Congratulations ASR retirees

Several people in ASR will be retiring over the next few months. We want to congratulate the following staff retiring in January:

• Eleanor Pijut, ASR-Central, has 40+ years of service to the University, and will be retiring on January 15, 2020.

• Eleanor has been at the University since she was a student in Duluth, and she has been working at the University ever since. Eleanor did not have to leave the University to find new work, adventure, or challenges as she has spent her entire time at the University within ASR. Her work transitions followed this path, beginning in Student Financial Aid (anyone remember paper ISIRs and SARs), then onto ASR-IT (remember the SAM system preceded PeopleSoft), and most recently in ASR Central where people, partners, and projects were abundant. In her work, she has made a positive difference in students' lives. We thank her, will miss her, and wish her well.

• Liz Holm, OSF, is retiring after 22 years of service to the University.

• Liz has been a powerhouse professional in the Graduate/Professional Aid unit in OSF since 2012 and with the office since 1999 (22 yrs). The schools and departments who worked with Liz have had nothing but praise and good wishes as she moves on to her next journey. Liz has touched so many students' lives with her proactive engagement. It would be an understatement to say many of our practicing professionals in fields such as Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Public Health, among others, have Liz to thank for seamlessly getting their aid over the years. OSF will miss her terribly but send her our best wishes for a happy retirement and gratitude for the years of quality service.

• Doug Rositzke, OSF, is retiring after 14 years of service to the University.

• Doug has been a valuable employee to the University of Minnesota over the length of his service. He has been a Finance Professional 3 throughout his time with us, helping students understand their loans and working with alumni struggling to repay their loans. He has been compassionate in his work and always showed kindness through his approach as he attempted to collect outstanding student loans. Doug was going to retire last winter, but asked to stay on so we weren’t short handed during the pandemic. His invaluable service will be missed by many who he interacted with. We wish Doug the absolute best in his retirement and all that will bring with it.

• Cindy Salyers, ASR-IT, is retiring after 31 years of service to the University. 

• A few quotes from Cindy’s colleagues: Cindy is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the University and the data that powers our everyday business processes. She is always willing to share what she knows and takes the time to educate and pass on that knowledge. Cindy is generous with both her knowledge and her time. She has been a rock for student data projects, making sure they not only meet the needs of ASR but the entire University system. She has taken on leadership roles and allowed colleagues to learn so much from her. Her impressive knowledge and willingness to help has made my job much easier and more fun. I really appreciate all the time and effort that you have put to make our team better in so many ways. Cindy is a UMN encyclopedia and has been instrumental in making me the analyst that I am. Cindy taught me everything I know about SQL. She has a rigorous, logical approach to her work that makes her so good at what she does--and her focused approach to problem-solving is inspiring to others! She's also one of the best whiteboard brainstormers I know. Cindy is a great teammate, a University legend, and an amazing coworker. You will be missed!!

• Robert Wilson IV, OTR, is retiring after 23 years of service to the University.

• Robert has been the primary staff member in ASR to work with ECAS and the related course and class data in PeopleSoft for many years. Robert has helped ASR throughout the years in the courses, classes, and classroom capacity. He has always been willing to dive in and learn the processes and take on the challenge. He works with demanding colleges and keeps a steady calm to manage all the pieces. He meets the deadlines for us even when colleges are late to provide him what he needs. His contributions and expertise will be greatly missed as he moves on to his well-deserved retirement.

We will miss each of you in ASR! Thank you all for your wonderful service to the University. Enjoy retirement!

December 3, 2020, survey results

 With the recent news on increased pandemic infections, where do you rank your COVID-19 risk tolerance?

• 67% more cautious than others

• 31 % about the same as others

• 2% less cautious than others

 

• “‘COVID Risk Comfort Zone’” features a comic about how to say “no” when someone asks you to do something outside of your COVID risk comfort zone.

• “Etiquette Tips for Staying Safe, Sane, and Your Best Self While Social Distancing” by Cathering Newman discusses how to navigate the pandemic safely and with compassion for others.

 

Have you personally encountered controversy related to mask usage?

• 48% Yes

• 52% No 

 

• “Controversy in comfort levels as people try to emerge from coronavirus puts some relationships at risk” by Kayla Canne talks about how differences in comfort levels regarding COVID-19 has strained some personal relationships.

 

With social distancing and remote working what helps you feel connected to others and counteract the potential loneliness of working remotely?

• Daily walks with spouse, family, or with masked friends

• Zooms gatherings with friends, family, and coworkers

• Phone calls or texting with friends and family

• Sending and receiving letters with friends and family

• Scheduling time to have informal or non-work related conversations with coworkers

• Online events or activities, such as live streamed concerts or gaming

One Time Only Late Withdrawal Form

A new online form for the One Time Only Late Withdrawal process is now available on the One Stop website. This new workflow allows students to have their applications filled out, submitted, routed, and approved without having to meet in person. It also reduces the need for collecting signatures and imaging the documentations for our records. This separates the One Time Only Drop processes from the Academic Policy Petition into its own form.

S/N grading updates for fall 2020 or spring 2021

On December 3, 2020, the University Senate approved a resolution proposed by two student senators. The resolution urged the University to make further exceptions to the grading policies for undergraduates for fall 2020 and spring 2021. The Provost is making changes to provide students with more flexibility. They will now have the option to change their grade basis by emailing One Stop Student Services a request from January 4, 2021 to January 6, 2021.

As a reminder, if students decide to stay on the A-F grading basis, any F grades they receive will be automatically converted to an N. If students need to change their N back to an F, they will need to request this by emailing One Stop Student Services. For more information, see the Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 S/N Fact Sheet.

Registration assistance at your fingertips

OTR Training and Support has step-by-step user guides for enrollment. There are three different PeopleSoft pages you can use to register students for classes. Which enrollment page do you prefer to use?

Our guides are designed to be used with the PeopleSoft page you prefer. Each link contains the user guides for most enrollment processes:

• Quick Enrollment Guides
• Enrollment Request Guides
• Block Enrollment Guides

If you need help with enrolling students contact OTR Training and Support at SRHelp@umn.edu.

FERPA Q&A

Q: When does the health and safety emergency exception to FERPA apply?

A: FERPA allows school officials to share private student information in the event of a health or safety emergency if disclosure is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. It is limited to the time period of the emergency and can’t be a blanket disclosure of information. Whether a disclosure is needed is on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the whole circumstances, and there needs to be a “significant” threat to health and safety. Contact Stacey Tidball (tidball@umn.edu) for questions.

Grading changes for fall 2020

Additional flexibility has been added to the S/N Grade Basis Change policy and deadline for fall 2020. For fall undergraduate full semester and second 7-week session classes, students now have until November 30 to change their grading basis option and until December 1 to withdraw from a course. Instructors have also been given until November 13 to update their grading basis for their classes.

Students are strongly encouraged to consult with One Stop Student Services and/or their academic advisors before they make any changes to their grading basis. This decision could result in potential complications, such as implications for financial aid, graduate or professional school applications, and eligibility for scholarships.

Academic Alerts project update

Academic Alerts launched on Thursday, October 8. Since its launch, 3,814 Twin Cities student feedback items have been added. There has also been a lot of positive feedback as well as further points to improve.

We are now moving into Phase II. In this phase, the team is working to improve and add functionality for large enrollment courses (e.g., ability to upload spreadsheet) and bring Athletics into the system. If you have feedback on the Alert process, please email aplus@umn.edu.

Academic Policy Petition and One Time Only Drop update

The undergraduate Academic Policy Petition and One Time Drop is moving to an electronic form where it can be filled, submitted, routed, and approved entirely online. The One Time Drop process will also be a separate, online form, distinct from the Academic Policy Petition process. Currently, usability testing has been completed, and the online form and process is on track to be launched later in November. Ultimately, this will improve the student petition experience as it will reduce the need for collecting signatures in person and imaging the documentation for our records.

Spring 2021 appointment times

Last week, registration appointment times were posted for students in MyU, with spring 2021 registration beginning on Tuesday, November 10. Students can find their appointment time by logging into MyU and selecting the "Academics" tab, then selecting the "Registration" sub-tab (how-to instructions are available). The registration times are available on One Stop.

To adjust an appointment time for a particular student, contact One Stop Student Services (onestop@umn.edu). Include the student's internet ID, student ID, name, and campus.

Students who are readmitted or are returned from leave for spring 2021 since last week, will need to have an enrollment appointment added if they need to register during the registration queue. See Adding an Enrollment Appointment for instructions. Once Open Enrollment begins, Friday, December 4, 2020, enrollment appointments are no longer necessary.

Auto-enrolling from waitlists starts in November

On November 10, the process will begin for auto-enrolling students into classes for which they are on the waitlist. If you encounter any issues with waitlisting or the auto-enroll process, contact the ASR Office of Classroom Management at ocmsoftwarehelp@umn.edu. More information on how students can add themselves to a waitlist is available.

Leave of Absence reminder: Part 2

Once the Term Activation page is updated, you are ready to process a Leave of Absence or a Discontinuation.

The final step to adding a Leave of Absence or a Discontinuation is to add a row on the Student Program/Plan page. The key to this process is to use the correct effective date, which is either the day before the term begins, or the day after the term begins. You determine which effective date based on whether the student has or has not enrolled for the term.

Has the student enrolled for the term?
No	Use the day before the term begins
Yes (but has dropped)	Use the day after the term begins

Remember to add a reason for the Leave of Absence or a Discontinuation for all undergraduate students.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact OTR Training and Support at SRHelp@umn.edu.

Change to One Stop Student Services in-person service

Beginning Monday, November 30, One Stop Student Services will temporarily suspend in-person services at their East Bank (Bruininks Hall) location until the week before the start of the spring term. However, students and staff can continue to contact One Stop via email, phone, Zoom drop-in, and web chat. The drop box in Bruininks Hall will remain open and be checked by staff.

University Veterans Services, Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP), the Helping U desk, and One Stop’s West Bank and St. Paul locations will remain closed for in-person service.

FERPA Q&A

Q: What should I do if I accidentally share a student’s private information with another student?

A: Unfortunately, even when we are careful, privacy breaches can happen. For example, mistyping a student’s email address can result in inadvertently sharing private data. If this happens, you should email security@umn.edu to report the incident. For more information, see the Information Security policy.

To avoid the most common mistakes, follow these tips:

• Always double check the recipients of your email before hitting send.
• Review attachments before sending.
• Take care with google documents and spreadsheets to only share them with the correct people.
• Keep google group membership up to date to ensure the right audience receives your information.
• Keep your laptop, smartphone, and tablets somewhere safe when they are not in use to avoid theft.

There are many additional security resources and tips on Secure U.

Spring 2021 course modality

For spring 2021, faculty and instructors will still be able to choose their preferred course modalities. Physical distancing guidelines will also be in place for the spring 2021 semester, so the modality should be chosen based on classroom capacity constraints. Instructors should decide on their preferred course modalities in consultation with their departments chairs or heads (see the class format guide for definitions of the four different modality options). Departments must then update CCS with modalities for spring classes no later than October 2, 2020.

Spring 2021 CCS extended to October 2

Departments now have until the end of the day October 2, 2020 to edit their spring schedules in CCS because more time was needed to update spring classes. This was due to the 6 ft. physical distancing guidelines still in place for spring 2021 and instructors still determining their modality for their courses. Additionally, all General Purpose Classrooms (GPC’s) for the spring semester have already been released. For more information, visit the UMTC Spring 2021 Class Setup Guide.

Academic Alerts project update

Academic Alerts is replacing the mid-term grades process for undergraduate classes this fall. The new process, part of the APLUS system, will be available to instructors in early October. The Academic Alert project team is currently in the final stages of testing. The team is also putting the finishing touches on training materials for instructors. Later this week, instructors will receive communications and resources about the new process.

Academic Policy Petition and One Time Only Drop update

The undergraduate Academic Policy Petition and One Time Drop processes will be changing this year. In the past, colleges required different documentation and routing processes, causing students to secure signatures and hand deliver forms to advising offices or One Stop Student Services in order to request exceptions or accommodations to policy.

Later this term, we will be moving the process to an electronic form where it can be filled, submitted, routed, and approved entirely online. This will reduce the need for collecting signatures in person and imaging the documentation for our records. Ultimately, this will improve the student petition experience when necessary. Additionally, the One Time Drop process will be a separate online form, distinct from the Academic Policy Petition process.

Leave of Absence reminder

As a reminder, processing a Leave of Absence always begins with Term Activation.

The first step to processing a Leave of Absence is to check the Term Activation page to see if a student is currently enrolled. The student must not be actively enrolled for any classes for the term(s) for which they request a leave. Classes must be in dropped or withdrawn status before you can proceed.

On the Term Activation page there are a few things you must watch for:

• If the Academic Load field indicates enrollment, assist the student with dropping all classes.
• If the Academic Load field is blank, attempt to remove that term row from the page.
• If, when you attempt to save, you receive an error message that “enrollment records exist.” Do not remove the row. Click OK and do not save.
  
• Then, uncheck the Eligible to Enroll checkbox for that term and save.
  

Processing a Leave without these first steps can “orphan” enrollment records and cause the student undue financial distress. Please refer to the Effective Date Chart for details, including how to add a leave row on the Student Program/Plan page.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact OTR Training and Support at SRHelp@umn.edu.

FERPA Q&A

Q: We have recorded several class sessions that were held over Zoom. Can those recordings be shared with students that were absent from that class meeting? Can the recordings be shared with students taking a different course, but where the content would be helpful to them?

A: Any recording that is saved and captures students in an identifiable way, such as their images or names being shown in the recording, is a private education record under FERPA. The recordings can still be shared with students in that class section because they are enrolled together and are aware of each other's presence in the (virtual) classroom. However, the recordings cannot be shared with other people, unless the identified students give permission. For more information, consult the FERPA resources for COVID-19 document linked from the ASR website.

Academic Alert project update

Academic Alerts, a process to replace the mid-term grades process, will be available to instructors in APLUS by early October. So far, usability testing was conducted, and the project team is making final changes based on this feedback. The team is also working on a training guide for instructors and final communication plans. Instructors will be asked to have enough grading events before the middle of the term so that they can properly evaluate students’ academic performance and inform those who are not meeting class requirements, consistent with University policy on “in-progress notifications.”

Instructors will also be encouraged to provide feedback early and often as this system allows instructors to send as many updates as necessary so advisors can assess how students are doing across multiple classes and what services might be the most beneficial to keeping students on track. We will send out communications and resources after the start of the term. Instructors will receive reminders to add grades in APLUS and comments at midterm per usual. For other programs that depend on mid-term rosters, mid-term rosters will still be made available.

Address project update

A few weeks ago, all TC students received a short Qualtrics survey regarding their mailing and home addresses. The form asked them to verify if their current addresses are correct and to make any needed updates via MyU. So far over 19,000 students have responded to the survey, which will make sure that these students receive important documents in the future as well as allow the university to accurately plan for on campus resources. Reminder emails will be sent out to students who have not yet completed the survey.

Wait list changes for fall 2020

As a reminder, the wait list process is changing slightly starting fall 2020. Going forward, the auto enroll process will run for the last time the day before a session begins, and the wait lists will be deleted the first day of the session. For fall, the auto enroll process will run for the final time on September 7, 2020 for all regular sessions and 1st half of term classes. The wait lists will be deleted on September 8, 2020.

FERPA Q&A

Q: We grade an activity in our course where the students state their name and then give an oral presentation. If this is done via Zoom, can we record these sessions and still comply with FERPA?

A: The recordings will be student education records under FERPA and therefore must be kept properly private. If the recordings are only accessible to and shared with school officials with a legitimate educational interest, such as an instructor grading the activity, it is permissible under FERPA. We also recommend having a process to delete recordings once they are no longer needed. Consult the Maintaining Records of Student Work policy for more information.

Academic Alert project update and implementation plan

Academic Alerts, formerly known as mid-term alerts or in-progress notifications, will be changing this fall. In the past, instructors have been notified to submit midterm grades into PeopleSoft to alert advisors if a student is at risk of failing a course. Advisors would receive an alert to follow up with the student to discuss ways they can work through academic challenges.

The current system has a low adoption rate (only 15% of 1000-level rosters were reported at midterm in Spring 2018) despite the fact that it is a requirement per University policy. Additionally, other units have developed their own systems to meet different requirements. This means that instructors may have to use different systems within the same semester. Lastly, in the current system, instructors were unsure when mid-term alerts went out to advisors or when the student had been contacted. This ambiguous time frame caused the alerts to feel less meaningful.

This fall, the following changes will be implemented:

• We will change and standardize the language from “midterm alerts,” “in-progress notifications,” or any other term used to “academic alerts.”
• We will move the process from PeopleSoft to APLUS.
• Instructors will receive a narrow, easy-to-use role in APLUS allowing them to enter academic alert information into APLUS that will automatically trigger alerts sent to both the student and their advisors. We will provide resources to instructors on how to add, modify, and remove alerts.
• Instructors will be asked to enter grades into APLUS.
• Instructors may use the Academic Alert system any time during the semester to notify the academic advisor that a student is struggling, which is not limited to midterm.
• We will reduce the number of overlapping systems. Athletics will still maintain their own system to ensure their eligibility requirements are met. But, we hope to meet system requirements for Athletics in Phase II.

Timeline:

• Usability testing with Usability Services is from August 13 - 14.
• After Usability, we will be working creating resources for faculty.
• We will send out communication and resources after the start of the term (approximately after the second week of the term).
• We will send official reminders to instructors to add grades in APLUS and comments at midterm per usual, but it’s important to note again these can be sent any time during the semester.

Schedule on classroom doors

General purpose classrooms are available as study spaces during unscheduled times. To see if a classroom is available, students can view each classroom schedule by using the QR code on the classroom sign in the hallway.

Study Space Finder

As students return to campus this fall, areas, such as study spaces, libraries, classrooms not in use, and lounges, will be made available so that students will have various areas to study and attend classes, whether their course is online, remote, or blended. To find these areas, students should be directed to the Study Space Finder.

Maximum room capacity

In order to accommodate social distancing, the maximum capacity for each general purpose classroom has been reduced. Each classroom will have a maximum occupancy sign at its entrance, as well as an additional sign next to the new room layout.

WiFi coverage map

Since classes will be taught in a mix of in-person, online, remote, or blended formats this fall, students and staff should check out the WiFi coverage map throughout the semester. This interactive map will indicate the best wifi coverage in each campus building, which will be helpful as students attend their online, remote, or blended classes across campus.

Room layouts

Each general purpose classroom will have an updated room layout to accommodate for safe, 6-foot social distancing. Seats that are designated for students will be identified with a floor decal, while other unusable seats will be labeled with a “Do not use” sign. Examples of 6-feet physical distancing layouts for various room types can be found on OCM’s 2020 explanations and guidelines.

One Stop reopening plan

One Stop Student Services is planning to resume limited in-person services on August 24 at their Bruininks Hall location. The St. Paul and West bank locations will remain closed.

• Offering limited 15-minute, in-person appointments
• Launching virtual drop-ins via Zoom
• Scheduling will be available online via the One Stop website
• Drop box available for form and scholarship check submission

University Veterans Services, Graduate Student Services & Progress (GSSP), and the Helping U desk will remain temporarily closed for in-person services until a later date. Due to limited availability and staffing for in-person appointments, students are highly encouraged to contact One Stop by email, phone, Zoom drop-in, or web chat.

Student Data Inquiry (SDI) training update

Academic Support Resources has been reviewing and reformatting the Student Data Inquiry (SDI) training course content in order to make it more efficient for learners and easier to keep up to date. The updated course will be available in Training Hub by the end of August 2020. Only new PeopleSoft Campus Solutions users will be required to take the course. One notable change is that the FERPA compliance training course will be a prerequisite to SDI for new users. If you have any questions, please contact the OTR Training and Support Team at srhelp@umn.edu.

Address project

This week and next week, students are receiving a short Qualtrics survey regarding their mailing and home addresses. The form asks them to verify if their current addresses are correct and make any needed updates via MyU. Having this information will make sure that students receive important documents, and for the university to accurately plan for on campus resources.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can a parent join a virtual meeting with a student, such as an advising appointment?

A: Sharing a student’s private information with a parent or other guest is not allowed unless we have written permission from the student. Even though the student may verbally agree to having the parent present, we need to document this with written permission. For some additional guidance about virtual meetings with students and how to obtain student consent, see our FERPA COVID-19 information available on the ASR website.

New form for Doctoral Preliminary Oral Exam

Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) and the Office of the Registrar created a new electronic form for the doctoral Preliminary Oral Exam. This form will be available June 22, 2020. The new form will replace the paper version of the doctoral Preliminary Oral Exam form.

Note: if any students are currently in the process of using the paper form, they should continue to use the paper forms until June 22. For exams taking place after June 22, 2020, students may submit a new scheduling request after June 22 to use the electronic form.

Students will receive the form via email to their UMN email account after they have submitted their committee and scheduled their Preliminary Oral Exam. The committee chair will receive an email invitation to complete the form when the student initiates it. If you have any questions, contact gssp@umn.edu.

New ticketing system

Please continue to contact srhelp@umn.edu for any related questions and student records training needs. We switched our ticketing system on May 18, 2020 to the university’s new system, TeamDynamix (TDX). There may be a new look and feel in our responses, but we are still the same team who is hard at work for you. Thank you for your patience while we learn the new system.

Grade rosters for summer 2020

Similar to spring 2020, students will have a longer period to request a change in grading basis for summer 2020. Therefore, summer grading rosters will not be created until a later date(s). These dates are still under discussion, but will probably be dependent upon the session. More information will be available once there is a firm plan set in place.

If an instructor needs a grade roster to be created early, please send a request to srhelp@umn.edu, and they will manually create a roster for you.

TADA updates

Transfer Articulation and Transfer Credit
The development that will bring transfer articulation details from uAchieve to PeopleSoft is still in progress. While it is in progress, please continue to support and use the TES system to establish more and better transfer articulation rules. Additionally, development to separate transfer courses, test credits, and other credits in PeopleSoft is under way, so ‘test’ and ‘other’ credits will appear in PeopleSoft with established equivalencies for pre- or co- requisites. This should be available at the start of the fall 2020 semester.

Data and data analytics
The second production data snapshot was successful. PDFs and APAS reports for all active students housed in Perceptive Content can be referenced by advisors as needed. A pilot of course-level analytics using aduit output tables has also been initiated for participating units, which include CFANS, CBS, CDES, Computer Science BA/BS, UMC, and UMD. We hope that this information will be useful for both curricular planning and student success initiatives.

Degree planning tools
Four finalists in the RFP process provided demonstrations to a cross-institution and cross-campus group. If you would like to review the demonstrations and help evaluate the product, please view the vendors below:

• Vendor 1
• Vendor 2
• Vendor 3
• Vendor 4

You can submit comments on the vendor presentations using this feedback form. Feedback will be collected until June 15, 2020. Your comments will then be used by the RFP team and advisory group to inform their final recommendation.

In order to maintain an equitable process for all vendors, if you would like to comment, you must view and provide comments for all demonstrations. Please also note that the information about vendors and the content of the demonstrations are confidential to the University of Minnesota and cannot be shared externally. A usability evaluation of the finalists is scheduled for June 8, 2020 through June 12, 2020.

Diplomas and transcripts for end of term

The Office of the Registrar has continued to produce digital diplomas on their weekly production schedule, but paper diploma production has been delayed due to the State of Minnesota stay at home order.

The Office of the Registrar will resume paper diploma production starting the week of May 4, which will capture the backlog of paper and duplicate diplomas for degrees awarded from March 23 through April 28. Diplomas will continue to be ordered on a weekly schedule, and students can expect to receive them within 2-3 weeks of their degree being posted. Duplicate diploma ordering will be available in Parchment starting on May 15.

Students with a spring 2020 (1203) expected graduation term, and who have a degree checkout status set to “applied,” were sent the “Confirm diploma name/address” email on Wednesday, April 29. Students will also receive email communications when their degree is posted (last chance to update name/address), the diploma is ordered, and the diploma is mailed. FedEx diploma delivery requests must be received by the conferral date, May 13, in order to guarantee the student’s request. Pick-up requests are not available.

The Office of the Registrar will also resume paper transcript processing, and this option will be available in Parchment starting May 15.

Spring 2020 final grade rosters will be available May 4

The deadline for students to change their grading basis for the spring 2020 term has changed to April 30. Because grade rosters cannot be created until after this deadline, final grade rosters will be available May 4. However, if you or an instructor needs a final grade roster before April 30, contact SRHelp@umn.edu.

Required training during the stay-at-home order

Required, in-person training has been transitioned to video conferencing by the OTR Training and Support team. They will continue to support your training needs in a timely way. You can register as usual on the Training Hub website, and the team will email you with arrangements for the new format. Please contact the team at SRHelp@umn.edu for any concerns about in-person, student records training.

Grading resources

User guides for grading are available on the ASR website. The resources include final grade entry, due dates for grades, safe handling of grading information, and information on mid-term grades.

FERPA Q&A

Q: I am conducting class meetings using Zoom. How can I prevent “zoombombing” and protect my students’ information?

A: Several security features are available to secure a Zoom meeting. As a meeting host, you can change the default settings before and/or during a meeting. You should also remind students not to share zoom meeting links or meeting IDs with anyone.

To learn about the security features available in Zoom, check out Zoom: Secure Your Zoom Meetings for more information.

Preventing intruders from entering your meeting will protect student information, including their photos, their names, and affiliation with a particular class. It will also prevent the meeting from being disrupted and subjected to inappropriate content.

S/N grade basis change

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, students are allowed to change their grading basis in all undergraduate classes and eligible graduate/professional classes to S/N (satisfactory/not satisfactory) for the spring 2020 semester.

Students can manually change their grade basis for undergraduate classes in MyU starting Wednesday, April 1. While While students in eligible graduate/professional classes can manually change their grade basis in MyU starting Monday, April 6. Students have until Thursday, April 30 to change their grade basis. Changes are not allowed after the deadline and all decisions are considered final.

Additionally, the last day for students to cancel classes without college approval for full semester and second 7-week session classes has been moved to Friday, May 1. If students choose to cancel a class, they will receive a “W” on their transcript.

If you or a student have any questions about the recent S/N grade basis changes, please review the Twin Cities S/N grading basis FAQ.

PeopleTools Upgrade

MyU, PeopleSoft applications, and other related online services such as APAS and Grad Planner will be unavailable due to system updates on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19. Service is expected to be restored on Sunday afternoon, April 19.

During the outage, you can get information about the system update on the Service Status website. Since MyU will be unavailable for the duration of the system update, you can access Canvas courses at canvas.umn.edu and University email at mail.umn.edu.

If you have questions about this system update, please contact Technology Help.

PCAS access

In-person training is no longer required for initial update access to PCAS.

Access is now granted by submitting an Access Request Form for the programs which you would update. Once your access is approved, Academic Support Resources will email self-directed training materials and update your training record.

New users are encouraged to contact srhelp@umn.edu for support and individual training as needed.

Student Program Plan training

Student Program Plan training will continue to be offered for staff who need training. Instead of being in-person format, we’re transitioning to a remote format to accommodate staff working off-campus.

As always, staff may enroll in training through the Training Hub. OTR Training and Support will then contact enrolled individuals to provide them with instructions for joining the training online.

13-credit automatic exemption correction

After the publication of the Record in February, there was an update to the information on when automatic 13-credit exemptions will be placed for students requiring fewer than 26 credits (based on APAS data). These exemptions will be placed for both fall and spring semesters approximately three weeks before queued registration starts for those terms (shortly after term activation). This means that fall 2020 exemptions were placed the week of March 16. The fact sheet was updated with these details.

FERPA Q&A

In lieu of a Q&A this issue, we have a new FERPA resource. With many changes to the way we deliver education and support students, FERPA Guidance for COVID-19 has the most recent guidance regarding student privacy during these challenging circumstances and includes tips for specific tools such as Zoom.

Access Request Form information

The ASR website has a new subtab page under Training & Support which is dedicated to Access Request Form (ARF) information. A resource on the page, which may interest managers and Key Contacts, is a list of PeopleSoft Campus Solutions pages that may be viewed after you have taken Student Data Inquiry training.

This page is intended to complement information provided by the Office of Information Technology. Additional information is expected to be added to the ARF page as work continues.

13-credit automatic exemption update

Starting with fall 2020 registration, students with fewer than 26 credits to graduate, which, based on APAS data, will be automatically exempt from the 13-credit registration requirement. Exemptions will be placed for the following term during the seventh week of both spring and fall (with an additional run in summer after census). For example, fall 2020 exemptions will be placed the first week of March.

The online request form is also being updated. It will only be available for one term at a time, and students with an exemption in place will not be able to access it (they will see a message stating they are already exempt). The PDF printable form will continue to be available for situations that cannot be handled with the online request form.

A fact sheet is available with full details.

FERPA Q&A

Question: Can a student challenge a grade by using their FERPA right to request an amendment to their student record?

Answer: No. The right to amend a student record is for information that is inaccurate or misleading due to a recording error; it does not apply to a substantive decision, such as what grade was awarded. Students do have the right to receive an explanation for their grades under University policy, and can seek assistance from the Student Conflict Resolution Center if needed.

New guide to ASR help desks

If you have ever been confused about which ASR service unit to contact, you’ll appreciate this new ASR Service Unit Crosswalk. ASR has nearly a dozen service units, and sometimes it’s hard to know which one you should turn to for assistance. This guide has a crosswalk format with student services on one side and staff services on the other. Use this chart to determine which unit to contact with your question, or which unit you should refer to a student.

Caucus night

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 is caucus night. Per Board of Regents resolution, the University may schedule classes or events on caucus night with the Board’s authorization, however students and/or instructors are permitted to attend their party’s caucus night if they wish. Students must notify their instructor in advance, and instructors are expected to accommodate their requests. If enough students indicate that they will be attending their caucus so that holding class becomes impractical, instructors may cancel the class or make alternative arrangements.

Recent APAS enhancement

A recent enhancement to APAS allows advisors to view the APAS reports run by students.

When the new APAS launched on July 1, 2019, there was an additional function that allowed people to retain and view past run reports. The view of these reports, however, was limited to only those run by people with the same level of access to the system (e.g., advisors could only see reports run by other advisors).

Since then, advisors have provided feedback that it would be useful to see the reports students ran in order to better support them. With the recent enhancement, advisors will now be able to reference the same information their advisees are referencing.

These student-run reports will appear in the same “Completed APAS Requests” page as reports advisors have previously ran for the student. An important distinction to note is that student-run APAS reports are only retained for seven days. However, students will continue to be able to view only reports they run themselves.