Catherine Gorman

This section heightened my awareness of the intricacies involved with documenting international students and how other laws -- such as Soloman's Act and additional financial restrictions put in place by the FTC. 

FERPA is about the student's rights and ultimately protecting both the student and their private information, along with protecting the institution by keeping records secure.

We always err on the side of caution when dealing with student information, and I didn't realize that parents could access information if they could prove that the student was a dependent. We have always used the rule that as long as the student isn't a minor (under 18) then their permission would be needed to contact/ discuss their progress, etc with a parent.

FERPA honestly affects something as simple as contacting a student via phone if it's not a personal mobile number, because you could have a spouse unaware of the fact that their significant other is taking classes. Perhaps, there are valid reasons for that individual to want to keep their education private. So you can't just spout off information about the institution and reason for your call if leaving a message. Your working relationship with the student is essentially private information and should be treated as such -- whether that's calling at risk students about progress or refusing to discuss grades/… >>>

I learned about this important resource since I work for a for profit institution: "Request assistance from an independent, third party copyright permissions provider such as the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to verify the need for copyright permissions and to simplify the ongoing permissions process. They have a specific pay-per-use licensing service for the instructor to utilize (http://www.copyright.com/);"

Modeling proper citation methods is something I already do in my courses (I teach writing/ research/ humanities courses), but it goes beyond that to truly teach them how to be good digital citizens.

I never realized the Fair Use Act, which I think many instructors rely upon to help them know what and how much information they can use from a source, doesn't apply at all to for profit institutions.

"The TEACH Act can also be helpful for instructors teaching in the online environment. It does have some drawbacks however in that it focuses on non-profit educational institutions only and not does apply to for-profit educational institutions." This statement from the lesson resonated with me because I teach for a for profit online school. While we rely on the Fair Use Act for educational purposes often, it makes me wonder if we're not as in compliance as we think.

Holistic assessment is more likely to engage students and when they apply their knowledge to real world experiences personal to them, it makes the knowledge not only more applicable but gives them more confidence in that knowledge.

The concept of working backwards for a lesson plan reminds me of the technique of writing your introduction of a paper last, because only then do you really know where your process / writing took you within the paper.