U.S. INSTITUTE OF
PUBLIC EDUCATION
UNITED STATES UNIVERSITY
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USU ONLINE SCHOOL · IMPLEMENTATION AND TRUST

The operating architecture behind the learning experience.

This living implementation inventory distinguishes the public experience already available from secure services that require staffing, policy, licensing, identity, data, and operational configuration.

SERVICE STATUS

Working

Public institutional pages, civic catalog discovery, filters, portal previews, responsive navigation, and external resource pathways.

Demonstration

Role dashboards, family collaboration, learning sequences, research journeys, and activity entry points using synthetic information.

Awaiting configuration

School identity, enrollment, official records, protected workbooks, messages, live classes, payments, storage, notifications, and vendor integrations.

Planned

Advanced simulations, AI study support, analytics, research publication, microgrants, equipment workflows, and cross-institute reuse.

ROLE AND PERMISSION MATRIX

Access follows purpose, relationship, and record category.

RecordStudentGuardianFamily workspaceEducatorAdministration
Academic learningOwn recordAuthorized childExplicitly sharedAssigned learnersAudited oversight
Private reflectionOwn recordNo automatic accessOnly when sharedOnly when sharedRestricted
Attendance & gradesOwn recordIf authorizedApproved outcome onlyAssigned learnersRegistrar roles
Family workspaceShared itemsAuthorized householdShared itemsConference contextRestricted support
Financial recordsNoneSeparate authorityNoneNoneFinance roles
Safeguarding recordsAs policy permitsAs policy permitsNever sharedNamed respondersAudited restricted roles

SYSTEM OF RECORD AND INTEGRATIONS

One accountable owner for every class of information.

FunctionPrimary component to evaluateAuthoritative recordsStatus
IdentityManaged identity providerPeople, roles, verification, sessions, MFA, passkeys, SSOAwaiting selection
LearningMoodle or Canvas with H5PCourses, assignments, assessments, grades, learning activityEvaluation required
School recordsStudent information systemAdmissions, enrollment, attendance, transcripts, consentProcurement required
Application dataManaged PostgreSQLFamily permissions, workbooks, appointments, plans, workflowsArchitecture ready
Media & live learningManaged video + BigBlueButton or approved serviceVideo, captions, recordings, classrooms, tutoringLicensing required
CommunityLMS discussion or moderated community serviceForums, clubs, parent community, moderation, retentionSafeguarding review
PaymentsHosted checkout providerTransactions and receipts; payment details remain with providerOptional configuration
Support & operationsHelp desk, monitoring, incident managementTickets, devices, incidents, backups, recoveryOperations setup

Supported LTI and OneRoster connections are preferred where suitable. Every integration requires documented synchronization, retry, conflict handling, export, accessibility, child-use eligibility, licensing, and data terms.

CORE DATA MODEL

Portable records with deliberate separation.

  • People and multi-role identities
  • Family memberships and verified guardian permissions
  • Institutions, courses, sections, and enrollments
  • Modules, lessons, resources, activities, and licenses
  • Submissions, assessments, grades, attendance, and appeals
  • Workbooks, versions, portfolios, simulations, and research projects
  • Messages, appointments, forms, consent, and notification delivery
  • Emergency plans, continuity records, support tickets, and financial references

ACCOUNTABLE PEOPLE

Technology operates within a staffed institution.

  • School leadership and institutional oversight
  • Curriculum, teaching, assessment, and registrar services
  • Family engagement, learner support, accessibility, and safeguarding
  • Library stewardship, Heartwork review, and emergency-content review
  • Identity, security, privacy, IT support, and continuity
  • Vendor management, finance, communications, moderation, and data governance

SECURITY AND RELIABILITY

Protected by design.

Encryption, least privilege, audit logs, upload scanning, input validation, rate limits, cross-family isolation testing, backups, restoration drills, monitored queues, incident response, release controls, migrations, and rollback procedures.

PRIVACY AND CHILD PROTECTION

Rights made visible.

Plain-language notices, verified relationships, consent records, access and correction workflows, controlled exports, retention rules, shared-device protection, safeguarding procedures, trained responders, and qualified FERPA and COPPA review.

ACCESSIBILITY

Core pathways for every learner.

WCAG 2.2 AA direction, keyboard and screen-reader use, visible focus, captions, transcripts, accessible equations and exports, reduced motion, multilingual review, lower-bandwidth delivery, and equivalent alternatives.

COST MODEL

Fund the full operating system.

Licenses, hosting, storage, video delivery, AI usage, communications, support, accessibility, security, staffing, moderation, training, equipment, content review, backups, and continuous maintenance.

PRIORITIZED DELIVERY

  1. 01

    Core portals and learning

    Identity, enrollment, course delivery, library, accessibility, safeguarding, emergency essentials, and operational ownership.

  2. 02

    Family collaboration and support

    Verified guardians, permissions, shared workspaces, conferences, accommodations, tutoring, and continuity.

  3. 03

    Expanded libraries and simulations

    Catalog stewardship, workbooks, video, licensed tools, laboratories, research studios, and printable alternatives.

  4. 04

    Advanced automation and analytics

    Permission-aware search, transparent dashboards, integration queues, and responsible AI learning assistance.

Acceptance is demonstrated through complete journeys.

Enroll a learner → verify and link a guardian → complete a module → submit work → receive teacher feedback → share only the permitted outcome in the Family Portal.

Release verification includes multiple children and guardians, revoked access, restricted records, login recovery, direct-link controls, persistence, moderation, failed notifications, accessible navigation, offline continuity, backup restoration, and human review.