• For research at educational sites outside UW-Madison there may be policies or procedures specific to external research studies to be conducted at the site that could affect/inform research design. It is acceptable prior to IRB approval for UW research teams to reach out to the entities at those sites (e.g. K-12 district administration) to inquire about applicable policies/procedures ONLY. Any communications with these entities that would be considered recruitment for human subjects research should NOT be done without first obtaining IRB approval.
  • Interns, residents, and fellows are not students; these records are not considered “education records” subject to FERPA
  • Once directory information is combined with non-directory information, it ceases to be directory information.
  • In many cases student education records are accessible to and used by instructors, teachers, and administrators for the purposes of conducting the duties of their job. For example, as part of a teacher’s job, there is natural access to student’s assignments, test scores, and attendance records in order to evaluate performance and ultimately assign a grade. However, this same teacher cannot use this natural access for other intents and purposes, such as research. If a teacher/instructor wants to use student data for research purposes, FERPA applies and consent is required, unless one of the exceptions to consent as outlined in FERPA is met. The study team should check with the Registrar’s Office to ensure compliance with campus policy.
  • UW employees who have access to student academic records as part of their position at the university may NOT provide data to faculty or staff for research purposes. Only the Registrar’s Office has the authority to make those determinations.