Watermark Faculty Resources

Make sure you are using the correct password. If you have recently reset your password, you need to use your new password. The password for logging on to Watermark FS is the same password you use to log on to your MSU Denver computer.

Make sure you are only entering your username for the MSU Denver NetID. Do NOT include “@msudenver.edu”, or “winad\” or “admin\”.

If you are still having problems logging on to Watermark FS, fill out a service request.

Yearly Data and Scheduled Teaching data will be imported into Watermark FS after the end of each semester. The import process will begin after the official date that grades are due from faculty (according to the Academic Calendar) and takes up to 10 working days to be completed. Then, after the faculty evaluation data is finalized by the Office of Institutional Research (OIR), the Scheduled Teaching data will be updated with faculty Student Ratings of Instruction (SRI) data. This process may take up to 3 weeks to be completed.

The Yearly Data and Scheduled Teaching information that is imported into Watermark FS from Banner only goes back to the 2005-2006 academic year.

There are two ways to access your SRIs and Official Student Comments for individual course sections. The SRIs and Student Comments are listed in your Portfolio, so one way is to run the Portfolio report. The second way is to run the SRI Report.

Right-click the hyperlink and select the Open Hyperlink option from the menu. If you are not logged into a computer that is connected to the MSU Denver network, you will be prompted twice for your login credentials. You should use the username and password that you use to login to your computer that is located at MSU Denver.

It may be the browser you are using.  If you are using Internet Explorer 7, we have noticed a problem with it downloading files stored in Watermark FS.  You could try using Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/) as your browser or upgrading your version of Internet Explorer from 7 to the latest version (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie/home).

Watermark FS will not allow you to upload a file that is larger than 50MB. If you would like to link to a file that is larger that 50MB (i.e., audio or video files) that is accessible on the web or that you have stored in Yuja, you can create an HTML page or Microsoft Word document that contains a link to the file (web) or the embed code (Yuja). You can then upload the HTML file or Word document to Watermark FS where you would have uploaded the audio or video file.

If the file is under 50MB, it may be the browser you are using.  If you are using the Safari browser, we have noticed a problem with it uploading files to Watermark FS. Try using Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/) or Internet Explorer (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie/home) as your browser when using Watermark FS.

When attempting to open a PowerPoint (.ppt or .pptx) file using a hyperlink within a Watermark FS report, sometimes a dialog box that is waiting for you to enter your credentials (to have access to the file) is displayed behind the Microsoft Word display window.  To access the dialog box, hold down the Alt (option) button on your keyboard and then click the Tab button to scroll through the various windows you currently have open on your computer. After you have accessed the dialog box, you should use the username and password that you use to login to your computer that is located at MSU Denver. The only difference is that you will need to add “admin\” before your username (e.g., admin\yourusername). For detailed instructions about opening files using the hyperlinks within Digital Measures reports, please see the Accessing Files Using Digital Measures Reports tutorial under Tutorials.

When you run a report using Watermark FS, it is best to leave the file in the original file format.  For example, if you run the report as a Word document, saving it as a PDF will break all of the hyperlinks.  Additionally, when using a Mac computer, if the file is in a Rich Text Format (.rtf) and you save it as a Word document (.doc or .docx) all of the hyperlinks will break. To fix the issue, re-run the report and save it to your computer leaving it in the original file format.

You will need to designate which annual review year you are completing by performing the following steps:

1. Click the Portfolio and Narrative Submission link on the Activities Database Main Menu.
2. Click the ADD A NEW ITEM button to create the Portfolio and Narrative Submission screen item for your current review year.
   • Note: If you already created a Portfolio and Narrative Submission screen item for this review year, you should see it listed under the Items added to and Narrative Submission heading. To edit it, click the pencil icon under the EDIT heading to re-open it.
3. Under the Section I heading, complete Step 1:
   • Enter the date your Portfolio is due in the Date Due – Portfolio field.
   • Select the Type of Review (Year 1, Year 2, etc.).
4. Click the SAVE AND RETURN button to save the Portfolio and Narrative Submission screen item.
5. Click Reports to run your Portfolio report. Note: For information about how to your Portfolio in Digital Measures, please review the Watermark FS Users Guide to Portfolio Preparation.

When you run reports in Watermark FS, you need to select a large enough date range (in step 2) to have all of your data included on the reports.  You should select a Start Date that encompasses the information as far back as you want to report and an End Date that is as far into the future as you would like to report. For example, if you want to include data as far back as 1995, then select the year 1995 from the Start Date drop-down menu. Similarly, if you have written books and/or articles that will be published in 2022, and you want to include them on your Portfolio, select the year 2022 from the End Date drop-down list.

The Narrative is the discussion of your teaching, scholarly activities, and service. You will use the Portfolio and Narrative Submission Screen to upload your Narrative file. After you create your Narrative, you may upload it into DWatermark FS in any file format you wish. Word or PDF would be the file types accessible for most reviewers to read.  Note: For more information about how to write your Narrative, please review the “Guidebook for Portfolio Preparation” on the Academic and Student Affairs website. For information about where to input certain types of activities in Watermark FS, please review the information provided for faculty who are preparing a Portfolio under the Tutorials section.

If you are using a Mac computer, you will want to ensure that the following software is at the latest version listed below and that you have all of the software below installed:

• Safari 6.0 or Firefox 15
• Microsoft Word 14.2.3 or higher
• Acrobat Reader (current version)

*** Please contact the Technology Services Helpdesk at 303-352-7548 if you need assistance with updating or installing the software listed above. ***

Note: When attempting to open a PDF file, if it opens and displays as unreadable symbols, click on the URL address bar to activate it and then click the Enter or Return key. The document should then display properly. If that does not solve the problem, you may try using Firefox as your default browser.

The service activities will display in chronological order based on the End Date, so you will need to add a date to the End Date field for each service activity in order to have the list display in the correct order. If you are still involved in a service activity, simply leave the End Date field blank, and the items will display at the top of the list with the date in this format: (year – Present) e.g., (2020 – Present).

There could be overlap in the information for the two screens. Think of the Professional Membership screen as the area to list the organizations that you belong to. The Service – Professional screen would list involvement related to your profession.  For example, if you belong to a number of profession organizations, but you do not do much more than occasionally attend a meeting, you could list them within the Professional Membership screen. For the organizations that you may be involved with at the local chapter, serve on the board, organized activities, etc., could be listed within the Service – Professional screen.

The screens that have an option to list multiple Collaborators/Investigators/Authors/Presenters (i.e., “Research in Progress”, “Presentations”, “Intellectual Contributions”) are slightly different than other screens when designating a file as an “Additional Portfolio Material.” Whenever there is an option to list multiple contributors, the “Include in Portfolio Additional Materials?” drop-down list that allows you to designate the Item number for the file is in the data entry box with each contributor’s name. This allows different faculty to give the same file a different Item number within their respective “Additional Materials for Review.”

You will need to select either “Published” or “Accepted” from the drop-down menu for the Current Status field.

You should upload your final Portfolio onto the Portfolio and Narrative Submission screen item that you create for your current review year. However, a link to your Portfolio Report will not display on the reports you run. A link is not necessary, because the evaluators will access your Portfolio from either the Departmental Portfolio Review Report or Summative Portfolio Review Report that will be sent to them.