(ANN-24-14) Updated Course Offerings ‒ Newly Redesigned Learning Tracks and FSA Basic Training for New Staff for 2024‒25 Award Year

Publication Date
August 05, 2024
DCL ID
ANN-24-14
Subject
Updated Course Offerings ‒ Newly Redesigned Learning Tracks and FSA Basic Training for New Staff for 2024‒25 Award Year
Summary
This letter announces the newly redesigned and updated FSA Training Center offerings in the Learning Tracks category as well as an updated FSA Basic Training for New Staff course. The updated content is available as of Aug. 5, 2024.

Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to announce that the Learning Tracks available in the FSA Training Center have been updated with 2024–25 content as of Aug. 5, 2024. Learning Tracks offer short, focused courses on single-item subjects in categories such as Funds Management, Packaging Aid, and School Eligibility. For 2024–25, there are nine categories offering 34 different “tracks.”

Learning Tracks are award year specific. You are encouraged to complete training each year to keep your understanding of the topic current. Your Record of Learning will reflect this, and you will be able to download Certificates of Completion for completing the new year’s tracks.

Track Spotlight

We have developed several new learning tracks for the 2024–25 award year:

  • Citizenship Eligibility in the Aid Application Process category

  • Aid Administration for Programs Offered in Modules in the Modules category

  • Managing a Federal Perkins Loan Portfolio in the Grants and Work Study category

We are also pleased to announce that the FSA Basic Training for New Staff training course has been updated with 2024–25 content on Aug. 5, 2024. This asynchronous, online course is designed for newly hired, entry-level financial aid administrators (FAAs) as well as school officials from outside the financial aid office who want to learn how to administer the federal student aid programs. It can also be used as a comprehensive refresher course for more experienced staff.

By completing the 12 modules in this course, you will gain a basic understanding of the parts and pieces of federal student aid administration. You may complete the modules in any order you wish. The course is self-paced and takes 30–40 hours to complete.

Note: We also offer FSA Fundamentals Online, a training course that provides comprehensive instruction on the administration of the federal student aid programs. While these two courses are similar in content, they are designed for unique audiences and are also unique in course design. To ensure that you are enrolling in the course that is right for you, please view the short video titled “Fundamentals vs Basics: Which FSA Training is Right for You?” that is available from the “Start Your Training Here” icon in the center of the FSA Training Center homepage.

To access the updated content, log into the FSA Training Center with your username and password:

  • To access Learning Tracks, select “Learning Tracks” from the main menu bar. From the drop-down menu, choose a category, such as “Grants and Work Study.” Choose the track you wish to complete from the list of available tracks. Select "Start Here" to launch the track.

  • To access FSA Basic Training for New Staff 2024–25, select “Training Courses” from the main menu bar. From the drop-down menu, choose “FSA Basic Training for New Staff” and then select "Start Here" to launch the course.

Note: If you do not have a username and password for the FSA Training Center, scroll to the bottom of the login page and choose "Create new account." Follow the instructions to create a username and password.

We look forward to your participation in these training opportunities. If you have questions, please send an email to helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.

Sincerely,

Federal Student Aid