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Hello, folks.

I know we're an international group and that questions about FERPA may not be relevant to those outside the US, but I'm wondering how folks in the US have dealt with FERPA questions, particularly pertaining to the iRAT/tRAT process. I'm asking on behalf of colleagues who are new to TBL and have raised this question. So I'll do my best to convey their question/concern.

As I understand it, the concern that's been raised is that students may gain knowledge of other students' grades through the iRAT process. Personally, I think of the iRAT/tRAT as somewhat akin to the kind of collaborative work that might be involved in a lab. You might come in with a problem you've already worked, etc., and then you might discover through interaction with your lab partners that you had it wrong. In my classes (I'm in Communication), I have the students take the iRAT and then engage in collaborative discussion for the tRAT. My sense is that this approach would not violate FERPA because 1) I'm not disclosing their individual scores to other students and 2) they're not required to disclose their scores either. This approach clearly wouldn't involve other FERPA protections (like not disclosing grades to parents and that sort of thing). 

I have reviewed a variety of online sources that address interpretations of FERPA. This one (http://www.naceweb.org/public/ferpa0808.htm) is fairly helpful, particularly because it addresses the idea of collaborative work that students might do with peers in a class.

Is there a quick guide or perhaps an FAQ to the "intersection" between FERPA and TBL?

Thanks in advance for any insights you're able to share.

All my best,

Shawnalee A. Whitney
Associate Professor of Communication
Department of Journalism and Communication
University of Alaska Anchorage
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