Zoom - FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act () is a federal law that requires universities to (1) give students access to their education records, and (2) keep personally identifiable education records confidential with respect to third parties.
Because an online environment creates a record of student activity, it is subject to FERPA privacy rights, unlike verbal exchanges in a physical classroom.
FERPA Guidance When Using Zoom
Disable Private Chat
To further control the environment, Private Chat should be disabled.听
- Sign in to the听Zoom,听
- In the navigation menu, select听Settings.
- Select the听Chat听and听Private Chat听toggles to听disable听in-meeting听chat.
- Select听Save Changes.
Disable Saving Chat
Turn OFF ability for participants to 鈥渟ave chat鈥�.听
- In听Settings, make sure you are on the听Meeting听tab
- Scroll down to听In Meeting听(Basic)
- Under听Chat, check the box听Prevent participants from saving chat听to prevent participants from saving chat.
- Select听Save
Due to FERPA guidelines and to protect the identities of participants, the following content sharing guidelines must be considered:
- If you, as the instructor choose to record your session and then share it with another party later, said video must not include student faces or a student's voice. Anything identifiable should not be shared.听
- Session recordings must be deleted after each term.听
For security reasons and to prevent unwanted parties from accessing the Zoom session, meeting invitations must be sent directly to participants via a secure system, not aliases and they cannot be posted to a public website.听We recommend Canvas as the best location to post links to Zoom meetings.
Turn ON the ability to 鈥渕ute individual participants鈥� and 鈥渕ute all鈥�.
Mute Individual Participants
The Participants Panel will allow you to select a participant to mute.
- To mute a specific participant, hover over the participant鈥檚 name and the听Mute听button will appear.
- Select the听Mute听button to turn off the participant鈥檚 audio.
Mute All
- Select Manage听Participants听in the toolbar.
- Click the听Mute All听button at the bottom of the听Participants听window. This will affect the host who clicks the button, and it will also affect any other co-hosts and听attendees.
To prevent information from being shared with those outside of the session, the ability to record the session should be disabled for all participants.听
- Sign in to听Zoom,听
- Select the听Recording听tab.
- Verify that听Local Recording听is disabled (this will disable the ability for attendees to record).
- Verify that听Recording听Disclaimer is enabled.
The听听offers an extensive library of resources for all users. You can also contact the听.