FERPA and Student Work: Considerations for Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marisa Ramirez, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Gail McMillan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1045/january2010-ramirez

Abstract

Information privacy is an important consideration when transitioning university collections from paper to electronic access. Yet the protection of -- and limits to -- student privacy regulations have rarely been addressed in the literature for online electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and its relevance to student work should be a consideration when widely distributing scholarship like e-portfolios, ETDs, and senior capstone projects. In this article, we share several campus approaches to FERPA and electronic student work.