One of the ongoing struggles of the educational technologist is dealing with FERPA law and instructor/student expectations. Frequently an instructor will want to use a tool (hosted on campus or elsewhere) and want students to have access to the tool via automatic rostering. Registrars can sometimes be hesitant to share this data.
The health sector is actually working on this problem. In an interesting post about the concept of “meaningful use” the author shows how restrictions on data might be loosened a bit to the benefit of everyone involved(Analysis: A defining moment for “meaningful use” – O’Reilly Radar). One example:
Another important relaxation is in the area of e-prescribing. This is the ability to electronically send an accurate and understandable prescription directly to a pharmacy.
By focusing on exactly how information might be used by stakeholders, rather than enforcing blanket restrictions, there may be some real gains in the quality of patient care. I think a similar concept for FERPA might have similar benefit.