Digital Identity Digest (March 2019)
What are universities doing with all the data they collect about you? The Ubyssey published an article about how UBC intends to use students’ data to provide insights to support teaching and learning through its learning analytics project. Although it sounds like a positive development in education, some people are concerned about whether the extensive […]
The LMS IRL: Strangers in the Classroom
The Learning Management System in Real Life Unknown Strangers in the Classroom Imagine yourself walking into a classroom. At the front of the room, your instructor is seated with six other people. These people have clipboards, stopwatches, and take extensive notes. Unlike your instructor, the identities of these six people are unknown; they’re all wearing […]
Connect Exposed Video
The Video Two UBC students talk about how they use Connect and then watch a video that explains how Connect collects student data and generates reports that instructors can view. They express concerns about how this data is collected and about the affect that it may have on their grades. Overall, they believe that a […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Blog 7)
The Data After a long period of waiting, and a short period of complaining, I’ve received my personal data from UBC’s Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard Connect. I’m impressed with, and unsettled by, the amount of data that I’ve been given. It’s from every course at UBC that I’ve ever been enrolled in, including those […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Blog 6)
The History It’s been over 60 working days since I first made my request to UBC for access to my personal data that was collected and stored through their Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard Connect. Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), public institutions are advised to comply with these requests within 30 business days, […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Part 5)
The 30 business days that FIPPA allows for a public body to provide personal information expired on August 19th, 2016. I reached out to the University Office of Counsel and asked them when I was going to receive my data, and was informed that because of the “large volume of responsive records” that they’re dealing […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Part 4)
As I continue waiting for the return of my data from UBC’s Office of Counsel, I’ve begun examining the structure of the Connect system. For a Learning Management System, Connect effectively manages the amount of information that students can learn from it. The system is divided into three roles: that of the student, who creates the majority […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Part 3)
Meaningful consent is a term that describes a certain level of understanding reached between a user and a service in order to qualify that agreement as fair and ethical. UBC, a publicly funded institution, should strive for the highest degree of meaningfulness in their user agreements by clearly explaining how their services operate to their users. Although there’s a difference […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Part 2)
(This post is the second in a series on UBC’s Learning Management System, Blackboard Connect. The first is viewable here.) I’ve received a response from the Office of University Counsel about my Freedom of Information (FOI) request. They’ve informed me that my request has been processed and will be returned by August 19th—thirty working days […]
Blackboard Connect: Exposed (Part 1)
Have you ever wondered how much and what kind of information is being collected when you use Connect? Maybe you’ve taken an online course and wondered how your participation grade was calculated? Your instructor might claim that it’s based on posts in the discussion forum, but the metrics probably go far deeper than that. It’s not as simple as […]
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