Learning analytics are widely discussed and they hold considerable promise for personalized learning and assessment. This opens a discussion about what, exactly, learners understand about the data being collected as they learn. This article from Educause Review Online highlights the need for ethical discourse to guide student awareness of analytics and what, exactly, is known about them. Do they understand the data that can be collected as they connect through multiple devices? Are they unaware? Article is about needed discussion.
“What are the current projects going on in learning analytics today? What are the potential ethical pitfalls that surround these developments? Why are they potentially harmful? Are these things always wrong, or are they contextually wrong?
What is the role of “knowing” a predictive analytic — once something is known, what are the ethical ramifications of action or inaction? What are the roles of student autonomy, information confidentiality, and predictive modeling in terms of ethical development of new systems, software, and analytics?
How might we affect the development of future analytics systems by having ethical discussions? What are the possible inventions and innovations that could come from these discussions?
What are the frontiers of ethical discussions and technology? Are there new frameworks? How can today’s discussions affect the future?”
via Ethical Discourse: Guiding the Future of Learning Analytics (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE.edu.
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