Legislation is slowly being enacted to safeguard student privacy in light of the use of Technology Assisted Education (TAE) becoming more widespread. Since governmental legislation is unbearably slow, what can be done in the meantime to protect student privacy?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/technology/with-tech-taking-over-in-schools-worries-rise.html?action=click&contentCollection=Technology®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article&_r=0
This is a very interesting question, and one that is not easy to answer. The technology often brings nice benefits along with it, but may also have its downsides. Take Turnitin, for example... Aside from helping to prevent plagiarism, it helps with grading, providing feedback to students, and helping to improve the students' referencing and writing skills. On the other hand, Turnitin has a history of privacy and intellectual property criticism and objections from both students and faculty around the world. This concern has also surfaced recently at our institution. The same also goes for other companies that offer similar services; compared to the others, Turnitin actually still seems more compliant and trustworthy. Our take is not to use the software blindly or just with any assessment but to at least adjust the settings for less risk, and to inform the students well during the process of using the software. Like I have mentioned earlier, it is a deep question... Would be keen to hear what examples or responses others may provide in the future.
Emre
Dr. E
The privacy of student interests and performance is paramount to nurture, and this has been known at least since the time of Public Law 93-380. It is not that law is slow. Rather, it is recalcitrant that administrators are with regard to implementation of FERPA.
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