Change User Account Authentication Type
This article will be most useful for System Admins.
Overview
There are two ways users can be authenticated to gain access to Concourse:
- Internal Authentication: the user navigates directly to https://yourdomain.campusconcourse.com and enters a password stored in Concourse.
- External Authentication: the user is authenticated when they access your SSO or LMS; the user navigates to Concourse via your organization’s systems.
It is recommended that the majority of user accounts be externally authenticated so that password requirements align with your institutional security protocols. Internally authenticated users are typically a small group of high-level users who may need to access Concourse during SSO or LMS downtime. Authentication type changes usually occur when a user’s role changes at your institution.
Changing User Account Authentication
To change a user’s account authentication type, a System Administrator should:
- Select Admin in the main navigation menu. In the drop down that appears, choose Users.
- Search for the user account to be updated. You can enter any part of the user’s name or email address, and select Search.
- Select the user’s name from the search results.
- In the Settings section, select Edit. A page with three settings blocks appears.
- In the User section, select the radio button next to Internal.
- Select Save in the User section, or navigate away from the page to cancel any changes.
Best Practices and Recommendations
When changing a user’s account authentication type in Concourse, it’s important that the System Administrator and impacted user be aware of the following:
- It’s likely that members of the Concourse implementation team at your institution had internally authenticated accounts before Concourse was integrated with the LMS and/or SSO. Once integration is complete, we recommend that these users’ accounts be reset to external authentication. Internal authentication is reserved for a small group of users who have a specific reason for not authenticating through your organization’s systems.
- Users can only access Concourse in the method that matches their account authentication type; users who are internally authenticated cannot access Concourse via their institution’s LMS, and users who are externally authenticated cannot access Concourse by navigating directly to the site.
- Internally authenticated users must first select “Forgot password?” to set up a password before they can login to Concourse directly. If internally authenticated users attempt to login to their Concourse sandbox after a data refresh, they must ensure that their account authentication type is set to internal and then reset their password before they can access Concourse.
- If internally authenticated users experience difficulties with their passwords, System Administrators can manually reset passwords to a temporary password; this process is not recommended due to security concerns.
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