6 steps to getting started

1. Discover MyHud 

MyHud is the student portal that facilitates access to the systems and services you will use during your studies.  This is where you will find and be able to access:

• Details about your course
• Your timetable
• Details about support for your study
• News and announcements
• Your University email account

A MyHud app for smart phones and tablets is available via the Apple App store (Apple devices) or the Google Play Store (Android devices).

There is also an internet/web version available at https://myhud.hud.ac.uk

You must login to use MyHud, please use your unique username and password:

• Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students username is [studentnumber]@unimail.hud.ac.uk for example u1234567@unimail.hud.ac.uk
• Postgraduate Research Students (PGR) username is [firstname.lastname]@hud.ac.uk for example johnsmith@hud.ac.uk

You will have reset your password during the application process, if you need any support logging in to MyHud please contact IT Support

If you want to change your password, please use our self-service reset system

Further information on using your timetable is available on the timetabling webpages

2. Check Your University email

Within MyHud, you will find a tile previewing your email inbox – although it may take up to 24 hours after completing enrolment for this to become active.

You can click on this preview to access your full mailbox, which is hosted and accessible at https://outlook.office.com

Your University email account is one of the main ways the University will contact you - so it's important to check your messages regularly.

For security reasons, we need you to use your University email address when you contact members of staff or services at the University so that we know it's really you, unless of course you are contacting IT Support about a problem with your email!  If you contact us from a personal address we may have to ask you to resend your message from the University system.

To make using email more convenient, you can install the Microsoft Outlook app on your devices.  Unfortunately, other email apps are not supported.

3. Access Brightspace

BrightSpace is the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE) and can be accessed via the BrightSpace tile on MyHud.

Brightspace is where you can find your course and academic information, including:

• What modules you are enrolled on
• Reading lists for those modules
• Details of module tutors
• Supporting materials
• Lecture Capture recordings
• Assessment and exam timetables

You may also submit assessments via BrightSpace and receive grades and feedback.  Tutors will also make regular announcements here, so getting familiar with Brightspace is crucial in getting ready for university study.

A collection of Brightspace training videos can help you learn the basics.

4. Access your online induction resource, Huddersfield Essentials

These induction resources will provide you with information and activities to start your year. They have been designed to enable you to start once you have enrolled and complete it independently, so, if you've already enrolled, dive in and get started! It contains lots of important information, so you may wish to revisit it later in the year. Content includes: 

• Preparing for University study, learning and research.  
• Digital resources, tools and training. 
• Your support, facilities and resources. 
• Library facilities, services and support. 

Get started and discover all you need to know in Huddersfield Essentials, your induction resource (there may be a delay to access the resource after enrolment but don't worry, you can complete it at your leisure). 

5. Explore Microsoft Office applications and Teams  

All students have free access to download Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, to their own computers.  This will continue until your studies end.  More details are available on our help pages:

Install Office 365 apps

Microsoft Teams is one of the key places we will meet online and learn together.  Meeting, sharing and chatting very quickly becomes familiar and straightforward. You can find more detailed information on accessing Teams in the University Induction resource, or you may wish to review the guide to Microsoft Teams to get started.

When on campus, teams will automatically sign in to your university account.  But when using your own devices, you need to be sure that you are signed in to your University account and not a personal account.  If you are signed in with a personal account, you will join any meetings as a guest and will experience reduced functionality.

To get started with Teams:

• Watch a short video to test your sound and video. Try Teams for Education (2 minutes), or Using Microsoft Teams to Streamline Research (1 minute).
• Test your microphone by logging in to Microsoft Teams and following the Microsoft Teams instructions to make a test call with an automated service.

6. Your Personal Academic Tutor 

Every taught student is allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) who will be an academic in your school. You will be offered the opportunity to meet with your PAT five times per year. PATs are there to help you get the most out of your time at University, and to discuss academic progress so that you can achieve your best, and to direct you towards appropriate support services such as wellbeing and finance.

It can take a couple of weeks at the start of term to allocate your PAT. Your PAT will schedule a meeting with you early in your first term. Once allocated you will be able to identify your PAT via MyHud and many PATs will be using the PAT module in Brightspace to coordinate your support and arrange meetings.