on with your email address and password- accepting any certificates if prompted. Once logged on, you will be able to use the wi-fi across campus.

Both wi-fi networks are available to students and use the same credentials – the benefit of Eduroam is that you will also automatically connect to the wi-fi at any other institution that uses the Eduroam service.

If you are a visitor to the university, you can use ‘wi-fi guest’. Search and select this network and then open a web browser. The 1st time you access this network you will be asked to sign up and accept the terms and conditions.

Yes, if you have previously signed up to this guest service you can login with your previous credentials.

These is a wealth of software which is available for you to install on your own personal device while you are a student at Staffordshire University. View the full list of available software.

Yes – Office 365 (which includes Word, Excel, Teams and OneDrive) is available free of charge  while you are a Staffordshire University student (excluding overseas partners). In fact, you can install it on up to 5 devices. To download, please visit the software downloads page and scroll down to Microsoft Office 365 plus.

No, unfortunately there is no site wide licence for Microsoft Windows, although you are entitled to Microsoft Office 365 free of charge.

Chat/Meet/Call and Collaborate – Microsoft Teams brings peers and colleagues together so you can work as one, even when you are apart. For guides on how to use Microsoft Teams visit the Digital Learning SharePoint site.

The best place to save all of your work is on your Staffordshire University student OneDrive.  This is your own personal storage area, which you can access from anywhere.  So if you do some work on a University computer and save it in your OneDrive, you can carry on working on it from home on your own computer.

Blackboard is the universities VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) where all of your course content is stored.

You log into Blackboard with your normal username and password – if you cannot remember your password you can reset it.

On the Blackboard app, you need to pick your institution (Staffordshire University) and then login with just your username and password (you do not use your full email address). If it does not accept your credentials you will need to reset your password and then try logging in again. If it still fails to log in, please delete the app and reinstall or access via Beacon.

If you want to know anything about Blackboard, Blackboard Ultra or Turnitin visit our Digital Learning page.

If you are at our Stoke campus you can borrow a laptop for up to 24 hours. For further details visit our laptop loans page.

Eligible students can apply for a long-term laptop loan. The application form can be found on the laptop loans page.

If you need help or assistance, you should initially ask Beacon. Beacon will then direct you to the most appropriate answer. If you are still struggling, you can contact us via email, phone or using the online chat facility if available.

The specification needed on personal devices will be dependant on what course you are on and the software you wish to run on the device. As a general rule the better the processor and the more memory the device has, the better it will be able to handle more complex applications. Certain schools will advise in the specification required to run applications needed for your studies.