Automatic Logoff
Over the last two semesters (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025) the VCU Instructional Computing Services team has observed a recurring challenge many instructors have been facing in our centrally-supported classrooms; logging in (and by extension, logging off). While this is something most of us do multiple times a day nearly every day of the week and should be a simple matter of entering a username and password, unfortunately, what we’ve observed and heard from many of our instructors are reports of continual challenges with this process on shared computers in our classrooms and computer labs.
The root cause of this issue is straightforward, but it is also a human issue and therefore not simple to solve without thoughtful and deliberate consideration of the best solution (not just the easiest one). Simply put, some people are simply not logging out of their user session and either walk away or are simply “locking” the computer (instead of logging off). This behavior is what initiates the on-going challenge for other people who need to use a shared computer in a classroom. The simplest and most immediate solution to this is to simply restart of the computer for the next instructor to logon and begin using the computer to start teaching their class. Since Fall 2024, we’ve received quite a bit of feedback regarding this particular challenge and we’ve come up with a solution to address both issues at once.
Beginning on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 all classroom computers supported by the Instructional Computing Services team that require a username and password to login will be configured to implement a new automatic logoff policy. This policy is intended to address both of the issues explained above by:
- Ensuring that abandoned/idle user sessions are automatically terminated after 30 minutes of idle time while providing a 5 minute grace period warning notice to the end-user.
Below is a screenshot of the warning message to demonstrate how this process will work. This popup WILL be displayed during a PowerPoint (or other slideshow software) presentation, but NOT during full-screen media playback and/or video conference calls via Zoom. Browser-based presentation and video conferencing software tools such as Google Meet, Google Slides, and/or Microsoft Teams are NOT exempt from this popup message.
- Returning to a more standard approach of allowing multiple user sessions at one time by re-enabling “Fast User Switching”.
Below is an animated screenshot (GIF) demonstrating the “Switch User” experience if another user is already logged on but has “locked” their session. First press CTRL+ALT+DEL, then click the “Switch User” button on the left-hand side towards the bottom.
With these changes, as an end-user of shared computers in VCU’s centrally-supported classrooms you will be able to login with your VCU eID easily without having to reboot the computer, and you can be certain that your user session won’t be automatically logged off without a warning notice. However, keep in mind that after 30 minutes of inactivity, the warning message for your session to begin the automatic logoff process will start counting down for 5 minutes. For the benefit of other users of shared computers, please remember to always log off before you walk away from a shared computer!
If you are using a shared computer in a centrally-supported classroom space at VCU and you are not able to sign-in with you VCU eID, please contact the Academic Technologies Classroom Support hotline for the appropriate campus (phone numbers listed below). You can also reach out to use via email at [email protected].
Monroe Park Campus – (804) 828-1098
MCV Campus – (804) 828-3400