My opinion on this would be that the scenario would not comply with the
research purpose. No research information on individuals should be published
without consent, and even then I think there are ethical concerns.
Mike Lloyd
Assistant Head (Research and Policy Development)
Information Systems and e-Learning Services
University of Glamorgan
Llantwit Road
Treforest
CF37 1DL
Tel: 01443 482417
Email: [log in to unmask]
> ----------
> From: Jan Smith
> Reply To: Jan Smith
> Sent: Thursday, May 1, 2003 11:02 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: DPA and VLEs
>
> Dear all,
>
> Many thanks to those who replied to my query. However, I'd like to push
> this a little further in response to Charles' reply to my question:
>
> > > If it
> > > does constitute personal data, then I have a further question
> regarding
> > > whether or not existing institutional registrations cover this kind of
> data
> > > collection and manipulation.
> >
> >It is about your own institutional notification :-)
> >Probably covered OK ... all IT systems are not that dissimilar.
>
> Does our registration for educational purposes *really* include the
> ability
> to collect, monitor, analyse, assess (and research and publish) on our
> students' online study habits?
>
> As an example, a student can turn in an essay on a conventionally-taught
> course, it's pretty grim and gets marked accordingly. The tutor suspects
> it
> was written in the two hours before class. Same scenario for a VLE-based
> course. The tutor can now go and check when and how long that student was
> logged on for. And still give the essay a poor mark, but maybe also draw
> some other conclusions as to why it was done a 3am :-) Then the tutor
> writes and web publishes a case study about their VLE based course,
> pointing out that it was run for the 6 postgrads in aquatic husbandry
> (says
> she, desperately hoping there's no such thing - no offence intended!) at
> the University of Poppleton in 2002. These students are identifiable, and
> the case study draws attention to the one student who logged on and did
> all
> their work at 3 in the morning...
>
> This kind of scenario is beginning to make me a little uncomfortable. And
> I'm pretty sure standard notifications to students about the data we will
> collect - and what we will do with it - don't begin to cover this.
>
> Again, I'd be glad for some more views.
>
> Regards,
> Jan
>
> --------------------------
> Jan Smith
> University College London
> Torrington Place
> London WC1E 7JE
>
> t: 020 7679 (3)3982
> f: 020 7388 9325
>
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