TECH CORNER: Use Ask Cathy for fast-track access to Pitt services

By KAREN BEAUDWAY

Ask Cathy landing site on My.pitt.eduIf you’ve used the search bar on my.pitt.edu, then you’ve used AskCathy, which is also a standalone site at askcathy.pitt.edu. AskCathy is a “service discovery tool,” which just means that it’s a tool to find other tools.

It’s filled with great information about how to do nearly anything Pitt-related, but you need to skillfully use the search features to get the exact prize you want. You can search for a keyword or browse the service tiles to find what you’re looking for, but you might have to scroll through a lot of irrelevant options before you get to the one you want. But there are tricks to easily get what you want, when you want it, every time.

You can use AskCathy without logging in, but logging in lets you customize your experience. It remembers your role(s) and displays your favorites, recently used, and most popular services at the top of the page. Click Sign In so it’s not a generic AskCathy; it’s your AskCathy.

Your role is the relationship you have to the University, e.g. student or staff. This helps AskCathy know what’s relevant for you, and what’s not. Pick all the ones that apply. Staff member taking classes, or a student with a campus job? Staff and Student it is. Faculty member who graduated from Pitt and has a kid attending Pitt? Faculty, Alumni, Parent, check, check, check.

Under the search box is a menu called Browse Categories. It includes a list of collections for all the services that are relevant to a particular topic. Categories include everything from Academics and Housing & Dining, to Human Resources and Research. It’s a great way to drill down to what you need, especially when you aren’t sure exactly what you’re looking for.

You’ll use some services pretty regularly. Each week, Panther fans can look up what time the Pitt game is or staff can use PRISM to submit a timesheet. No need to look up these services every time you need them. Just click the heart on a tile, and boom — it’s saved as a Favorite.

OK, now that you know what you’re doing, head on over to AskCathy. Start building your Favorites collection, so you never have to waste time searching for Pitt services again.

Karen Beaudway is a blogger for Pitt IT.