Upcoming FSA Training
By Bill Ryan, FSA

Electronic Applications Training (Ends in April)
Find out about new tools, functionality, and changes that will help you manage application data at your institution. Electronic Applications Training is a one-day course for financial aid staff who have day-to-day responsibilities in processing and managing student applications. Our training features hands-on computer exercises designed to give you the opportunity to explore:

• The enhanced FAA Access to CPS Online Web site, featuring real-time corrections and instant access to student data.
• The ISIR Datamart, a new process for requesting a single ISIR or specified group of ISIRs at any time.
• Building queries to select the application data you need.

Go to www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0401.html for the full announcement and registration instructions. Classes will be held in FSA regional office facilities and institutional locations.

Audience: Intermediate or advanced users of FSA’s application processing systems.

Fundamentals of Title IV Administration (Offered Every Month)
This program is a comprehensive four and a half day course, aimed at beginners, that touches on all aspects of administering the Title IV student aid programs, including laws and regulations, administrative and financial systems, application processing, verification, disbursing funds, and reporting requirements. Locations vary, but “Fundamentals” is delivered once a month in one of FSA’s regional office facilities.

For a schedule, click here: https://sfa.onsaba.net/SabaWeb.

Audience: Required for schools beginning their participation in the Title IV programs, recommended for brand-new financial aid administration staff.

24/7: EDExpress Basics
Again for 2004-2005, EDExpress and EDConnect software basics training will be a computer/web-based training product available through the Internet to all schools. Just as with the 2003-04 training, EDExpress Basics will focus on providing users with the basic skills required to access and navigate the software.

By using the software in a simulated environment, users will gain an understanding of the fundamental EDExpress and EDConnect functions. This training will be a resource for on-the-job training and re-training in the use of EDExpress. Some of the basic skills covered are:

• EDExpress Menus
• Navigation
• Importing and Exporting Data
• Using EDConnect to transmit data
• Using Help screens
• Queries
• Setup screens for all modules
• Functionality of all EDExpress modules/screens

The 2004-05 modules that are currently available are Global Functions and Application Processing. To access them, click here: http://ifap.ed.gov/edexpress/index.htm The next modules – Packaging, Pell, and Direct Loan – will be available in late spring.

Audience: Financial aid office staff with day-to-day responsibilities using the EDExpress software.

24/7: FSA COACH
FSA COACH is a 36-lesson online training program offering around 40 hours of self-paced instruction on management requirements for Title IV federal student aid programs. Learners complete interactive exercises that reinforce their understanding of Title IV rules, processes, and terminology. The course includes links to other Web sites where more detailed information on topics can be found, and recommendations for additional training. FSA COACH is updated for each award year. You can find it at www.ed.gov/fsacoach.

Audience: Brand-new financial aid staff.

On-line, instructor-led sessions on Pell and Direct Loan Processing
(Offered in late April and during the summer)
FSA will offer several different on-line, instructor-led training sessions on Direct Loan and Pell processing: Originations, Disbursements, and Account Reconciliation, and an additional course on queries. Each session will focus on the program specific areas that are key to providing funds to your students, and all of the courses focus on using EDExpress to process your student data.

To register, go to www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/training/index.html

You’ll attend each session in a dedicated virtual training “classroom” right on your computer’s Internet browser. Each session will be facilitated by Department of Education trainers who will guide you through hands-on software exercises designed to teach best practices in each program area. Look for an announcement with all the details coming soon.

Audience: Intermediate or advanced users of FSA’s application processing systems.

Fall 2004: R2T4, Verification and Conflicting Information
These one-day workshops will use a combination of case studies, group exercises, and a lecture to present updated information on the key topics of R2T4, including information about the R2T4 “Dear Colleague” letter posted on IFAP in February, Verification, and Conflicting Information.

Approximately 45 sessions of this training will be offered in FSA’s Regional Training Offices as well as at selected colleges and universities. The training teams will consist of one FSA trainer and one financial aid administrator.

Audience: Experienced Financial Aid Administrators.

Getting It Right! (Offered from February-April, 2005)
"Getting It Right" training focuses on the most common and highest liability findings Title IV aid schools incur from audits and programs, except those pertaining to the Federal Perkins Loan Program. The training provides guidance to the financial aid administrators and fiscal officers of these schools as well as their third-party servicers and presidents of proprietary institutions in avoiding these findings. This guidance stresses how important it is for schools to develop policies and procedures that effectively avoid them.

The major component to deliver this training will consist of fifty-two, one-day nationwide workshops held in the continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. Thirty of these workshops will be offered at ED's Regional Training Facilities (RTFs) and the remainder at off-site locations (namely, school sites) between late February and late April 2005.

Audience: Experienced Financial Aid Administrators.

TFAP: FSA’s New Training Web Page
“Training for Financial Aid Professionals” (TFAP) has replaced the FSA University Web site. You can use it to find a complete list of current and future training activities and learning resources provided by the Federal Student Aid programs.

To help you choose training that's tailored to your needs, we've identified the experience level and functional role appropriate for each series. If you're in the first two years on the job, or just want a "refresher,", see our listings for “New Financial Aid Professionals.”

If you need training on a specific financial aid system or in a specialized area of financial aid administration, check out courses in “Training for Specific Functions.”
Courses include traditional classroom training, Web-based tutorials, and real-time, instructor-led web-based training. You can access TFAP at www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/training/index.html.

Audience: The financial aid community