Our commitment

Our ethical principles

Indiana University students have the benefit of using some of the most sophisticated digital learning platforms that are currently available. Most of these platforms, such as the Canvas LMS, passively record student activity data by default. These activity logs and other forms of student learning data are fundamental to the operation of contemporary digital platforms, are necessary for ensuring the integrity of academic records, and have clear value for theoretical and practical research. However, we also recognize that the use of these data, passively recorded online without students’ awareness, is a sensitive subject, and raises issues in relation to privacy, agency, and ownership.

We ardently commit to the protection of student privacy during the use of these records, we hold ourselves and our work transparent and accountable to all local security ocers, and we respect the rights of students to reach out, ask questions, and raise concerns that may pertain to their data being accessed and studied in a research context.

All our work, including each of our fulfilled data requests, is performed under the explicit approval of a security council that we’ve convened. The council includes data stewards for research data, student data, and for LMS data, as well as Indiana University’s Chief Privacy Officer, and also the Data Administrator for our Information Policy Office. Even when faculty are requesting deidentified data about students in their past courses, we are still committed to a transparent request and approval process.

We encourage faculty researchers, whenever possible, to request permission from students to use their data, or to implement a process where students can opt out from a study or service. Given that this is not always possible or practical, we are always willing to listen to and learn from students’ concerns and we encourage any interested student to contact us. We are committed to the safe, responsible, and effective use of these data and firmly believe that this requires recognizing students’ voices. We are committed to remaining accessible to students for any issues they raise in the stewardship of their data.

Our commitment

Our ethical principles

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