ArcGIS Online
Organizationsfor Schools & Clubs
ArcGIS School Bundle: Free (for instructional use)
to any K12 School or Youth Club
esri.com/schools
schools@esri.com

https://esriurl.com/agoorgsforschools - v.20230814

Esri's offer to K12 Schools & Clubs
The ArcGIS School Bundle is free for instructional use* to any
K12 school (public, nonpublic, or home school), district, oryouth club, through July 2025. The Bundle includes:
1. ArcGIS Online Organization account, with safe and secure logins forany number of teachers and students in one or more schools/clubs
2. Standard suite of online apps and mobile apps (e.g. Map Viewer,
Scene Viewer, StoryMaps, Dashboard, Hub basic, Survey123, Field
Maps, app templates and builders, and more)
3. Living Atlas data (curated content)
4. ArcGIS Business Analyst (web+mobile) and Community Analyst
5. Advanced use applications, for the career-minded: high-powered
web-based and desktop (Windows) tools (details)*See ArcGIS School Bundle Summary. Resources may be used only for instruction of K12 students, or
instruction of teachers of K12 students, or creation of content for exclusive use of K12 students andteachers. Administrative use, commercial use, private use, or use by unlicensed persons is prohibited.
2

Why teach with ArcGIS Online?
1. Online = no installs = use on any connected device (computer,tablet, smartphone), anywhere
2. Lots of pre-built content: explore, analyze, modify, save, share
3. Share with specific group/s, the public, or no one at all
4. Interactive maps, unlimited topics, global to local
5. Usable in all subjects, grades, programs, clubs
6. Use for background content + technical skills + problem-solving
and critical thinking skills, and independent or group projects
7. Rich media: maps, tables, charts, images, video, text
8. Representational environment (e.g., interactive thematicmaps, pop-ups with characteristics, dashboard graphs) to help
users grasp patterns and relationships as well as detail
9. Ease of use = engagement
3Why teach with an ArcGIS Online
Organization account?
1. Secure login for each user (see details) – ideal for projects
2. Ability to create, save, publish, and share securely – withgroup/s inside the Org, the entire Org, groups across Orgs,
even public (if needed)
3. Generate data, do analysis (geoprocessing), and publish
4. Special software access – Survey123, StoryMaps, Business
Analyst, Dashboard, ArcGIS Pro, etc
5. Special data – landscape, demographic, imagery, etc
6. Custom portal – https://prefix.maps.arcgis.com = able toorganize content and customize presentation
4

How does an ArcGIS Online Org work?
1. Org launcher creates the first username (admin #1), sets the Org name,sets unique URL address ("prefix"), and creates helper admin/s
2. Org admins set the overall policies, security, and roles and privileges
3. Org admins set login processes (integrating with school network forsingle sign-on), arrange member logins (= "usernames") for teachers &students, assigning roles with appropriate privileges
4. Org members first just use, then later generate/ save/ share contents
5. Members join Groups in the Org, share items with those Groups
6. Leaders can create Hub sites to present content in a context, organize
resources, coordinate activities
7. Admins manage content and coordinate cleanup (prep for next users).
Responsibilities are noted in the ArcGIS School Bundle Summary.
8. Specific startup step suggestions begin on page 15
5

Example Org

https://prefix.maps.arcgis.com
Customaddress
Customimage &
name
Custompage
designOrg/elements can be set to "public" or "members only."

Customtext forlinks andinfo
6How are Orgs constructed?
uniquehttps://prefix.maps.arcgis.com
PEOPLEGROUPSITEMS• 1 or more admins• 'n' people, withunique usernames,
each with definedroles and privileges• people• items• maps• apps• hub sites• data & services• documents(many types)

7How do members find content?
Groups (collections) and Hub sites ("web pages")
make organization and use easier

GROUPSPEOPLE

ITEMS• maps• apps• hub sites• data & services• documents(many types)
8

Example Groups in a School Org• All Teachers• Science Teachers• Student Council• Service Club• Grade 6, 6a, 6b• Spanish 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 3• AP class activity 1, 2, 3 …
• Athletics• Esri GeoInquiries Links• Inter-school Project 1,2,3…

Groups:collections ofpeople and items.
Each group has its
own members,
items, properties.
People and items
can each be inmultiple groups.
Admin controls ifgroups can invite
users from otherOrgs.
9ArcGIS Hub: App for Organizing
ArcGIS Hub is an app in every Org which helps users build "websites
within the Org," at https://{sitename}-prefix.hub.arcgis.com
Hub sites are ways ofpresenting info & items
to members (and evento public).

Hub sites could include:

Each hub page has its
own address, purpose,and characteristics.

• Content from within the Org and/orfrom outside it

Orgs can have any
number of hub sites.

• Single or multiple pages• Page/s with live maps & apps, text,
pics, videos, navigation• Content elements within a page canhave sharing set as public, Org only,
group only, or author only, all on thesame page10

Districts Can Use Bundles & Orgs
Just like schools, districts can acquire software. Because districts vary insize, organization, operation, and interests, different approaches deserve
consideration:• Centralized (single Bundle serves all) maximizes users and efficiency,
facilitates students shifting schools; customize using groups and hubs.
• Distributed (one Bundle per interested school) maximizes
customization, but can thus be inequitable; operationally inefficient,requiring duplication and collaboration.
• Banded (e.g., 7 schools share one Bundle for grades K-8, one for grades9-12) balances efficiency + creativity or concern over size.
If schools already have multiple Orgs in place, district staff may want tocontact schools@esri.com to discuss optimization strategies.

11

Members have roles with privileges
Privilege

Built-in Roles in School Org >>Ignore these roles

Core roles in school Orgs

Viewer

DataEditor

User*

Publisher*

Admin

CustomBuilt into School Bundle Org

√

√

√

√

√

√

Use maps, scenes, apps

√

√

√

√

√

Optional

Create content

√

√

√

Optional

Share maps and apps

√

√

√

Optional

Join and create groups

√

√

√

Optional√√√

Optional

Publish hosted web layers√√

Optional

Perform analysis√√

Optional

Invite users to Org√

Optional

Manage Org resources√

Optional

View subscription status√

Optional

Configure website√

Optional

Create custom roles, including credit limits√

Optional

Share *any* Org content with public even if Org is
not set for public access (see "Showcase")√

Optional√

Edit features

OK for students

Use carefully for students

Avoid using for students* User and Publisher are not ideal for students or teachers. Customize these.
12

Recommended custom* role/privileges*See guidance on customizing roles.*13

Optimizing for Both Learning & Privacy
ArcGIS Online is a robust learning environment. Admins are key to keeping students and theircontent safe and secure while engaging these powerful resources.
1. Admins should set the Org as private (no anonymous access), with no option for membersof other Orgs to use their credentials to sign in, and no social logins permitted.
2. Do not use the generic "User" or "Publisher" roles for students. Create the recommended
student roles with privileges shown. Use a "Showcase" login to share publicly. Most
students need to share only with internal Groups. See guidance on customizing roles.
3. Enable publishing hosted feature layers for students beyond intro, to use analysis tools,
create surveys, and create hosted feature data; these are common tasks even for middle
school students. Prevent publishing hosted tile, scene, or imagery layers, or creating
notebooks; create new special role/s if needed for these uses.
4. Do not permit students to join external groups, or to create groups that allow members
from other Orgs, or to invite external users to groups.
5. Student usernames (however they are created) should contain no "personally identifiable
info" (= "PII": student name, email, photo; see Summary). Admins should instruct teachersand students alike why and how not to expose anyone's PII -- their own or that of others.
6. Profiles should not be editable by students, nor visible outside the Org.
7. Students should have "Esri access" only as needed to take Esri Training courses.
14

How to Start, Step 1: Learn
Most direct: See the QuickStart for the ArcGIS for Schools Bundle
Additional resources:• Explore the Esri K12 Org which includes content shared publicly;
school Orgs should not permit anonymous viewing, and sharing
content with the public should be done via Showcase• Watch some short videos about Org setup and management:• ArcGIS Online Admininistration Basics• ArcGIS Online Group Basics• ArcGIS Online Sharing Basics
or explore a broad bank of videos on ArcGIS Online• Explore Set Up An ArcGIS Organization tutorial• Download an ArcGIS Online Implementation Guide (pdf)• Download an ArcGIS Online Security Overview (pdf)15How to Start, Step 2: Decide
Admins are accountable for all activities by users. Orgs need active
management by at least two (2) admins to operate well.
• Clarify who will make key decisions and who will conduct necessary
procedures• Decide Org name, address (prefix); think about design• Decide initial policies, security, roles, privileges, usernames, groups,
login process (SSO is best, for efficiency, equity, productivity)• Agree to start without all settings being perfect, because the Org
will need to evolve as your background grows, the school's needschange, and the Org's capacities increase.
Choices influence security and more. See Summary & Trust ArcGIS.

16

How to Start, Step 3: Activate Org• "Activating the Org" is a 3-step process, after receiving the activation
email from Esri (check spam filters; these emails often get caught):
1. Use the invitation from Esri to create the first admin. Create abrand new username to be the admin. DO NOT use an existingusername or a social account. DO NOT use an email address as ausername. Record exactly all info used, including security info!
2. Set the Org's "long name" (e.g. the school name)
3. Set the Org's "short name" (i.e. prefix - must be unique, andshorter is generally better)
Then …
• Create a second admin and collaborate on completing the setup• Complete the basic configuration: settings for security, roles andprivileges, groups, plus a test login (username) for each role you'll use.
• Create a test group, create & share maps from each test login• Set up SSO connection or create logins for teachers and students
17Org Administrators• Every Org has at least 1 admin. Smart management involves atleast 2 savvy admins (more as the Org grows larger), to ensuresmooth operation when the main admin is not available. Admins
must have clarity on policies and communicate with each other.
• A school or district technician, savvy teacher at another school orclub, or outside GeoMentor can be a helpful second admin. All
admins should read and understand the School Bundle Summary.
• The initiating admin is the "primary" admin and receives all
management notices. Setting additional admin(s) as "primary" isadvisable and can be set by any admin, within "Organization/
Settings/ General/ Administrative Contacts." (See blog.)• Org admins and all members are best served by an email alias
reaching all admins ("gisadmins@our_domain.edu"). That alias
should be used in many places, including being set as the email
for all student usernames.
18

Teacher & student usernames
Usernames are unique across AGO universe and used constantly.
Use no "personally identifiable info" (= PII: emails, names, photos)
in student usernames, whether built via SSO (best) or manual/CSV.
See ArcGIS School Bundle Summary.

FOR EXAMPLE, in a district,↓ these elements … could turn into ↓• Student name: Gisele Friendly• Student number: 1234567890• Grad Year: 2024
• School: Worldly High School• District: Mytown

PII• Org = mytown.maps.arcgis.com• Fname = WO24GF7890• Lname = mytown• Username = WO24GF7890.mytown• Email = gisadmins@mytown.org(email required only in manual/csv)

19

Creating Usernames: Single Sign-on
1. See AGO Help and use "Add members without sending an email." Do this one
at a time for first few to build familiarity. Creating usernames with a carefully
built CSV is acceptable practice and works even alongside SSO.
2. "Best practice" for usernames is single sign-on ("SSO" or "enterprise") strategy,
to minimize setup work and maximize easy access. (See special info forschools.) SSO lets the school/district identity provider create usernames in astandardized fashion as needed, automatically, and manage the day-to-day
authentication. This eliminates username/ password issues for students (andthus teachers). The more the potential users exceed about 25 usernames, themore useful it is to engage SSO, but it helps even with just a few usernames.
3. Org admins and school/district tech leads must work together to prevent any
personally identifiable information (PII) from being used in the usernames.
4. Set "User Type" as "GIS Professional Advanced" if using ArcGIS Pro, otherwise
either Creator or GIS Professional Advanced is ok. See also "Esri Access."
5. This process adds users via a single configuration; see New Member Default.
Change adults and strong users to more appropriate roles, as needed.
6. Adding SSO to an Org with pre-existing usernames may create "second logins"for previous users. For assistance shifting non-SSO username content andsettings to the SSO username, contact schools@esri.com.
20Creating Usernames: CSV
1. SSO is "best practice," but a carefully-built CSV works (even alongside SSO).
2. See AGO Help and use "Add members without sending an email" process. Do
one at a time for the first few for testing, then use "From a file" for the rest
(max = 200 at a time).
3. For the file, create your spreadsheet (CSV or TXT file) exactly as shown below,
with the exact headers (including spaces and capitalization).
4. Email for students should be an alias going to admins. "User Type" must be"GIS Professional Adv." for ArcGIS Pro use; otherwise either is ok. Password is
temporary, so generic is ok, but must be "strong enough;" users are forced tochange it immediately upon their first access. See "Role" and "Esri Access."
EmailFirst Name

Last Name

Username

PasswordUser TypeRole

gisadmin@school.edu

1234

Prefix1234.Prefix

Scramble_1

CreatorStudent1

gisadmin@school.edu

1235

Prefix1235.Prefix

Scramble_1

CreatorStudent2

gisadmin@school.edu

1236

Prefix1236.Prefix

Scramble_1

GIS Professional Advanced

Student3

teacher1@school.edu

T101

PrefixT101.Prefix

Scramble_1

CreatorTeacher1

teacher2@school.edu

T102

PrefixT102.Prefix

Scramble_1

GIS Professional Advanced

Teacher2

Best Practice: Avoid using "_prefix" in any Username; it is a key string for the system tohave available exclusively for itself. The example above minimizes personally identifiable info (PII).
The same process works using actual names and user emails, but use these only for adults. Users
must log in, create new password, and provide security info to finish. See also Managing Orgs.
21

New Member Default• Admins can see "New Member Default" in Organization/Settings.
When creating a new member in manual ad hoc fashion, thesedefault settings are assigned unless specifically changed by theadmin in the process for this user. (Any settings not covered by a
CSV's required fields will also receive these.)• The same process holds true with SSO: When a new member granted
entry by the SSO is recognized by the Org, the New Member Defaults
are assigned. Thus, all Orgs, but particularly SSO-based Orgs, should
set these defaults with care, according to expectations for the most
likely new members -- typically "Student-2" user type & role (andthus privileges), groups, licenses, Esri access setting, and credits.
• After admission, changes can be applied to new users who shouldhave different student or teacher settings. This is most efficiently
done with a script on a calendar, time, or ad hoc basis. Contact a
GeoMentor or schools@esri.com if you need assistance with this.

22

Showcase Role and Username• To share student content with the public without exposing personallyidentifiable info (PII), make a "showcase" username to which content
can be transferred and then shared. (See guidance on customizing.)• Admin sets a "Showcase" role that can share publicly, creates (e.g.)"Prefix Showcase" username, and builds a proper profile: descriptive
text, contact info, and an appropriate logo. Optimize with a special
Showcase group. (In this example, click "Esri Inc".)• For any content to be shared as "from the Org" instead of "from a
specific user," the admin changes item ownership of resource/s fromthe creator/s to the Showcase login, then shares.

23

"Esri Access""Esri Access" controls if the user
may use the arcgis.com login tosign into esri.com, and thus may
take courses on Esri Training, sign
into Esri Community, reply toposts on esri.com, etc. By default,
Org usernames have "Esri Access"disabled; disabled users may still
make maps, publish data, andshare items. Admins can set(enable or disable) Esri Accessduring username setup or
manually later (right).

24Troubleshooting One's Loginwww.arcgis.com è "Sign In"
Users signing in via username/password
who forget their credentials can click to(1) retrieve the username(s) attached toa given email, and/or (2) identify a
specific username needing an email witha "reset password" link. (Emails come tothe email address attached to theusername. See more info.)25

Manage the Org: Minimize Chaos
1. Admins setting and enforcing good guidelines for users is importantfrom Day 1, but better late than never. Predictable naming schemes
promote ease of use. Teach and use good metadata practices, so users
can find properly configured items quickly, and eliminate clutter.
2. Over time, Org users create content, share it, and move on. Expired
content and outdated users disrupt searching and consume credits.
Proper Org management minimizes clutter.
3. Instruct all users to share content with the fewest people possible(none, group, Org, public) and shortest duration needed to do the job.
4. Value important content. Use a "Showcase" account to hold key
content. Delete-protect essential items.

26

Counting Credits and Usernames• Orgs get 'n' usernames, which represent unique named users (nosharing permitted). Professional institutions pay for additional logins;these have real value.
• Orgs get 'n' credits, which are consumed by storage, using premium
content, and computation (analysis or service creation). Professional
Orgs pay $100 for 1000 credits.
• "Instructional" Orgs get special treatment. Admins should use roles,
privileges, and credit limits to manage for "informed consumption," andusers should practice it, to prepare members for Org operation in thewider world. "Organization/ViewStatus" offers key usage data to admins.
• Most school users can do all they need in <10 credits/year. "Student-3"
and "Teacher-2" (or similar) roles may engage processes needing more.
• If in need of logins or credits, contact schools@esri.com.

27

Key ArcGIS Online Help1.

ArcGIS Online Documentation: Detailed, up-to-date guidanceon all topics

2.

Admin Tools for ArcGIS Online: Powerful and useful web app
by GEO Jobe that provides many key management tools plus
video guidance. The free "standard" level is a very valuableapp for admins of all school Orgs.

3.

ArGIS Online Assistant, version1 and version2: Apps thatallow a user to copy (i.e., duplicate, not move) content from ausername in one Org to a username in another Org, change
URL of a service in a map, and other tasks.

Contact schools@esri.com with questions, puzzles, or issues.

28Organization Licenses Available• Standard: Usernames and credits vary according to user license –commercial, government, nonprofit, education, individual personal.
These Orgs are "under maintenance agreements," which provides
users certain rights. (The ArcGIS School Bundle Org is a "standard" Org
but with special features because it deals with minors.)• Trial: 1-5 logins, 200 credits, 21 days (limit of 1 trial per email address).
• Developer: Build skills or run a business. Free plan has 1 login, 50
credits (no rollover) per month, meant for exploration and learning.
This is useful for every educator: you can maintain capacity despitechanges in employment, and create your own private group with whichto connect your personas in other Orgs and share key resources.

29

Resources for Learning
ArcGIS School Bundle includes free access to a vast and growing bank of
instructional materials:• https://www.esri.com/schools• https://esriurl.com/gettingstartedforeducators• https://www.esri.com/mapmaker• https://esriurl.com/mapmakergeoinquiries• https://www.esri.com/geoinquiries• https://esriurl.com/geoprojects• https://k12.maps.arcgis.com• https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/search (KEY TIP: Type"teachers" into the search box; login with Esri access required)

30

ArcGIS Online
Organizationsfor Schools & Clubs
ArcGIS School Bundle: Free (for instructional use)
to any K12 School or Youth Club
esri.com/schools
schools@esri.com

https://esriurl.com/agoorgsforschools - v.20230814