ARTICLE INTENDED FOR:

Faculty and staff Starfish users

INTRODUCTION:

This document addresses how faculty and staff can request access to Starfish. By accepting a role in Starfish, users are accepting the user policies and expectations to (a) protect the privacy of student records and (b) maintain standards of accurate and ethical record-keeping.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: Complete FERPA Training Module

In order to access Starfish as a faculty/staff member, you are first required to complete Penn State’s FERPA Tutorial and Quiz. If you do not complete this training, a Starfish role will not be assigned. This course can be found in Penn State's Learning Resource Network (LRN). Once in the LRN, you will need to log in and authenticate with your Penn State WebAccess account in order to take the course.

1. Complete Penn State’s FERPA Tutorial and Quiz.

• • For most users, this was probably done on accepting employment at Penn State.
  • If you believe you have already taken the course, you should check your LRN transcript to verify that this step has been completed. Your transcript can be found under the “Learning” menu item in the LRN.

STEP 2: Requesting Access to Starfish

1. Go to the Starfish Info website to view all Starfish roles.
2. Determine the most appropriate role(s) for your job function by clicking on a role name to see its associated privileges and request procedures.
   
   • Users may have multiple Starfish roles and will inherit the highest-level privileges among the roles.
   • Users should use the fewest number of roles needed for the fulfillment of their job responsibilities.
3. For automatically assigned roles, Starfish roles are derived from LionPATH information and updated nightly. Starfish roles for faculty and staff in The Graduate School are derived from information in the Graduate Program Management System (GPMS).  
   
   • Use these Knowledge Base resources to learn how to log in and the basics of working with Starfish.
   • Other self-help resources can be found on the Starfish Info website under how-to guides for faculty/staff.
   • Roles are both assigned and removed automatically based on information from systems of record.
4. For undergraduate student employee roles, contact your supervisor and ask them how you can get Starfish access for your role.
5. For locally assigned roles (including University-wide, learning center, orientation, and World Campus roles), Starfish roles must be delegated in Starfish Role Management (SRM) by the Role Manager for your area, college, or campus. You will not be able to request the role directly in the SRM. If you are unsure of whom to contact, your Starfish Contact Network representative can direct you to the appropriate person.
6. For requested roles (including general-use roles and restricted roles), Starfish roles must be requested by the user through Starfish Role Management (SRM).

1. 1. Click the link to Starfish Role Management (SRM). The “Welcome to the Starfish Role Management” screen is displayed.
   2. Click the “LOG IN” button. It may be necessary to log in via WebAccess/2FA. 

1. 3. If this is your first time logging in to the SRM, you will need to accept a user agreement detailing expectations for Starfish usage. Once you have accepted the user agreement once, you will not need to do so again unless there have been revisions to the agreement since you last logged in to the SRM.

4. Click the “New Request” button.

NOTE: If you have not completed the Starfish Orientation, a link to the orientation module will be displayed.

1. 4. On the “Request Roles” screen, search or browse for the role(s) you are requesting.

1. 5. Review the role description to ensure that the role is appropriate for your job needs.
   6. Select your manager from the dropdown menu.

1. 5.  

   6. —OR—

      If someone else should approve your Starfish request, click “Search for my manager,” enter their name or user ID, and select the appropriate person from the list.

NOTE: Roles requested through the SRM require approval from your supervisor, Starfish data steward, and in some cases, the parent office.

1. 7. You may see additional fields with options related to the specific role you are requesting (e.g., organization, kiosk, or service). If you see any of these extra fields, select only the items that you know apply to your particular job needs. If you make an error in your selections, these can be corrected later in the approval process.
   8. Click on the checkbox to agree to policies on student records and confidentiality.

1. 9. Click “Request Role” to submit the request.
   10. Wait for manager approval (see Steps 3 and 4 below). 

7. If your job responsibilities do not match a currently configured role, contact the Starfish Administrator for guidance.

STEP 3: Manager Options After Receiving Request (For SRM Requests Only, see 2.5)

When your manager receives the request, they can perform one of the following actions:

• Approve – requests are forwarded to your manager.
• Reject – requests are returned to you with comments on why the request was rejected.
• Return – requests are returned to you because additional information is needed to process the request. Returned requests can then be resubmitted for approval upon updating the request with required information.
• Edit – only minor changes are necessary for approval. You can edit and approve the request.

STEP 4: Review the Request Status (For SRM Requests Only, see 2.5)

When the status of your request is updated, you will be notified by email. NOTE: Request fulfillment through the SRM typically takes 24–72 hours.

1. When you receive a role request status email, click the link in the email to view your submitted requests.
2. In the SRM, click on the triple-bar (or hamburger) menu in the upper-right corner, and click “Requests” to view the request details.

3. Select the “Process ID” to view the request details.

STEP 5: Access and Use Starfish

1. Consult these Knowledge Base resources to learn how to log in and the basics of working with Starfish.
2. Review other self-help resources on the Starfish Info website under how-to guides for faculty/staff.

STEP 6: Remove Starfish Role

If a Starfish role is no longer relevant to the work you do, you should remove yourself from the role to maintain an appropriate level of access. To remove yourself from a Starfish role, you will follow the same process you used to add that role:

• If you were automatically assigned a role, you will be taken out of that role automatically when you no longer meet the role criteria in LionPATH or the Graduate Program Management System (GPMS; i.e., you no longer have any students on your LionPATH roster, you change job titles in the GPMS, or you are no longer an active student in LionPATH). If there are any students remaining on your LionPATH roster, you will remain in the Starfish role until the student(s) are reassigned or removed from your roster in LionPATH.
• If you requested role, you will be removed when you request to be removed by submitting a ticket. There are also audits of these roles in which users who should no longer have access to the role are removed.
• If you were delegated a role locally, you will be removed when you contact the person responsible for local delegation in your area. There are also audits of these roles in which users who should no longer have access to the role are removed.
• Note: Users who leave Penn State will lose access to Starfish automatically, according to the technology deprovisioning process.

LINKS:

• Starfish: User Policies and Expectations
• Starfish: Log In to Starfish
• Starfish: Basics of Working with Starfish
• Starfish: Assign Roles to Users in Starfish Using Starfish Role Management (SRM)
• How-To Guides for Faculty/Staff
• All Starfish Roles