Much of the data that Engineering faculty and staff work with is considered sensitive. It is important to understand the requirements for using the different types of data.
Information about protecting research data is available from ITS.
Student Information (Grades, Assignments)
As a faculty member, why do I need to pay special attention to student information (grades, assignments)?
According to the Category 1 Standards and FERPA, the following information is among the data that would be considered Category 1 and must be secured appropriately:
"Grades (including test scores, assignments, and class grades)"
In addition, even lists of other student information like name and email address may be Category 1 if the student has requested that they not be revealed (they will have an asterisk to the left of their name in CLIPS).
Where should faculty store student information?
Blackboard
- Best place for current grade information
- Put info directly into Blackboard where possible
- Stored for 2 years
WebSpace
- Current quota 1 GB
- Options for securely sending data
- Review Webspace Best Practices on the web for requirements for Category 1 compliance
Austin Disk Server
- e.g. \\austin.utexas.edu\disk\engr\
\faculty\ - Access to this folder is restricted to your account
- Contact your IT Staff to insure that your computer has been secured properly for connecting to these sensitive files
Where should I NOT keep student information?
Contact your IT Staff if you store any grade or assignment information on:
- Personally owned computers
- Local CPU Hard Drives (whether desktop of laptop)
- Thumb/Flash Drives
- External USB Hard Drives
- TA's computers
Please consult Extended List of Category-I Data for additional information or contact the UT FERPA office.
