Student Privacy
Southeastern Technical College utilizes (1) secure logins/pass codes and (2) proctored events to verify the identity of students enrolled in distance education courses.
Students are responsible for providing their complete and true identity information in any identification verification process. Students are instructed not to share their login credentials with anyone and to change passwords periodically to maintain security.
Additionally, Southeastern Technical College protects the privacy of all students through strict adherence to the rules of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). FERPA information is located on the College's website and in the Catalog and Handbook.
Secure Logins/Pass Code
Students are admitted, registered, and enrolled in an Oracle database called Banner that includes all student institutional history, as well as some biographical information. This data is encrypted and students do not have direct access to the Oracle database or its host server from outside the school network. Students in the Banner system are provided a web portal (BannerWeb) to access most of their own student information such as grades, awards, bills, etc. This information is protected at the physical level by encryption and at the user level by a user id and password combination login. A student's user ID is comprised of a non-associative, sequentially generated number and a complex password which must be at least 8 characters long and include at least 3 of the 4 characteristics:
- Upper Case Letter
- Lower Case Letter
- Numeric Character
- Special Character
Students are responsible for providing their complete and true identity information in any identification verification process. Students should never give someone his or her ID or password or allow others to use his or her account. Students are responsible for guarding and changing passwords periodically to maintain security.
At the time of enrollment into a course, students are automatically enrolled in Blackboard and a secure login is created. Students enrolled in distance education courses must use their secure login to access courses in Blackboard. The secure login information identifies students to the system on each course visit. Students use Blackboard to submit assignments, assessments, access course materials, and view grades. From the time of the first student logon to Blackboard, STC faculty and staff do not have access to students' Blackboard pass codes. Reliability, privacy, safety, and security for Blackboard courses are provided by the Georgia Virtual Technical Connection (GVTC) blackboard server.
Student Email is a secure logon environment. The identity of all students is verified through the use of a secure and unique nine digit student identification number. This identification number is utilized as part of the student's username when accessing the student email. Additionally, STC utilizes Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to establish an encrypted link between the web server and the client's browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and web browser remain private and integral. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites in the protection of online transactions with users.