Student Rights

    STUDENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

   Academic Integrity.

1. Academic integrity policy for technology-enhanced courses is identical to that outlined in the Student Handbook. However, faculty using advanced technologies such as online quizzes and exams for assessment should take special care to ensure that principles of academic integrity are followed. The Office of Educational Technology can serve as a resource for those who wish to conduct secure online assessments.

   Student Privacy.

1. Password protection of networked material. All networked courses must be protected such that student work is only visible to the students in and instructor of the course or course section, and others who require access to carry out their academic responsibilities (such as department chairs, school directors, or college deans). The best such protection is afforded by using password-protected course management systems, but other technologies are also available.
2. Protection of material within the course framework. Only student work that has been announced as “public” to other members of the class (as in the case of discussion boards, writing workshops, student presentations, and the like) may be visible to other students in the class. Faculty must not post or make visible any personal information such as student grades, comments on student work, or other non-“directory” information as covered by the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), unless the student has consented to the release of this information.
3. Online “visitors.” In some cases it may be desirable to give visitors or observers access to a web-enhanced course already in progress. Visitors may not have access to student material posted as “public” to the class (e.g. comments posted to a discussion board) unless students have been informed of and consent to the visitor presence. The work of any student not consenting must be removed from public view.
4. Display of course materials. Faculty members often wish to display their technology-enhanced course materials to peers at conferences, workshops, and other venues. If such use is made of a course, faculty may not display any information that might identify a student without first obtaining the student’s written consent. For example class rosters, grade sheets, student submissions to discussion areas, or student written work may not be displayed.
5. Publication or presentation of assessment results. Because of the novelty of the web-enhanced course environment, course developers or instructors may wish to publish or present the results of course assessments outside the University (at conferences, workshops, in journal or other publications, etc.). When an instructor wishes to present such results outside of the University, he or she must follow all legal and ethical principles concerning the use of human subjects in research. For example, students must indicate their consent to participate in research by signing an informed consent agreement. Such consent is not required for projects intended only for internal evaluation purposes. Instructors who wish to use student assessment data for external presentation are urged to contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for advice, and in some cases may be required to submit a proposal to the IRB.
6. Student technology skills. Technology-enhanced courses often require that students taking those courses possess some degree of computer literacy or other technical competence. Students lacking such skills may be at an unfair disadvantage in such courses. Even those students with advanced technical skills may still need orientation to the technological component of the course. Course developers should design course materials with skill limitations in mind. Every technology-enhanced course, including those making use of ITV, should include a brief student orientation to the technology (presented either on-line or in class), sufficient written documentation about the technology to be used, and information about relevant training opportunities for students who might be struggling with the technological component of a class.

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