A new online training module will help U-M faculty and staff who interact with student education records do so responsibly and be compliant with federal law.
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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects the privacy of student education records. As an educational institution, the university must be compliant with its requirements.
The comprehensive new course teaches faculty, researchers, staff, and students how to responsibly handle student information. RO100: FERPA at U-M is now available via MyLinc and takes less than an hour to complete. Schools, colleges and units across the university that wish to require this training can work with Information and Technology Systems to create reports to monitor completion.
The course was developed in 2020 to allow for expanded understanding of FERPA law and expectations for the U-M campus. A working group to develop the course components, convened by the Office of Enrollment Management, included:
- RaShonda Flint, LSA.
- Brad Maki, Registrar’s Office, Office of Enrollment Management.
- Dan Maletta, College of Engineering.
- Adam Roehm, ITS.
- Alena Stocking, Office of Enrollment Management.
- Svetla Sytch, ITS.
The group engaged with a cross-section of stakeholders over six months to address the various intersections of FERPA and campus needs to inform the creation of the module. During the fall 2020 semester, more than 200 U-M employees took the training and their feedback was used to make improvements.
“Our goal was to make it easier for everyone within our university community to understand the law,” said Paul Robinson, interim vice provost for the Office of Enrollment Management and university registrar. “Compliance with FERPA can only be achieved if we provide our community with knowledge.”
