Northeast Texas Community College is committed to protecting the privacy of students enrolled in all courses regardless of the mode of instruction (online, hybrid, or face to face); therefore, all of the college policies regarding student privacy and information security apply to distance education courses. College personnel are required to uphold these policies and follow these procedures to protect student privacy in distance education:
• The college requires the use of Blackboard LMS to teach all distance education courses in order to ensure the security of student course material, communication, student work submission, and grades. Instructors are required to use Blackboard to post course material, send announcements, facilitate collaboration among students, collect student work, deliver tests and quizzes, and post grades.
• Secure college user names and passwords are generated through the admissions application process. These credentials generate a single sign-on service allowing students access to Blackboard, email, grades, transcripts, and all other student services through the secure MyEagle student portal using their NTCC generated user name and password. Although the college assumes the initial responsibility for issuing and maintaining a secure user name and password to all students, students are instructed to change their passwords once they have signed into the portal for the first time. Their self-created password is encrypted and stored in the institution’s active directory. Other than the user, no one on campus, including the information technology (IT) department, has access to the new password. Students can securely manage all aspects of their password through the MyEagle portal.
• Students are assigned an official college email address at the time of admission, and the college email system is required for all official communication with students.
• Faculty are required to keep student user names, work, scores, and grades confidential. Students in distance education courses do not have access to other students’ work or grades. Students are instructed not to share login and password information with others.
• College personnel are required to follow the college and FERPA guidelines for sharing student educational record information with other faculty, staff, parents, or others outside of the college.
