Remote Resources for Students


The following resources are available for CUIMC students to support remote learning.

Note that resources used for your courses and programs are not necessarily the same across CUIMC, please follow any instructions you receive from your professors, school, etc. and contact them directly with any questions. 

Medical Center resources should be used whenever possible for remote learning access, conferencing etc. For Microsoft 365 such as Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and OneDrive this typically means signing in to https://www.office.com with your full CUIMC email address (uni@cumc.columbia.edu) and email password rather than a personal Microsoft account.

VPN

CUIMC VPN is typically only required by students when using their network drive storage. It is not needed to use CUIMC email, OneDrive for Business, collaboration apps such as Teams and Zoom, CourseWorks, most e-journals and library resources, etc.

About CUIMC VPN provides an overview and links to instructions for set up and use on computers and devices, or see video instructions. You must have set up your CUIMC Duo account to use CUIMC VPN.

Always disconnect from VPN when you do not need to use it.  This frees up bandwidth and resources, allowing it to work more smoothly for others who need VPN. All of your computer or device's network traffic goes through the campus network when connected to VPN (i.e. streaming music or videos while working, using personal email, web browsing etc.). 

Accessing E-Resources

Online journals, books and other Health Sciences Library resources are available from off campus through any web browser. You must start from a link in the HSL website such as the Explore Resources page, then log in with your UNI and password when prompted.

Zoom

Zoom at CUIMC is HIPAA compliant web conferencing software with free Basic Accounts for students. See Zoom Video Conferencing for account and support details, or get help with training, guides, and security best practices.

OneDrive

OneDrive for Business is HIPAA compliant file storage for your own files and folders, providing 1TB of space. It is easy to access from any internet-connected computer or device via web browser or app, and can be used to easily share files with others at CUIMC. Be sure to review all User Responsibilities, for those working at CUIMC it is not intended to replace departmental network drives, SharePoint, or other solutions that provide centralized permissions, ongoing collaboration, etc.

Teams

CUIMC faculty, staff, and students can use HIPAA compliant Teams for real time communication and collaborative work, including chat, web conferencing (up to 250 people, video and audio), shared document libraries and more. Individuals create and manage their own Teams via intuitive web and app based platforms as well as scheduling via Outlook. Full details including links to help and tutorials are on our Microsoft 365 Teams page, the Microsoft Teams for remote workers quick guide (PDF), and instructions for copying files to Teams.

SharePoint

SharePoint sites provide HIPAA compliant collaboration for intranet communications, teams and projects including document libraries for file sharing and storage, lists for tracking items, and web pages for communications. Individuals can create a site and assign access and apply different levels of permissions to others at CUIMC.

Copying Files to SharePoint and Teams

You can easily copy the files your group is working on to a SharePoint Site or Team Site to facilitate remote study and collaboration, see instructions here.

COVID-19 Research Guidance

Columbia Research's COVID-19 pages includes Communicating with Research Subjects Remotely for guidance on apps that can be used to contact research subjects.  Note that:

Software Downloads

The Software Downloads for Students page lists site licensed and discounted programs available to most CUIMC students.

Technical Support

Please review Student Support requirements for details on what is supported. We are available 7 days a week via phone, email, and walk-in support, and chat. Students may: