FERPA Training for Faculty
Learn about FERPA and how to protect student privacy as an instructor. Information
on this page is useful for all instructors, but especially important for those looking
to merge (or "cross list") their Canvas courses. Not all merged course requests require
prior FERPA training.
NoteIf you have already submitted your FERPA certificate and verification email, you do
not need to resubmit.
Who should complete the FERPA training?
Faculty who want to merge multiple sections of the same class in the same modality for which they are the instructors of record (i.e., multiple ENG-1A sections taught
by the same professor) should complete FERPA training. Faculty will need to complete
the 3-steps outlined below to merge their Canvas shells. This is a one-time training that is focused on general FERPA Guidelines and not specific to Canvas. For steps to ensure your Canvas course settings are FERPA compliant, please visit
our Merging Courses in Canvas Page. Please note that if there are significant changes to FERPA regulations faculty may
be required to complete an updated training. Please refer to the FAQ below for additional
clarification.
Important: Instructors do not need to wait for the merge to happen to begin prepping their Canvas course. Instructors
should begin working in the parent course immediately, but should not do any work in the child courses that are being merged. For questions please contact distancelearning@mtsac.edu
FERPA Steps Prior to Merging Courses
-
- 1Complete POD Training "FERPA for Higher Education"
Complete the Training
- Access FERPA for Higher Education (Mt. SAC Portal login required)
- Or search "FERPA for Higher Education" in POD Connect
- Be sure to save a copy of your certificate after completing this training, you will be asked to upload a copy of your certificate
to the Smartsheet in step 2
- Please note that this training is a general overview of FERPA. For specific information about Canvas settings for FERPA, please visit our Merging Courses in Canvas resource.
Saving your Certificate
- After you complete your training, you will have the ability to print your certificate
- Print it, and when asked to select a printer, choose the option "save as PDF"
- You can always go back to the POD training link to access your certificate if you
need to save or print it at a later time.
- 2Complete FERPA Certification Smartsheet
Get FERPA Certified at Mt. SAC
- Access the FERPA Certification Smartsheet
- Complete Smartsheet, and be sure to upload your certificate from Step 1
- Adjust your Parent CRN in Canvas to meet FERPA guidelines
Getting Certified
Upon completion, your submission will be reviewed for verification and certification.
You will receive an email indicating that you have been FERPA certified. Once you
receive that email, you can submit the course merge request in the following step.
- 3Request Canvas Course Merge
Submit Crosslist Request
- Access the HelpDesk Canvas Cross List Request
- Link may require Mt. SAC Portal login before accessing
- You will receive an email from the help desk when your request has been processed,
and in Canvas you will only see the "parent" course. That is how you know the merge
is complete.
FAQ
-
- What are merged courses in Canvas?
Also referred to as cross-listing, merged courses allow instructors to teach multiple
sections out of a single Canvas course shell. The parent course is the Canvas course shell that will contain all of the professor's sections
after the sections have been merged. Multiple sections can be merged. After the merge
only the parent course will be visible in Canvas.
Important: Instructors do not need to wait for the merge to happen to begin prepping their Canvas course. Instructors
should begin working in the parent course immediately, but should not do any work in the child courses that are being merged. For questions please contact distancelearning@mtsac.edu
- Which courses require FERPA training and approval?
Only identical courses in the same mode of instruction qualify to be merged. In this case, the FERPA training is required as part of the
approval process.
- If I teach double-ticket, stacked, mirrored (credit/noncredit), or linked classes,
do I need to complete the FERPA training and approval process?
No, you can submit directly to have these courses merged. Please speak to your Division
Dean if you need clarification on whether FERPA training is required to merge your
courses.
- Where do I find the FERPA training and how long is the FERPA training?
The FERPA training is in POD and is 31 minutes long. Faculty will be paid out at the non-instructional rate. FERPA
training will only be paid to faculty merging Canvas shells that require FERPA training.
Here is a summary of the approval process:
- Complete the POD Training (FERPA for Higher Education)
- Complete the FERPA Certification Smartsheet (this includes the screenshot of your
settings)
- Request to merge using the HelpDesk Canvas Cross-List (merging) Request
Please note that this training is a general overview of FERPA. For specific information about Canvas settings for FERPA, please visit our Merging Courses in Canvas resource.
- Do professors wait for the merge process to be finalized before prepping their Canvas
course?
No. Professors do not need to wait for the merge to be finalized to begin prepping
their Canvas courses. Please prep the parent course as you normally would.
- What is the latest date that I can submit my merge request to the HelpDesk and be
guaranteed that my classes will be merged by the start of the Fall semester?
Based on the information from our IT team, please submit your requests to the HelpDesk
by Friday, August 16. Requests received after August 16 will be merged as soon as
possible, but it may or may not be before the start of the fall semester.
