MSDNAA for CIS Students

The department has a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Academic Alliance.  Eligible students are automatically granted a free membership in the program on a per-semester basis, based on the eligibility requirements.

Who is Eligible?

Access to the program is open to students enrolled in courses CS105, CS106, and all CIS courses at the 200-level or above.  Access permissions are updated periodically as registration status changes.  Typically, students should have access within two weeks of the start of a semester.  Access is removed once the semester ends and reset based on the next semester's registration.

Program Benefits

Members receive access to a variety of the latest Microsoft platforms, servers, and developer tools via a download Web site.

Acceptable Use Policy

The software provided with the MSDNAA subscription is intended for instructional or research purposes. Instructional purposes are defined as conducting educational classes, labs, or related programs for teaching and/or learning the products or concepts related to the products that are part of this program. Research purposes are defined as conducting not-for-profit research projects.

If you are a current CIS student taking at least one eligible course for credit, a CIS faculty member, or a staff member directly involved in administering systems and providing support for MSDNAA software, the MSDNAA usage guidelines state that you can install software on your personal computer. For a more complete summary of the Usage Guidelines, see MSDNAA Usage Guidelines from the MSDNAA web site.

Obtaining Software

The UAB CIS MSDNAA e-Academy

The UAB CIS e-Academy site requires a login.  To login, use your CIS linux credentials.   Accounts are automatically generated and decommissioned periodically based on your registration status.  Please do not send requests to the CIS Helpdesk about MSDNAA unless 1. you feel you meet the eligibility requirements but cannot access the download site and 2. it is at least two weeks past the start of the semester.

Once logged into the e-Academy, you will see the Software tab at the top of the screen. On the Software tab, you can choose from a dropdown of available software, or you may click on one of the featured products. This will take you to a screen where you may choose your delivery method. Depending on the software you choose, you will have one or more of the following delivery methods:

• Secure Internet Download [Internet Explorer required]
  Download the software from a CIS web server
• Mail Order (fee for CD media + Shipping & Handling)
  Order your own set of the CDs directly from Microsoft to your home
• CD Check-Out
  Borrow the CDs from the CIS department for 7 days to install the product.  Not available for most products.
  

The e-Academy will present you with the license agreement. It will also provide your product license key if necessary. You will then provide some additional info such as name and email. For Secure Internet Download, you will then be given the opportunity at the end of the ordering process to download the software from our server. For CD Check-Out, you may pick up your CD during normal business hours (You may be placed on the waiting list until a CD becomes available.) e-Academy will send you an email receipt of your order, which will also contain any necessary product keys.

If you have any questions about using e-Academy, please visit the Support tab on the CIS e-Academy website.