FERPA Q&A

Q: If alumni use a personal email address to ask questions regarding their student record, can you correspond with them?

A: It depends. The part of an alumni's student record that was created while they were a student continues to be protected under FERPA after they graduate. The directory suppression level selected by them while they were a student also remains in place (unless they change it). If they gave us written permission to use a non-U of M email address as a way to contact them, it's wise to inform them how to reactivate their U of M account or to only share general, non-student specific information. If you are unsure whether or not it is really the student, or you are uncomfortable using a non-U of M email address to correspond with alumni, it is reasonable to ask them to call you so that you can verify their identity or ask them to contact the Technology Help to reactivate their U of M email account.

TADA Phase 1 Launches July 1

The first phase of the Transfer Articulation and Degree Audit (TADA) project will be complete on July 1 with the launch of an updated APAS. Students and advisors will notice a cleaner look to APAS reports and some minor changes to the navigation for running audits.

Because most changes to basic functionality are minor, there is no training required for those with view-access to APAS reports. Those with exceptions access will be required to complete online training to maintain their access.

There are upcoming opportunities to see the new APAS and exceptions process demonstrated as well as hands-on practice before launch. More information about the exceptions training and links to job aids is available.

Phase 2 of the project commences immediately following the completion of the first phase and will continue through July 2020. More information is available on the project website. 

Student view of the new APAS

MyU: My Finances - revamp going live mid-June

A revamped version of the My Finances section of MyU will launch in mid-June. Students will be able to view the financial aid they’ve received in an interactive table, see their remaining MN State Grant, U Promise and Pell Grant eligibility, and review personalized cost of attendance and Satisfactory Academic Progress figures. The new features will help students make informed decisions when deciding upon their financial aid.

One view of the new My Finances 

Students that participated in a recent usability study indicated that the revamped My Finances is intuitive, the new elements are well-integrated, and that they appreciate the new information that’s being presented. Participants were also asked to rate the revamped My Finances section using the System Usability Scale (SUS); the revamped My Finances section received an average rating of 93 (an average SUS score is 68).

NameCoach in Canvas for summer classes

NameCoach is now available systemwide in Canvas. NameCoach is a web-based tool that allows students and instructors to record their name for others to hear its pronunciation. It is best used in a class setting, either online or in person. Feel free to tell instructors in your college or department about the new tool. They can access NameCoach through their Canvas account profile or courses in Canvas. Read more about NameCoach from OIT.

Directed Activity Contract in progress

A cross-functional project team led by the Office of Undergraduate Education is developing an electronic Directed Activity Contract. The form will be for any Twin Cities undergrad from any Twin Cities college to use to request directed activity enrollment (directed research, study, and/or reading). Currently, there are various ways students request this type of enrollment depending on their college or department. Through the new form, OUE seeks to deliver a single user experience to students and faculty, and collect cohesive data surrounding undergraduate research.

The new Directed Activity Contract will be available for students enrolling in spring 2020 classes. The project team will share more information when it is available.

Academic load changes for summer 19

Starting with summer 2019, the Twin Cities campus is piloting new definitions for summer full-time and half-time academic loads for non-degree enrollment. Changes only apply to summer session enrollment for non-degree seeking students.

MyU and PeopleSoft outage June 1-2, 2019

PeopleTools, the PeopleSoft development platform, will be updated this Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, 2019. During the update, MyU, PeopleSoft, and their dependent applications will be unavailable. The following are specific impacts to note:

• ECAS and PCAS
• APAS and GPAS
• Grad Planner
• Perceptive Content
• WorkflowGen

Note that Schedule Builder (schedulebuilder.umn.edu) will still be available for planning coursework, but students will not be able to use the shopping cart and register during the update. Access to Canvas (canvas.umn.edu) and University email (mail.umn.edu) will not be affected. Visit the IT Service Status page for the latest information on system availability.

After the update, it is recommended to clear your cache before logging into the affected systems. Job aids on the new PeopleSoft homepage and navigation options are linked via MyU > Key Links > PeopleSoft.