The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended entitle students to review “official records, files, and data directly related” to the students which the university maintains. Students may also request a hearing regarding any alleged “inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate” information. In most circumstances, the university will not release information from student\u2019s records to third parties without their consent. An interpretation of the law is printed below, and copies of it are available in the Office of the Registrar, Room 101 SSC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following basic FERPA rules should be followed by UWSP faculty and staff:<\/p><\/div>
FERPA recognizes a person enrolled in post-secondary education as a “student” and provides that individual certain rights, regardless of age. Therefore, a parent does not have an inherent right to access his\/her student’s education records.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n\n\n\n Faculty and staff may have access to education records for the sole purpose of performing their jobs professionally and responsibly. They have a responsibility to protect the confidentiality of education records in their possession, regardless of the medium in which the records are presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education records are considered confidential and may not be released, with the exception of unrestricted Directory Information. In some instances students may have restricted their directory information so it is the responsibility of faculty, staff, and student workers to verify that Directory Information is not restricted before releasing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The student ID photo is defined as confidential and should not be used or displayed in any public setting without the student’s permission. Class lists and student photos are confidential under university policy and federal law.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a university official, you are required to comply with FERPA. As a member of the university community, you are given access to private information about students as a legitimate educational interest to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you combine multiple sections in Canvas, students can see information about students in all sections combined. Therefore, instructors who combine multiple sections should follow the instructions at the Canvas site under heading of Crosslisting and FERPA, to reduce potential FERPA issues. Courses combined in accesSPoint come into Canvas already combined and do not present a FERPA concern.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Class lists and class schedules are non-directory information and cannot be released.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, requires that students be advised of their rights concerning their education records and of certain categories of public information which the university has designated “directory information.”<\/p>\n<\/div> Student photos are available in myPoint through Class Lists and Student Course Info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Faculty may use photos to support teaching (e.g., recognizing students, confirming attendance) but must ensure photos remain confidential at all times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Faculty can view student photos using the Faculty Center and Class Rosters in AccessSPoint. All information reflects the official roster from the Registrar\u2019s Office. Some students (e.g., Collaborative Degree Program, online, or Continuing Education students) may not have an active UWSP ID and therefore may not have a photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A student\u2019s photo appears under their name. Hover or click the image to enlarge it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advisers can click an advisee\u2019s name to access their Student Course Info page and photo. (Feature coming soon.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n If a student asks an instructor\/advisor for a letter of recommendation, and non-directory information from a student record is included, a letter of recommendation release is required. A recommender’s statements based on personal observations or knowledge do not require a written release from a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div> Posting education records (e.g. grades) using the student’s name, student ID number, or any portion of the social security number is a violation of FERPA. Instructors are encouraged to use Canvas to communicate grades and grade progress to their students. If grades need to be posted, faculty should use a random number that only the instructor and the student know. When posting these random numbers and grades make sure you do not alphabetize the list therefore losing the anonymity of the student. Any questions regarding FERPA guidelines should be directed to the Office of the Registrar, Room 101 SSC, or by calling 715-346-4301. See also Reporting Final Grades.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Federal law affords students privacy regarding nearly all aspects of their academic performance. This includes any information regarding their performance in the classroom including grades, test scores, and class schedules. When any individual, including a parent\/guardian(s) or potential employer, contacts a University official or professor regarding a student’s academic performance, the official\/professor must first obtain written permission from the student before releasing that information. <\/p>\n<\/div> While FERPA protects a students privacy and educational records, it does not bar university officials from sharing critical information about troubled students with appropriate parties. Instructors who see their students on a regular basis are often the first to observe serious personal problems or troubling behavior. University officials, including faculty and instructional staff, are permitted and encouraged to share information about a student who is or might be considered a risk to him or herself or others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is committed to the protection and confidentiality of student educational records. The University\u00a0annually notifies students\u00a0of their rights under FERPA and takes great measures to protect the privacy and disclosure of student educational records as print or electronic documents. For more information, go to the\u00a0UWSP FERPA Overview<\/a>\u00a0to review additional policies and guidelines.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Data shared with faculty and staff often contains protected student education records and is shared for legitimate educational purposes in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n University faculty and staff are expected to adhere to the following guidelines: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unauthorized disclosure or misuse of student information may violate federal law and university policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have questions about\u00a0appropriate use\u00a0or data handling, please contact the Office of the Registrar\u00a0at\u00a0accesspoint.help@uwsp.edu<\/a>\u00a0before\u00a0using\u00a0or\u00a0sharing any information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Faculty responsibility for student privacy in an online format is generally the same as it is for face-to-face instruction. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. Regardless of the instructional delivery, student class enrollments are protected under FERPA and cannot be shared outside of a class. Under FERPA, students cannot remain anonymous in a class. Students are permitted to know who else is in their class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Faculty access to student educational records and disclosure of any information are also subject to FERPA. Ultimately, as faculty you are responsible to respect and maintain the privacy of your students’ educational records. Do not share class rosters, identifying student information or grades without student permission unless it is with a university official who needs access to that information to perform their duties. As you have always refrained from distributing graded work in an uncontrolled public place, remember to never post student records in an open shared online folder. Instead, share graded work directly with the appropriate student through Canvas where only you and the specific student can access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a lecture recording only includes the instructor, the recording is not a student record and not considered protected by FERPA. If a recording includes student interactions (questions, presentations, etc.) and those students are identifiable, the recording would be a protected educational record. The recording could only be made available to the students in that specific class and\/or to university officials with legitimate educational interest in that information \u2013 a genuine need for access to perform their duties. If the instructor wishes to further share the recording outside of the class, either identifiable students would have to provide written consent to release their participation or portions of the recording would have to be changed or omitted to avoid identifying students. But again, if no students are identifiable in any way (seen, heard or named), the recording would not be FERPA protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes students record lectures or copy lecture materials (including your recording) and post them outside of class on internet sites or provide them to note sharing companies. These acts can violate intellectual property rights held by you and the university. UW System Board of Regent policy authorizes you to limit or restrict students from copying, recording or using instructional materials or lectures unless necessary to reasonably accommodate a student’s disability. [Regent Policy Document 4-1<\/a>] If you wish to impose restrictions, you should inform students of the limitations and the potential consequences of being subject to charges of student misconduct. Notification can be made through your syllabus, a lecture, or by other means to ensure awareness \u2013 a sample follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lecture materials and recordings for [insert class name] are protected intellectual property at UW-Stevens Point. Students in this course may use the materials and recordings for their personal use related to participation in this class. Students may also take notes solely for their personal use. If a lecture is not already recorded, you are not authorized to record my lectures without my permission unless you are considered by the university to be a qualified student with a disability requiring accommodation. [Regent Policy Document 4-1] Students may not copy or share lecture materials and recordings outside of class, including posting on internet sites or selling to commercial entities. Students are also prohibited from providing or selling their personal notes to anyone else or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the instructor’s express written permission. Unauthorized use of these copyrighted lecture materials and recordings constitutes copyright infringement and may be addressed under the university’s policies, UWS Chapters 14 and 17, governing student academic and non-academic misconduct.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\nRule #2<\/summary>
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Canvas and Combining Sections<\/h2>
Class Lists and Class Schedules<\/h2>
Directory Information<\/h2>
Faculty and Staff Use of Student Photos<\/h2>
Privacy and Permitted Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Viewing Photos in AccessPoint<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Class Lists in Accesspoint<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Student Course Info<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Adviser E\u2011Auth (Adviser Access)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Letters of Recommendation<\/h2>
Posting Grades<\/h2>
Privacy of Student Records\/Classroom Performance<\/h2>
Student Safety<\/h2>
University Data<\/h2>
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Virtual Classroom Guidelines<\/h2>
Student Privacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Instructor Recording and Sharing Class Lectures <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Student Recording and Sharing Class Lecture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Additional Resources<\/h2><\/div>