1. Textbook Package and Purchases
Goodall, G. & Lear, D. Conéctate, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill Education. The purchase package must include Connect (the online workbook).

• You are not required to buy a hard copy of the textbook and can use the ebook version instead if preferred. The access code includes ebook access.
• This course is enrolled in the First Day program with the UAB Barnes and Noble bookstore. Under the First Day program, the student is automatically charged for a one-semester access code, unless they opt out at the First Day Access menu item on the left-hand side in our Canvas course. Under the First Day program, the charge appears on the student's university bill. In general, it is not recommended for students to opt-out because the First Day program provides better pricing than buying directly from McGraw Hill. However, feel free to compare pricing for yourself if preferred.
• If you plan to take SPA 101, 102 and 201 at UAB, then it is recommended that you opt out of the First Day program and purchase a multi-semester access code directly from McGraw Hill. To opt out, you would go to First Day Access on the left-hand side in our Canvas course and click on the button to opt out. Otherwise, you will be charged for a single-semester access code as well after the opt-out deadline.
• The deadline for opting out of the First Day program is the last day to add/drop classes.
• Enroll in our MH Connect course here: SPA 101 QL Connect Site
  • (Please disregard the information about the Barnes & Noble Yuzu platform in the First-Day email you received from the bookstore.)

LinguaMeeting (conversation lab component)

• Six 30-minute conversations
• Instructions
• You must register within the first two weeks of the semester in order for the department to pay for LinguaMeeting.

2. Course Information
All UAB World Languages instructors hold at least a Masters degree in Spanish or Spanish Education. They have studied or lived in Spanish-speaking countries and are trained in communicative techniques for optimal language learning in the classroom. Research shows that an interactive, target-language learning environment is optimal for language acquisition. Spanish will be primarily spoken and incorporated through listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Spanish 101 is the first course of a three course sequence (101, 102, 201). The first 4 chapters of Conéctate will be completed in this course. This is a four credit hour course with three hours of regular course work per week and one hour for the conversation lab component (LinguaMeeting). The grade from the lab constitutes 25% of the overall grade for this course. At the end of the course, you will receive the same grade in BlazerNet for both the lab and main course.
The primary goal of this course is to aid students in achieving proficiency in the Spanish language. According to the ACTFL (American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Language) proficiency guidelines, students at the novice-mid and novice-high proficiency level are able to manage successfully a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to a few of the predictable topics necessary for survival in the target language culture, such as basic personal information, basic objects, and a limited number of activities, preferences and immediate needs. Novice High speakers respond to simple, direct questions or requests for information, and can ask a few formulaic questions. All the research shows that an interactive, Spanish-speaking learning environment is optimal for acquisition of the language. Thus, Spanish will be spoken 90% of the course time.

3. Student Learning Outcomes

In this course students will learn:

1. Interpersonal Communication: Students will initiate and sustain spoken or written communication with others.
   1. Participate in conversations (written or spoken) on familiar topics using simple sentences.
   2. Respond to questions (written or spoken) on a variety of familiar topics.
   3. Ask questions (written or spoken) on a variety of familiar topics.
2. Interpretive Communication: Students understand, interpret and analyze what is heard, viewed or read on a variety of topics.
   1. Explain the main idea in presentations, readings or videos on familiar topics.
3. Presentational Communication: Students present information, concepts or ideas on a variety of topics in written or spoken form.
   1. Make presentations on familiar topics using complete sentences.
   2. Write on familiar topics using complete sentences.
4. Culture: Gain knowledge of other cultures and interact with cultural competence when communicating.
   1. Explore the cultural products (tangible and intangible) of Spanish-speaking countries and its relationship to cultural perspectives
   2. Explore the cultural practices of Spanish-Speaking countries and its relationship to cultural perspectives
5. Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information in order to use Spanish to function in a variety of situations.
   1. Use Spanish to further one’s knowledge about a topic
6. Comparisons: Make comparisons (cultural and linguistic) with other cultures in order to interact with cultural competence.
   1. Recognize similarities and differences in language patterns of Spanish and English
   2. Recognize similarities and differences in cultural interactions and how it should affect their behavior in the target culture
7. Communities: Participate in multilingual Communities at home and around the world
   1. Use Spanish to interact with their community and the globalized world.

4. Course Objectives
The primary objective of this course is to develop a functional use of Spanish for one’s personal context and purposes. Specifically, students will be able to:

• Participate in conversations on familiar topics using simple sentences.
• Make presentations on familiar topics using connected sentences.
• Write on familiar topics using complete sentences.
• Understand the main idea in messages and presentations of familiar topics in presentations, readings or videos.
• Respond to questions on a variety of familiar topics.
• Ask questions on a variety of familiar topics.

What can you do at the end of Spanish 101?

5. Is Spanish 101 the right level course for me?
If you have any doubt whether SPA 101 is the right level of Spanish for you, then please consider taking this placement test. Additionally, please visit the course website, cochranb.com, and look over the content covered in this course. (The numbers at the top correspond to the chapters of our textbook, Conéctate. In SPA 101, chapters 1-4 will be covered.) If you look over these chapters, and the content seems very familiar and easy, then you may want to consider taking SPA 102 instead. The last day to add/drop is listed on the UAB Academic Calendar. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask your instructor. He is glad to help.

6. Minimum Technical Skills
You need basic computer skills for this course. You should be able to find your way around new web interfaces without issue, upload documents, find solutions using search engines, install needed programs, etc. If tasks on the computer are challenging for you, then you may want to consider taking a traditional-format course instead. You will need a webcam and microphone. Most laptops have a microphone and webcam built in. Test this hardware as early as possible. A laptop or desktop computer is required for this course.

7. Websites Used in This Course
Bookmark each of these sites in your web browser.

• uab.instructure.com (Canvas): grades, dynamic syllabus, tests, assignment submission, and class discussions
• connect.mheducation.com (McGraw-Hill Connect): Homework
• cochranb.com (course website): Course practice materials, instructional videos, additional practice links, and other reference information needed for the course
• linguameeting.com: LinguaMeeting conversation assignments (lab component)

8. Attendance and Participation
Your attendance, i.e. active class participation, contribution, and using Spanish are fundamentally important for growing in your language capacity and succeeding in this class. Students are expected to participate in the Discussions section in this course. Students are responsible for keeping track of their own grades and assignments turned in.

9. Class Policies

• The use of Google Translate, ChatGPT, or any tool which produces entire sentences is prohibited and considered cheating. Language competency is developed by using the language and not by a computer producing it for you. It is evident if Google Translate is used because many times, it gives words or grammatical structures not yet covered in the course or the text does not make sense. Your instructor recommends using wordreference.com instead.
• Extra credit is not given in this course. The instructor must provide the same opportunities for all students equally. Additional chances or credit cannot be provided for some students and not for others.
• No late work is accepted unless the instructor is presented with a valid excuse.
• Important dates: uab.edu/students/academics/academic-calendar (It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from the class if needed.)

10. Missed Exam / Assignment Policy
If a student misses an exam or an assignment, they must present appropriate documentation within two business days of the absence. If the student is hospitalized and unable to email, they must communicate this no later than two business days after being released from the hospital. If a valid excuse is presented, the instructor will arrange a time to make up the missed exam or assignment.

11. Class Preparation and Participation

• Be well-prepared for participating in class discussions.
• Use Spanish in the Discussions section if possible. Step outside of your comfort zone and do not be timid. It is a new language for everyone, and everyone is in a process of learning.
• Ask lots of questions. This helps the instructor to understand where students are in their learning process and makes the class more interesting.
• Be positive, upbeat, and even lighthearted about your language learning experience.

12. Conversation and Practice Group
After the add/drop period, the option for conversation/practice groups will be created in Canvas. With your fellow group members, you can practice your Spanish and work on class activities together. Meeting with them a certain number of times is not a required component of the course, but it is strongly recommended. By meeting with one or both members of your group, you can supplement each other's knowledge, help each other, and practice speaking more. Please contact your instructor if the members of your group are not responding to your requests to meet up, and he can move you to a different group. You can meet with the others online or in-person according to what each member prefers.

13. A Word of Encouragement
You may be in a very busy season of life or you may be in a season with much more free time than you may realize. Use the time to go beyond just getting good grades. To excel at learning, you must not view it as only a means unto an end, i.e. for getting good grades, for a degree, for a good job, and to then buy nice things. Let the means (learning) be an end in and of itself. Learning can be a huge area of enjoyment in life. Being a life-long learner will change every facet of your life. Your instructor encourages you to work hard and please be in touch if you need anything!

14. Expected Time Commitment
In general, a foreign language course in college goes at a much faster pace, covering more material in a shorter amount of time, than one in high school. Learning a foreign language requires a big time commitment. Some of your instructor's students have reported that his class took about the same amount of time as their more challenging science courses. Generally speaking, the maximum threshold for a student's schedule would be working no more than 25 hours per week in a job while taking no more than 15 hours total of classes. Students who take on more than this report being overwhelmed and not having time to properly learn the material.
When your instructor was an undergraduate student, each semester, he would take 12-14 hours of classes while working about 20 hours per week. This schedule worked fine. During this time, he did not watch TV programs or play video games. However, there was still ample time to spend with friends and family.

15. Strategy for preparing and studying
To be successful in this course, you must work on the content very regularly, i.e. four to seven days a week. It is better to study and learn in small chunks and at more frequent intervals than in large chunks and less frequently. The calendar in Canvas has dates by which you should finish the work for each chapter section. This includes the homework on McGraw-Hill Connect, and the Lecciones, Archivos and Enlaces sections on the course website.

1. Look over a section carefully before watching its corresponding video.
2. Complete as much of each activity as possible before you carefully watch its corresponding video. Pause the video when needed and look up any needed words to ensure full understanding.
3. Do the corresponding homework section very soon after having watched the video or videos for that section.
4. Review if needed by watching the video again to tie up any loose ends. Consider doing the extra practice, under the Enlaces section, on the course website to strengthen knowledge and understanding.

• By the day or two before the test, the student should be at a place of fine-tuning and perfecting their knowledge because they have already gone over it four times.
• At any point in the above process, post any questions to Discussions in Canvas.

It is important to test yourself on the test before you take the test. Your instructor is the author of the tests. He is also the author of the practice in the Archivos section on the course website. Before the test, you need to be getting 100% consistently on every activity in that section. This includes getting 100% after taking a break from it for a day or two. On the other hand, your instructor is not the author of the activities on MH Connect. They are fine to use for practice and test preparation, but it is not recommended to use these as the final confirmation of how well you know the content. Please use the course website for this.

16. Calendar and Reminder System
It is important that you put all assignments and dates related to this class in a calendar with reminders. A suitable strategy would be to set a reminder a few days before a test to begin studying. Set another one the day before. Then set one on the day of the test at a time when you will be able to take it. Setting at least two reminders for each assignment is important in case you miss one. There are many options for calendar and reminder applications. Use the system that best suits your needs.

17. Assignments

LinguaMeeting (conversation lab)	25%
MH Connect	16%
Participation (4)	4%
Cultural Activities (3)	5%
Compositions (2)	8%
Chapter Exams (4)	32%
Cumulative Final Exam	10%

Letter Grade Distribution: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C =70-79; D = 60-69; F = 0-59
Grades will be posted to Canvas.

17.1 LinguaMeeting (conversation lab)

• Before each session, you must study the topic to be covered and prepare yourself by learning how to express these things in Spanish. The topic can be found in our course in LinguaMeeting. It is recommended to practice saying these things to yourself or to a friend beforehand to get used to hearing yourself speaking Spanish.
• After the conversation session, you must take time to reflect on what you learned, what you wish you had known how to say during the conversation or knew better, and what you must work on before the next session. Please post to the class forum at any point with any questions.
• Six LinguaMeeting sessions will be completed in groups of two to three persons. There is no need for students to group themselves. The algorithm automatically does this for students. Students simply schedule at a day/time that is convenient for them with the coach of their choosing. You must make your appointment at least 12 hours in advance. However, it is recommended to schedule your sessions well in advance to ensure the availability you want. Please keep in mind that LinguaMeeting will likely have less availability during weekend hours. If you miss your session and it is still prior to the deadline, you can schedule a make-up session, but you would be required to pay for the make-up session.
• You will receive credit for each session based on having participated. You do not need to turn in anything written. The conversation is automatically saved to the LinguaMeeting site.
• Please be sure to click on the LinguaMeeting assignment that corresponds to the current assignment. There is a different topic for each conversation. The topics are posted in our course at the LinguaMeeting website. The topic does not have to be strictly followed, and if it shifts to something different, that is fine.
• Speaking Spanish is required. Information on getting started can be found in section one of this syllabus. Late work is not accepted.

17.2 McGraw-Hill Connect
This work should be completed on the same day or the next day from when it is covered by your professor. It is important that you communicate openly with your instructor about how these activities are going for you or any issues that may occur. Send all of the specifics, perhaps including a screenshot, of exactly where your question or issue is.
See the MH Connect grading policies. (Each section is shown for about five seconds. You will need to pause the video to properly read the policies.)
The due dates for these activities are posted on the McGraw-Hill website next to each assignment and to Canvas. The first half of each chapter's work will be due at the chapter mid-point. The second half will be due at the end of the chapter. Late work is not accepted. Connect Site.

17.3 Participation

• Students must watch each instructional video posted at cochranb.com.
  • You may prefer to download the video before watching. To do so, right click on the link to the video and click Save Link As or you can type ctrl s with the video open. If you consume media on a faster or slower speed than 1x, then after downloading it, you can use VLC media player to increase or decrease the playback speed by typing, ] (speeds up video playback), [ (slows down video playback), = (normal video playback speed).
• Students must complete every activity on the course website under the section Archivos and are encouraged to complete the activities under the section Enlaces.
• You must post a short paragraph of at least five sentences based on the prompt at the top of the discussion thread. The post can be written or recorded audio. It is to be your original work.
• If you have a question on the content or have a comment which will benefit your classmates and add substantive information to the discussion, it is acceptable to post this as an alternative to the prompt response. It must be posted in Spanish. If you are not sure that your question or comment is clear, please provide an English translation along with the Spanish.
  • The comment must be substantive and add something to the conversation that all can learn from. For example, it does not add anything substantive to just say what your favorite part of the chapter was or what you liked the most.
• At least one forum post is required to receive credit for the participation grade for a given chapter.
  • If the post is poorly done or does not contribute helpful information, then credit will not be given.
• Canvas Discussions is the main tool for communication about course content. Therefore, students should post as much as needed for learning the content. Students can also respond as much as they would like, either in writing or in a recording, to as many of the open-ended activities on the course website as they would like for the benefit of learning and receiving corrections.
• Please subscribe to every Discussions thread in Canvas by clicking on the ribbon / bookmark icon next to the thread.
• Your instructor will provide corrections for your comments and answer any questions you have. The reply may be written or recorded audio.
• Students should read or listen to all forum posts and replies in order to learn the material and prepare for the test.
• The due dates for each Discussions post per chapter are on Canvas.

17.4 Cultural Activities

Students will participate in three cultural activities related to Spanish/Latino culture (recommended) or other world cultures. Please check with your instructor to ensure that the event would be counted as valid. Your instructor may send periodic emails announcing events. Some activity options include:

• DWLL events posted to uab.edu/cas/languages
• Attending the UAB DWLL Spanish conversation table, La Mesa Española. All levels of Spanish are welcome. There are also regular conversation events at Hoover Library and Margarita Grill in Pelham.
• Watching a Spanish culture film (movie or documentary) from World Language Media Services. Before deciding on a film from the WLMS, be sure to research its content because many are not family-friendly. Feel free to email your instructor for particular recommendations.
• Attending an Hispanic church service. One option is to attend a Dawson service (located in Homewood). Your instructor would be glad to provide additional recommendations of Latino churches in the Birmingham area.
• If you have a friend from a Spanish-speaking country, you could write down about 10-15 questions to ask them about their home country. You could ask about things such as food, holidays, work, family, social life, etc. You could also ask about comparisons between here and there, for example what they like more in their home country compared to here and vice versa.
• It is acceptable to do the same type of activity for more than one submission. For example, three different interviews with three different people would be fine for all three cultural activities.

After you participate in a cultural activity, you must submit a short essay, 100 words minimum, that describes or summarizes the event. Your summary may be in English if you choose. However, should you choose to write it in Spanish, your instructor will correct the grammar for your benefit. These must be submitted on Canvas, one activity per submission.

17.5 Compositions

• It must be a minimum of 100 words and must include recent grammar covered in the class. (You can see the current word count at the bottom of the essay entry box in the assignment on Canvas.)
• It must be written completely in Spanish. However, many proper names will not be translated. An exception to this would be the names of major cities and countries.
• The topic will be posted to the assignment in Canvas.
• The use of Google Translate, ChatGPT, or any tool which produces entire sentences is prohibited and considered cheating.
• This assignment will be completed in the Respondus Lockdown Browser with Respondus Monitor enabled.
  • Please only use the online resources below because using hard-copy ones will cause Respondus to flag your assignment.
• Make sure you have set up your keyboard to type accents prior to starting the Respondus Lockdown Browser to complete your assignment.
• In the instructor settings for each assignment in the Respondus Lockdown Browser, the instructor can specify the permitted use of certain websites. You will be permitted to use the following websites:
  
  • wordreference.com (Spanish/English dictionary)
  • dle.rae.es (Spanish → Spanish dictionary)
  • wordreference.com/sinonimos (Spanish thesaurus)
  • thefreedictionary.com (English → English dictionary)
  • freethesaurus.com (English thesaurus)
  • cochranb.com (Course website)
  • connect.mheducation.com (McGraw-Hill Connect)
    • Unfortunately, the Conéctate ebook does not work in Respondus Lockdown Browser.
• (The English resources are there because it might help the writing process in Spanish to check the meaning of a word in English or see its synonym.)
• Tip: Look up a word or research the grammar in question even if you have the slightest doubt as to whether it is correct or not. Those who are most successful on the composition diligently look up any word when in doubt or consult with the instructor. This requires patience and thoroughness.

Composition Feedback

You will receive the corrections and grade for the composition on Canvas. Students should go to 'Grades' and click on the assignment. It will be an attachment in both plain-text format (.txt) and in pdf, and it will be marked according to the guide below. Each error is worth one point. After the 100th word, no errors count against the student's grade. If the composition has fewer than 100 words, then 1 point is counted off for each word the student is short in addition to the marked errors. If one of the below marks is in parentheses instead of square brackets, it means points were not counted off for that correction because it is an error beyond the course content studied to that point in time. Students should look through the composition, figure out what errors they made based on the feedback, and learn from them. It is then recommended to revise the composition, email it to your instructor, and receive further, detailed feedback for the benefit of learning. Then the pdf you receive will show exactly what needs to be changed through the use of Track Changes. Your instructor will also send an audio recording explaining the corrections. If you decide to send your revision to the instructor, please ensure all grading marks are removed and paste it in the body of the email.

17.6 Chapter Exams
There will be four chapter exams that evaluate grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and culture. Vocabulary, verbs, etc. need to be memorized including spelling and accent marks. Each exam will be taken on Canvas. The Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor is required for every exam.

Tips for the test:

• Work very hard on your spelling. Correct spelling, including accents, counts.
• Memorize vocabulary, verbs, and verb conjugations. It is going to mainly test recall memory instead of recognition memory. The tests are mainly fill in the blank.
  • All vocabulary for the chapter is on the last page of the chapter and in the vocabulary practice on the course website.
• Each exam is a similar format. Therefore, after the first one, you will have a clearer picture of what the remaining exams will be like.
• Use the practice materials on the course website to test yourself beforehand. This is how you can confirm how well you know the content. See this video.
• Set your keyboard to type accents before starting the test.

17.7 Cumulative Final Exam
This exam will cover the Conéctate sections Comunicación, Vocabulario and Estructura (including Para saber más) for chapters one through four. The exam tests for recall memory instead of recognition memory. Vocabulary, verbs, etc. need to be memorized including spelling and accent marks. This will be taken on Canvas. The Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor is required.

Format:

• Multiple choice, Matching, Fill in the blank
• The final exam has 25 sections. Each is worth four points.
  • Four sections are multiple choice or matching.
  • Twenty one sections are fill in the blank.
• It is the same length as a chapter test.

17.x Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor

• The Respondus Monitor requires that your computer have a webcam. Please ensure that your webcam is functional as soon as possible.
• The Respondus Lockdown Browser only works on Windows and MacOS. If you only have access to a Chromebook or Linux computer, please take these assignments in the WLMS, UH 3007. If you live outside the Birmingham area or are unable to make it to the WLMS during open hours, please contact your instructor to proctor your assignments via Zoom.
• Make sure you will have a solid WiFi connection during the test and that your testing environment has no interruptions. Go as close as possible to your router or wireless access point to achieve the strongest WiFi signal possible. If possible, use ethernet instead of WiFi. If your computer has no ethernet port, you could consider buying a USB to ethernet adapter (with at least USB 3 and gigabit speed). Test your internet speed at speedtest.net or just search "speed test" on the web. You will need to turn off devices in your home which emit their own signal at the same frequency and would interfere with your WiFi. For example, baby monitors often use the 2.4 Ghz range, and will greatly hurt internet connnectivity using this same range.
• Before beginning your assignment, it is recommended to reboot your computer to clear out the RAM usage. Close every application except for the Respondus browser before starting your assignment to minimize RAM and bandwidth usage. Your instructor recommends having a minimum of eight gigabytes of RAM.
• Please take the troubleshooting quiz at the bottom of our syllabus calendar before your first Respondus assignment.
• Make sure you have set up your keyboard to type accents prior to starting the Respondus Lockdown Browser to complete your assignment.
• If you are unable to type accents in the Respondus Lockdown Browser, you can click on the accent button in the top left.
• When you click on an assessment in Canvas which requires the Respondus Lockdown Browser, it will automatically prompt you to download and install it if not already installed. Installation requires that you have administrative privileges on the computer you are using.

18. Course Calendar
This course is organized by chapter and chapter sub-sections. You can see all assignments and calendar entries from the Calendar (left-side menu in Canvas) or from our syllabus/home page in Canvas. The syllabus page has dark lines separating each chapter.
In the Canvas syllabus calendar / home page, each chapter sub-section that has a calendar icon, i.e. , communicates a "soft" deadline for when you should be completing the sections within each chapter. (However, the calendar item for the MH Connect mid-chapter deadline is a "hard" deadline.) Completion of each chapter section includes McGraw Hill Connect and the corresponding sections on the course website. (See the Participation section of this syllabus.)

• It is important to populate your personal calendar with all assignments and to create ample reminders so no assignment is missed.
• It is essential to work on content regularly. No subject is learned well by cramming, especially a language.
• See Canvas for the assignment calendar and assignment due dates.

19. UAB Early Alert System (EAS)
EAS is designed to help students be more successful academically at UAB. If you receive an email with EAS in the title, please open it, read it, and take advantage of the support that UAB offers to all students. UAB is committed to ensuring that students receive academic support and that they are aware of the resources available for their academic success.

20. The UAB Academic Honor Code
UAB expects all students to function according to the highest ethical and professional standards. Academic misconduct undermines the purpose of education. Unacceptable behaviors such as abetting, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and misrepresentation are serious violations of the UAB Academic Honor Code and are punishable by a range of penalties. For more information, please visit the UAB website at: uab.edu/one-stop/policies/academic-integrity-code

21. UAB Disability Support Services (DSS)
DSS provides a broad array of services and technologies to make the UAB campus and education accessible for everyone. UAB DSS website: uab.edu/dss

22. Notice of Nondiscrimination
In accordance with Title IX, the University of Alabama at Birmingham does not discriminate on the basis of gender in any of its programs or services. The University is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination based on gender and expects individuals who live, work, teach, and study within this community to contribute positively to the environment and to refrain from behaviors that threaten the freedom or respect that every member of our community deserves.

23. Title IX Statement
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to providing an environment that is free from sexual misconduct, which includes gender-based assault, harassment, exploitation, dating and domestic violence, stalking, as well as discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you have experienced any of the aforementioned conduct we encourage you to report the incident. UAB provides several avenues for reporting. For more information about Title IX, policy, reporting, protections, resources and supports, please visit UAB Title IX webpage for UAB’s Title IX, UAB’s Equal Opportunity, Anti-Harassment, Duty to Report, and Non-Retaliation policies.

24. Student Record Privacy/FERPA
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. It is a federal law governing the privacy and handling of educational records and giving specific rights to students. According to FERPA, students are the only ones who can speak with the professor about their grades. The instructor may not discuss student grades with parents or family unless the student requests said disclosure and signs a disclosure waiver.