My ASU recently went through some development changes to enhance its user activity after getting student and parents' feedback.
Guest Access, a new feature on My ASU will allow information to be shared easily and effectively with parents, guardians and spouses.
Stacey Lippert, director of Student-Centric Initiatives, said in an email that after conducting various surveys, the department learned students' top request is for online service enhancements. With their feedback, it implemented Guest Access.
“My ASU Guest Access is a part of ASU’s Service Excellence Initiatives, where we strive to advance the way that student services are delivered across ASU,” she said. “We are committed to raising the bar on the level of service delivered to all members of the ASU community as a way to support student success.”
Students have the choice to share their FERPA educational records and select what specific information they want to share with those granted access. Any guest with access will be able to view the information at any time.
Guest Access privileges include access to class schedule, major and college, final grades and GPA, admission status, financial aid and scholarships, student account information, Parent PLUS loans and payments.
Lou Ann Denny, associate vice provost for Enrollment Management and Services, said any new student at ASU should learn about this feature to ease any future problem in this area and learn how to effectively use it.
“Students have to be thoughtful of who they give access to,” she said. “You don’t want to give it to all your friends. Just be thoughtful about it.”
Denny said if students learn how to use educational information during freshman year, students along with their parents will be able to keep track of their success accurately.
With Guest Access, parents can go on their own and view the information for themselves at any time, Denny said.
Chris Kalinich, whose daughter attends ASU, has been an active member of the Barrett Parents group and has been very involved with the University. She said in an email this feature will be a good way to keep track of anything that goes in her daughter’s page.
“I think it is valuable so that we can both communicate effectively ‘in real time’ about any issues that one of us might find on her page,” she said. “I’m assuming that ALERTS will be (seen) more quickly and be addressed in a timely manner versus her trying to explain the situation to me.”
The Guest Access feature has only been in effect since April 7, and Kalinich said she has already used it to see if scholarships for the upcoming school year have been awarded.
Kalinich said when the feature wasn’t offered her daughter had some confusion when accepting her scholarships and her daughter had to wait until she could show her how to do it.
“I also wish parents had access to the degree audit feature to help facilitate the advising process,” she said. “Since the first year, especially, can be very confusing figuring out how courses apply to the program of study and if the student is truly on track.”
Students and parents are encouraged to provide their feedback on any ASU site by clicking the “Feedback” button. All feedback will be taken into consideration.
Reach the reporter at Adriana.Loya@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @loyadriana
Correction: Because of a reporting error Chris Kalinich's name was misspelled.
