9 Privacy

As instructors, we are morally and legally obligated to protect our students privacy. Internet security and privacy is federally regulated by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). In British Columbia, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act legislates the guidelines and actions that educators must follow in order to ensure that the personal identity and information of our students is not inappropriately collected (Canada, 2021; Klassen, n.d.; Table of Contents – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2021).

Prior to implementation of new digital tools, web based platforms and other educational technologies, each must be carefully evaluated for security and privacy. When evaluating the security and privacy policies of individual tools, the educator should challenge it against a set of questions:

1. Where is the information stored? If the servers are outside of Canada, student information is at risk.
2. What information is collected? Less is better. If students are required to create an account, their information can be compromised.
3. How difficult is it to remove information? If a platform has no way of completely deleting sensitive information, students can be compromised.

The Selkirk College Teaching and Learning Institute has drafted an algorithm to assist instructors in evaluating an educational technology for safety (Appendix A).

These restrictions drastically limit the volume and diversity of digital tools and instructors may wish to use a technology that does not meet these regulations. While there remains a lack of clarity on how to proceed (Klassen, n.d.), Selkirk College has made a process available as outlined in the above algorithm, but must inform the students of the intent, offer options that achieve the same intended outcomes, and gain their written consent (Appendix B).