IEPS - International Education Programs Service
Frequently Asked Questions

General
    What is IRIS? Why must grantees use it?
    How do I get help?

Logging into IRIS
    What is my login information?
    Are those 0's or O's in my award number?
    I got logged in, but when I click on a link, the Login screen displays again. What's wrong?
    I don't have an IRIS account for my grant. How do I get one?
    What browsers are supported?

Project Information
    What if our project director changes?
    What if our project director's email changes?
    What if the amount displayed on the project identification (blue box) is incorrect?
    How do I unsubmit a report as some data is incorrect or has not been entered?
    What do I do if I also need to be included as a user for a grant?
    How do I get added to the IEPS email list?
    What if I need a no-cost extension for grant activities or need more time to submit my report?

Fellow Questions
    My project director said they sent me an email with my login information but I didn't receive it.
    How do I get my email changed in the IRIS system?
    The information which displays when I log in is incorrect and I can't update it.
    When I try to login to IRIS, I get a message that the school has submitted their report.
    I entered my courses, but they did not save.
    I submitted my report but I need to change something on it.
    My fellows did not receive their login information. Why not?
    Why aren't my fellows able to access their reports? I have created their records.

Report Entry
    What should I include in a report?
    Can I save a data record without entering all the required data?
    Will data entered be saved if I click on another link?
    What's the difference between the "Save" and "Save and Continue” buttons?
    What does "Save and New Entry" do?
    What does "Save and Return to List" do?
    Is it required to create more than one entry/record for a screen?
    How can I create more than one entry?
    How can I edit a saved entry on a multi-record screen?
    How can I delete an entry?
    Do multi-entries all have to be created at the same time?
    Do I need to complete and submit my report data all at one time?
    What does "Multi-select" mean?
    What if I want to change a selection I have made?
    What is the fastest way to select from a long list of choices?
    The value I need is not in the dropdown, what should I do?

Narratives
    Can I copy and paste text from a word processing application?
    How many words can I enter?
    What if I need to enter more words than are currently allowed?
    What characters and fonts are acceptable?
    Do I have to enter something in all of the narrative fields?

Budget
    What are automatic totals?
    Should I enter budget amounts down to the penny?
    How can I upload an attachment to my budget?
    Is the budget attachment required?

Report Submission
    How do I submit a report?
    I clicked on the View/Submit Report link, but there is no Submit button.
    How can I be sure my report was submitted?
    What's the difference between the "Save" and "Submit" buttons?
    When is my report due?
    If I am an additional user, how can I submit a report?
    How can I print a report?
    How can I save an electronic copy of the submitted report?
    Who can view my submitted report?
    What will the submitted report look like to IEPS?
    What if I need to edit a report after it has been submitted?
    I'm getting a message that I can't submit until my consortium partners do. Why not?
 
General Questions

What is IRIS? Why must grantees use it?
International Resource Information System (IRIS) is a web-based reporting system. This instrument provides an electronic means for International Education-Graduate and Professional Services (IEPS) grantees to meet the U.S. Department of Education requirement for reporting on grant activities. IRIS was developed to meet the mandates of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), which requires all federal agencies to develop strategic plans, set goals and objectives for its programs, and to be able to demonstrate that the programs are meeting their legislative purposes.

The information submitted is used to

  1. Ensure that each grantee is in compliance with the Department's requirements;
  2. Determine if a continuation grant will be issued and the dollar amount that will be allocated to the project;
  3. File a final report at the end of a program cycle;
  4. Evaluate the effectiveness of each program and, collectively, of all IEPS programs; and
  5. Provide key information for continued Congressional support of IEPS programs.
For questions on the scope of a report for a specific program, contact the program officer at IEPS.
You may also view program information at the U.S. Department of Education’s International Education Program Services website.

How do I get help?

Logging into IRIS

What is my login information?
Click on send login information to have your login information emailed to you. If your email account is not in IRIS, contact the help desk and provide them your name and award number so that they can verify that you have an IRIS account. If you do not have an account, you will need to be added as an additional contact on your grant.

Are those 0's or O's in my award number?
They are zeros (0). We recommend that you copy and paste the information from the email you received with your login information into the login page.

I got logged in, but when I click on a link, the Login screen displays again. What's wrong?
You must have your browswer set to accept cookies and to allow javascript to run to use IRIS.

I don't have an IRIS account for my grant. How do I get one?

What browsers are supported? Project Information

What if our project director changes?
If your project director changes, please contact your program officer so your records can be updated. Help desk staff cannot change your project director.

What if our project director's email changes?
If your project director's email changes, please contact your program officer so your records can be updated. Help desk staff cannot update the project director's email.

What if the amount displayed on the project identification (blue box) is incorrect?
Please contact your program officer and ask them about the amount displayed.

How do I unsubmit a report as some data is incorrect or has not been entered?
Please contact your program officer and have them unsubmit the report. Help desk staff cannot unlock institutional reports. You will receive an email informing you that the report is available after it is unsubmitted.

What do I do if I also need to be included as a user for a grant?
You can create an additional contact by going to the “Additional User” page. Program officers and help desk staff do not create additional contacts.

How do I get added to the IEPS email list?
To receive email from IEPS, you must be added as an additional contact on your grant. You can create an additional contact by going to the “Additional User” page. Program officers and help desk staff do not create additional contacts.

What if I need a no-cost extension for grant activities or need more time to submit my report?
Please contact your program officer. IEPS program officers need to approve your request for a no-cost extension or for an extended due date. If approved, the no-cost extension date will appear in your report account in IRIS. Help desk staff can not enter a no-cost extension or extend your due dates.

Fellow Questions

My project director said they sent me an email with my login information but I didn't receive it.
Please contact your project director and verify that they have your correct email entered into IRIS. Please set your spam filter to allow email from cbmiweb.com.

How do I get my email changed in the IRIS system?
Please contact your project director. Help desk staff can not update your email.

The information which displays when I log in is incorrect and I can't update it.
Please contact your project director. Help desk staff can not update this information.

When I try to login to IRIS, I get a message that the school has submitted their report.
Please contact your project director. Your project director will need to contact their program officer to have their report unsubmitted to allow you to enter your report. Help desk staff can not unsubmit your institution's report.

I entered my courses, but they did not save.
You cannot have the same course title twice in the same semester. Change the duplicate title to something different.

I submitted my report but I need to change something on it.
Please contact the help desk. If your institution has not submitted their report, the help desk can unsubmit your report to allow you to update it. You will receive an email informing you when the report is unlocked.
If your institution has submitted their report, your project director will need to contact their program officer to have their report unsubmitted to allow you to change your report. Help desk staff can not unsubmit your institution's report nor update the information on your report.

My fellows did not receive their login information. Why not?
Click the Notify checkbox and then click the "Notify Fellows" button to send an email with login information to your fellows. The email is sent to the email address entered by the project director. If a fellow did not receive the login information, please verify that you have the correct email address. Please verify that the fellow does not have a spam blocker that prevents him/her from receiving the email.

Why aren't my fellows able to access their reports? I have created their records.
FLAS fellows must be "moved to final" before the fellows can log in to their accounts.
Project directors cannot submit their final reports until all the fellows have completed and submitted their reports . If a project director submits the institution's report, the fellows will be locked out of IRIS.

Report Entry

What should I include in a report?
IEPS has approved the screens available for grantees to complete for reports on grant activities. However, it is understood that not all screens apply to all grantees in all cases. A report can be submitted with any or all screens completed. Contact your program officer if you have any questions on the relevance of a particular screen to your specific grant report. Enter all applicable data on the screens provided. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk (*).

Can I save a data record without entering all the required data?
No. A record will not be saved until all required data has been entered. The required fields are indicated with a red asterisk (*). An error message will pop up if you click a "Save..." button and any required fields are not entered. If an error message pops up, the data is not saved.

Will data entered be saved if I click on another link?
No. A record will not be saved until a "Save…" button is clicked.

What's the difference between the "Save" and "Save and Continue” buttons?
"Save" stores the entered data and remains on the same screen while "Save and Continue" stores the entered data and moves to the next screen in the report.

What does "Save and New Entry" do?
This appears on screens in order to create more than one record on a grant activity or to create fellow accounts. The record saves and the screen refreshes to a blank record to create an additional record. If any changes have been made to a saved record, be sure to save those changes by clicking "Save and New Entry" or "Save and Continue."

What does "Save and Return to List" do?
This appears on screens in order to create more than one record on a grant activity or to create fellow accounts. The record saves and the screen which lists all of the entries you have made in that section.

Is it required to create more than one entry/record for a screen?
No. On screens which allow multiple entries, you may enter only one record. But multiple entries are generally available since some grantees may have more than one such activity to include in a report. For instance, a grantee may have given more than one presentation or a grant may have supported several participants in international travel.

How can I create more than one entry?
After you have entered the required data, click on the "Save and New Entry" button. A blank record will appear to create the next record. You may create as many records as needed.
If you leave the screen and return, click on the "Add a record" button to add another entry.

How can I edit a saved entry on a multi-record screen?
When you click the link for the screen, a list of saved entries will display. Click the "Update" link next to the record you wish to edit. The data entry screen will display allowing you to update the record.

How can I delete an entry?
When you click the link for the screen, a list of saved entries will display. Click the "Delete" link next to the record you wish to delete. A delete confirmation box will display. Click "Yes" on this popup to continue and delete the record.

Do multi-entries all have to be created at the same time?
No. You may return to the screen later and click the "Add a record" button to add additional records at any time.

Do I need to complete and submit my report data all at one time?
No. The report sections can be completed at any time and in any order.

Dropdowns and Multi-selection fields

What does "Multi-select" mean?
Multi-select are select boxes with multiple entries and a scroll bar. You may select more than one item in the box. To select more than one item from a scrolled list, press the "Ctrl" key (or "Apple" key on the Mac) and click on all desired items. All selections will be highlighted. In viewing your report, you will see only the items selected.

What if I want to change a selection I have made?
You can de-select a selection by holding the "Ctrl" while you click on the choice again.

What is the fastest way to select from a long list of choices?
You can click the button of the first letter of the word. It will take you to the list of entries starting with that letter. For example, if you need the country "Tunisia," click "t" in the keyboard and "Taiwan" will appear. Then scroll down and click on "Tunisia."

The value I need is not in the dropdown, what should I do?
If there is an "Other" field you can enter your information in it. Otherwise, please select the value from the dropdown which is the closet. You can provide an explanation in the comments field.

Narratives

Can I copy and paste text from a word processing application?
Yes. You can copy and paste text from a word processing document into a textbox. Or you can click your mouse on the textbox and type directly into the box.

How many words can I enter?
Each textbox has a character limit shown above it. The limit includes characters and spaces. The number of characters can be monitored by using the word count function (select Tools-Word Count from the menu in MS Word) in the word processing application before copying it into the textbox.

What if I need to enter more words than are currently allowed?
The narrative fields will accept more text than the stated limit, the comment fields will not.

What characters and fonts are acceptable?
Standard alphabet and numeric characters can be entered, but special formatting such as bullets, graphics, or other characters generally cannot be accepted.

Do I have to enter something in all of the narrative fields?
Yes, all narratives are required.

Budget

What are automatic totals?
Several screens have the feature of automatically totaling numbers entered. The budget screen and sources of funding are two examples. The automatic totals will appear as you enter your data and tab out of the fields.

Should I enter budget amounts down to the penny?
No, budget amounts should be rounded to the nearest dollar. Do not enter a decimal point in the amount.

How can I upload an attachment to my budget?
Click on "Browse" to select the MS Excel spreadsheet to upload and follow the instructions. Only one spreadsheet may be uploaded for a report. Uploading a document replaces the first document that was uploaded.

Is the budget attachment required?
If there is an attachment field on your budget page, you are required to attach a budget in Excel format.

Report Submission

How do I submit a report?
Submit a report by clicking on the View/Submit Report link. On that page, select the report you wish to submit and click the "View Report" button. A report will of all of the information you have entered will display. Click the "Submit Report" button at the end of the report. A pop-up message will ask you to confirm your submission when you click the button.

I clicked on the View/Submit Report link, but there is no Submit button.
The Submit button is located at the bottom of your report.
If you are a fellow and you have not entered all of the required sections, a link will display telling you what needs to be entered. Complete the required information and then you will be able to submit your report.
If you are a consortium lead, you will not be able to submit until your partner(s) have submitted their reports.

How can I be sure my report was submitted?
Click on the View/Submit Reports link. If the date is displayed in the Submit Date column, than the report has been submitted. Also, once the due date has passed, the report will no longer appear in the dropdown on the Select a Report screen.

What's the difference between the "Save" and "Submit" buttons?
"Save" means that the data is stored and is available for editing. "Submit" means that the report is sent to IEPS. After you submit your report and the due date is past, your data will no longer available for editing. For fellows, after you submit your report you will be logged out of IRIS and your report will no longer be available for updating.

When is my report due?
The blue box displays the due date. For projects with more than one report, each report’s specific begin, end, and due dates are listed in the dropdown on the Select a Report screen and in a grid on the View/Submit Reports screen.

If I am an additional user, how can I submit a report?
Only project directors are allowed to submit institutional reports. The project director must log on to IRIS with his or her own username and password, review the report in order to sign off on it, and then click on the "Submit Report" button.

How can I print a report?
Display a report by clicking on the View/Submit Report link. On that page, select the report you wish to view and click the "View Report" button. A report will of all of the information you have entered will display. Click your browser's print button to print the report.

How can I save an electronic copy of the submitted report?
Display a report by clicking on the View/Submit Report link. On that page, select the report you wish to submit and click the "View Report" button. A report will of all of the information you have entered will display. Select the File-Save As option on the browser menu. A save window will appear for you to indicate where to save the file.

Who can view my submitted report?
Institutional reports can be viewed by the project director, additional contacts, and by IEPS program officers for that grant. All information on fellow reports can be viewed by the IEPS program officer. Project directors and additional contacts can view fellow reports, but they can not view any evaluation information.

What will the submitted report look like to IEPS?
A submitted report appears exactly the same to IEPS as it does to you under "View/Submit Reports."

What if I need to edit a report after it has been submitted?
Contact your IEPS program officer with a request to edit the report and for what purpose. If the request is approved and the report has been unlocked, you will receive an email from IRIS that this report is available for editing. After you have completed the editing, go to "View/Submit Reports" and submit it again to IEPS. Help desk staff cannot unsubmit your report or edit the data on your report.

I'm getting a message that I can't submit until my consortium partners do. Why not?
As the consortium lead, your consortium partners are required to submit their reports before you can submit yours. Please contact your consortium partners and ask them to enter and submit their reports. After your partners have submitted, you will be able to submit your report.

International Education Programs Service
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
1990 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006-8521
Phone: (202) 502-7700