Please find below four assertions:
Firstly, we cannot pass student work to the ESR assessors for inspection
if the student's name can be identified unless we get the student's prior
permission. Ergo, all work in the boxes that assessors can inspect must
either be anonymised (remove student's name and student's ID number), or we
must ask the student for explicit written permission that the material is
shown to the assessors - and no reply from the student means no permission.
Secondly, we cannot provide lists of student names or ID numbers with
marks for the ESR assessors unless we get similar student permission or if
we anonymise. It would be simplest to give a list of the marks we gave
(23,30,44*,47,48,49,55*,60...), indicating, which items are supplied to the
ESR assessors by means of asterisks and avoid all use of student ID numbers
or names.
Thirdly, although not a breach of the data protection act, it is an
invasion of student privacy to have an ESR assessor sit in on a one to one
session between a member of staff and a student, and would strongly
recommend this is not done unless we have cleared it with the student in
advance. It's not such a problem with groups, as individual students are
not known to the assessors, but in one to one situation, the student's
identity will become known to the assessor.
Finally, an individual is entitled to see what has been written about
him/her by an ESR assessor. If say, a member of staff or student is
concerned (or just plain curious) about what might have been recorded about
him or her, he or she is entitled to see the record, and is entitled to
make comments on it if he or she believes the comments are factually
incorrect. This legal right over-rides the confidentiality of the ESR
process.
Grateful for comments from list members whether they agree with these four
assertions.
Professor Charles Oppenheim
Dept of Information Science
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leics LE11 3TU
Tel 01509-223065
Fax 01509-223053
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