(ANN-21-03) FSA Partner Connect Training – Webinars, Tutorials, and Other Training Opportunities Now Available

Publication Date
March 11, 2021
DCL ID
ANN-21-03
Subject
FSA Partner Connect Training – Webinars, Tutorials, and Other Training Opportunities Now Available
Summary
We are pleased to announce the availability of FSA Partner Connect training designed to help the financial aid community understand and navigate the new FSA Partner Connect website when it is launched in late March 2021. Live webinars begin the week of March 22. Other valuable resources are available now.
Dear Colleague:

FSA Partner Connect—available on March 28, 2021, at fsapartners.ed.gov—is a new portal for our community of institutional and financial partners. As we prepare for the upcoming launch, we are pleased to announce the availability of a comprehensive set of training resources on the Federal Student Aid E-Training website. With training opportunities that include live and recorded webinars, tutorials, and quick reference job aids, users of FSA Partner Connect will be equipped with multiple tools and resources for success.

In a Feb. 25 Electronic Announcement, we provided initial information about the upcoming launch of the website. Additional information about access to FSA Partner Connect and the transition of the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website to the Knowledge Center was provided in a March 9 Electronic Announcement.

In this Training Announcement, we describe what training resources are available to provide greater detail about the features of FSA Partner Connect and offer users an opportunity to explore the new site.

FSA Partner Connect Training on fsatraining.ed.gov

We have designed a series of FSA Partner Connect training resources in different formats including:

  • Live Webinars – One hour, instructor-led presentations with opportunities for live Q&A, knowledge checks to gauge your understanding of the material, and live demonstrations of FSA Partner Connect.

  • Webinar Recordings – Recordings of the presentations given during live webinars, providing viewers the opportunity to pause, rewind, or skip sections. This version of the webinar is approximately 30 minutes long and is available for you to revisit at any time.

  • Tutorials – Concise, narrated walk-throughs of key FSA Partner Connect features and functionality. Use these for step-by-step guidance on specific FSA Partner Connect processes.

  • Job Aids – Reference documents that provide step-by-step instructions and context for specific tasks or functions within FSA Partner Connect.

These resources have been customized to meet the needs of different FSA Partner Connect user types.

To access FSA Partner Connect training, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to Federal Student Aid E-Training with your username and password. If you do not have a username and password for Federal Student Aid E-Training, scroll to the bottom of the login page, click on "Create new account" and follow the instructions to create a username and password.

  2. After logging in, select “Training Courses” from the main menu bar.

  3. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose “FSA Partner Connect.”

  4. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose “FSA Partner Connect.”

  5. From the main FSA Partner Connect training page, select the icon for your user type. We have grouped the user types into the following categories:

    • School Partner – Employee of a postsecondary institution, third-party servicer, state agency, accrediting agency, or third-party software provider.

    • Financial Partner – Employee of a guaranty agency, federal loan servicer, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program lender or lender servicer, or private collection agency.

    • General Public – All others.

Once you have selected your user type, you may explore the available topics to find training resources that fit your needs and interests. Topics include:

  • Introducing FSA Partner Connect – A general overview of FSA Partner Connect functionality including new features, basic site navigation, and an in-depth look at your tailored dashboard.

  • FSA Partner Connect Knowledge Center – Learn about the replacement for the IFAP website including the new design, where to find FSA resources, and how to use the advanced search feature.

  • Partner Profiles and Student, Parent, Borrower Accounts – Learn about the feature that provides authenticated users with a comprehensive and consolidated view of account information for students, parents, and/or borrowers.

  • FSA Partner Connect Account Access Management – Learn about managing FSA Partner Connect account access for users at your institution (intended for Primary or Secondary Administrators).

  • Live Webinar Calendar – View the list of upcoming live webinars designed for your user type. Choose “Add to Calendar” to download a Zoom webinar invitation for a session and add it your calendar. Adding the webinar to your calendar does not guarantee a spot in the session; participation in each live webinar is limited to 3,000 attendees and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: Webinar recordings have no participation limits and are available at any time.

We hope you find this collection of training materials useful as you prepare for the launch of FSA Partner Connect later this month. After FSA Partner Connect is live, you may wish to return to these materials as you begin to incorporate the site’s tools and resources in your daily work.

Contact Information

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are available on the FSA Partner Connect Information page on the Knowledge Center website. This information page is a centralized location for communications and training information specifically about FSA Partner Connect. We will update the page and the FAQs throughout March 2021.

If you have a question specifically about accessing the FSA Partner Connect training resources on Federal Student Aid E-Training, please contact us at helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.

All other questions related to FSA Partner Connect should be directed to the new FSA Partner Connect Help Center when it is operational closer to the launch date. More details about the Help Center will be provided in a forthcoming announcement. In the meantime, please refer to the FAQs described above.

Sincerely,

Federal Student Aid

Last Modified: 03/25/2021