U Card reminder

With the start of the term approaching, remember to bring your U Card to ensure access to campus buildings. You can find entrances with a card reader by reviewing Campus Maps and turning on the layer for Accessibility in the top right.

13-Credit exemption retired

The 13-credit exemption process has officially been retired. Here are a few things to consider to make this a smooth transition for students and staff:

• The exemption will no longer be entered into PeopleSoft. If you have relied on that data in the past (e.g., awarding scholarships), a change in policies and/or practices may be needed.
• Review your communications, websites, and printed materials to ensure that references to “13-credit policy” or “13-credit requirement” are removed or updated. References to tuition costs above the 13 credits are "flat rate tuition."
• 13 credits is not enough for most students to stay on track for timely graduation or maximize certain types of financial aid. We encourage you to promote 15 credits of enrollment where appropriate.

A full-time credit fact sheet will be included in the Advising Toolkit. For details on how APLUS has adapted to this change, please attend the Fall 2023 APLUS Training.

Policy reminders

As we near the start of the term, we wanted to share a few policy reminders. The Mandatory Attendance policy requires students to attend the first class meetings for all classes in which they are enrolled unless they have prior approval from their instructor to be absent. Please consult the policy FAQ for more details on how this policy applies to online classes or when students register after the first day of classes.

Please also consult the Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy and the Makeup Work FAQ. Reasonable accommodations must be made for students who have legitimate absences, including:

• Illness, especially for in-person or blended classes
• Religious holiday observance
• Pre-approved first-day absence
• Late registration

We recommend reviewing the Student Conduct Code, particularly its definition of scholastic dishonesty, which includes unauthorized use of learning support platforms. This information should be included in a course’s syllabus so students are able to understand the standards, expectations, and reference techniques appropriate to the subject area and class requirements, including internet use and group work.

FERPA Q&A

Q: A student emailed me asking for a copy of their record. Should I provide the information?

A: If a student is asking for a copy of their academic record, it is best to refer the student to the Data Request Center. The Data Access and Privacy Office will coordinate with the various offices and respond to the student. If a student is only asking for specific information from your subject area, you can fulfill that request. 

Coursedog launches August 21

Coursedog—the integrated course and program approval workflow system replacing ECAS, PCAS, and University catalogs—will launch Monday, August 21. All previous users of ECAS and PCAS will automatically have equivalent access in Coursedog and individual invitations to required training have been sent to them. Any new access will need to be requested after Coursedog launches. Post-launch information on requesting access, completing training, and support contact information can be found at z.umn.edu/coursedog-support.

ECAS and PCAS will be available as view-only for several months as a historical reference.

In addition to changes in the curriculum management workflow, there will be significant changes to the University catalog and the links to individual programs. The main page for catalogs will remain catalogs.umn.edu, but users will select which campus they want to view. The links for each program within the catalog (starting with https:/onestop2.umn.edu/pcas) will be different. Any website currently pointing to an individual program page in the catalog will need to manually update them to the new link. More information about this is on the Coursedog Project webpage.

If you have questions, please direct them to coursedog@umn.edu.

Destiny One Registration System support site update

The Destiny One (DORS) support website was recently redesigned to highlight the benefits of using DORS and to make getting started easier. This secure and cost-effective software can be used in a variety of ways: from conference and event planning, to memberships and non-credit registration. Versatile and user-friendly, DORS provides an eCommerce experience that is perfect for today’s users. Many University departments are unaware of how DORS could help them, and instead use third party systems, introducing unnecessary costs and risks.

Take a moment to check out the site and share the information with those in your unit to plan events and conferences, manage organization memberships, and other non-credit registration. For more information, or if you have any questions, please email dorshelp@umn.edu.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Our department is planning to hire student employees for the upcoming semester. We need to verify their course history for the job qualifications. Can I look this up using the access I have?

A: No, you should not use your access as part of assessing an applicant’s qualifications. The student should provide the information to you, and the same details should be asked of all applicants. If you have questions, please ask your human resources representative for assistance in obtaining the information.