Privacy: what’s the least I need to know if I’m using online tools in my teaching?

You want students to blog, work in groups on a wiki, sign up for publisher materials, complete assessments on a fantastic new website that is perfect for your subject matter. Sounds great, but before planning too far in advance, there are some important considerations to keep in mind, one of which involves protecting the privacy of your students.

I’ll avoid going into much detail on the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) – you can read more about it at http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/96165_00.  Instead I am going to give you the basics of how FIPPA could affect what kinds of online tools you can use, and how you can use them in your teaching.

In brief, FIPPA requires that personal information, specifically that of your students, be stored and accessed in Canada only. Therefore, if you wish to utilize third-party, web-based tools that are, for example, running on servers residing in the United States to support your teaching (e.g., social-media tools), there are certain things you need to consider before asking students to use them to complete a course-related activity.

Assuming you already know if the tool you wish to use is on an American server (how to find this out is a topic for another post), AND that students will need to provide personal information in order to use the tool, then you need to consider:

  1. Is the activity mandatory (e.g., is it a required assessment component of the course?)
  2. Is the activity optional (i.e., can students easily complete it without using this tool?)

In either case, you need to provide your students with notice: notice of what activity they will be completing, the tool to be used, what personal information they will be required to provide and why, how the tool’s providers could use the information, etc.

If the activity is mandatory, however, in addition to notice, you must receive informed consent from your students (a written and signed form). If a student does not wish to sign the informed consent form, then you, as the instructor, must provide that student with an alternative to the activity so that they are not penalized for their refusal.

Finally, we also recommend that you provide your students with general information on how to protect their privacy when using third-party, web-based tools.

To find out more about FIPPA as it relates to the use of web-based tools in teaching and learning, go to BCcampus’ Privacy and Security site (http://fippa.bccampus.ca/), specifically the Privacy Guidelines for Instructors PDF (http://www.bccampus.ca/files/2013/08/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf).

If you are a faculty member at Camosun College, you can also talk to an eLearning instructional designer who can help you determine if the tool(s) you wish to use are compliant with FIPPA, or if you will need to provide your students with notice and/or an informed consent waiver. An instructional designer can also provide you with a notice and/or a waiver template that you can adapt for your own use, and help you prepare a privacy and technology tips sheet for your class.

Note that Camosun College will soon be revising its privacy policy. Updates on this revision will appear in future blog posts.

Reference:  Privacy Guide for Using 3rd Party Web Technology in Public Post-Secondary Courses (PDF, Feb. 2011), BCcampus:  http://www.bccampus.ca/files/2013/08/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Deleting Modules and Topics

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Content tool in D2L, and will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete Modules or Topics in the Content tool.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. Content-DeletingModulesAndTopics1-700
  3. Content-DeletingModulesAndTopics2-700
  4. Content-DeletingModulesAndTopics3-700
  5. Content-DeletingModulesAndTopics4-700
  6. Content-DeletingModulesAndTopics5-700

Things to Remember

If you are going to want to re-use the activities or files linked to the Module or Topic you are deleting, make sure to select the FIRST option in the Delete pop-up window!

Also note that it is NOT recommended that you delete other D2L activities (e.g. Surveys, Quizzes, Dropbox, etc.) through Content.  Delete specific activities in their tools!

eLearning Workshops this week

There is still time to register for January eLearning D2L Workshops.  If you can’t attend, or don’t see what you’re looking for, contact desupport@camosun.ca to arrange for a consult with an instructional designer!

Here’s what is on the roster this week:

Using the Content Tool in D2L

Gain hands-on practice on using the Content tool in D2L.  In addition to being given an overview of the content tool, participants will also learn to organize and manage their course files (in the Manage Files area) and how to add modules and topics.

Creating Quizzes in D2L

Learn how to master the Quiz tool in D2L! This workshop will explore ways to create, customize and grade quizzes. We’ll also tackle creating randomized Quizzes and how to effectively set up your questions in the Question Library.

Register from the eLearning website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/content/elearning-winter-2016-workshops

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Copy and Paste from Word into the HTML Editor

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the HTML editor, and will cover the steps involved with copying and pasting content from a WORD document into the HTML editor as part of a new News Item in the News Tool.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Open the HTML editor in whatever tool you are working in. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will work in the News tool.
  2. In the HTML editor, select Paste from WORD
  3.  Copy and paste your text from WORD into the box that opens
  4. Click Update to add text to the HTML editor
  5. Reformat text as needed, and Publish

Things to remember

Don’t copy and paste content from WORD into the HTML editor if the content is complex, for example if your WORD document contains tables or complicated formatting.  If the tables and formatting in your WORD document are vital, add the WORD document as an attachment (if you are in the News tool, for example) or directly as a Topic File (if you are in Content).

eLearning Winter 2016 Workshops Start This Week!!

Don’t miss out!   eLearning D2L Workshops for Winter 2016 start this week.

Here’s what is on the roster this month:

Getting Started with Desire2Learn (D2L)

Designed for new instructors and/or beginners to our learning management system, Desire2Learn (D2L), this workshop will provide participants with an overview of the essential teaching tools available in D2L, and how courses are set up and supported through eLearning Development and Support Services at Camosun College.  Whether you are looking to supplement your face-to-face classes, transition from using a basic course website, or simply want to learn more about how to enhance your current teaching methodologies with using D2L, this session has a little something for everyone. Come explore the possibilities!

Setting Up and Managing Your Gradebook in D2L

This hands-on workshop will focus on setting up your D2L Gradebook from start to finish. Please bring your course outline (or a breakdown of your assessment items) to the workshop if you wish to build your own Gradebook.

Managing your D2L Course

This workshop will provide an overview of how to administer your D2L courses by managing and customizing navigation bars and homepages, copying course component from one course site into another, and using other admin tools in D2L.  In addition, participants will learn how courses are set up and supported through eLearning Development and Support Services at Camosun College.

Using the Content Tool in D2L

Gain hands-on practice on using the Content tool in D2L.  In addition to being given an overview of the content tool, participants will also learn to organize and manage their course files (in the Manage Files area) and how to add modules and topics.

Creating Quizzes in D2L

Learn how to master the Quiz tool in D2L! This workshop will explore ways to create, customize and grade quizzes. We’ll also tackle creating randomized Quizzes and how to effectively set up your questions in the Question Library.

Managing Assignments Using the Dropbox

The Dropbox tool enables students to submit assignments online while streamlining the grading process for instructors. This workshop provides hands-on practice creating, managing and grading assignments using the assignment in-line viewer.

Register from the eLearning website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/content/elearning-winter-2016-workshops

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Setting Final Adjusted Grades

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Grades tool in D2L and will cover the steps involved when you wish to set the Final Adjusted Grades in your gradebook.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

Step 1:  Setting the Adjusted Final Grade to be the Final Grade Released in the Settings area

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
  2. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades1
  3. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades2
  4. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades3
  5. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades4
  6. Click Close to return to the Grades area.

Step 2:  Adjusting your Final Grades so that you can release them to the students

  1.   Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades6
  2. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades7
  3. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades8
  4. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades9
  5. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades10
  6. Grades-AdjustingFinalGrades11
  7. Click Cancel to return to the Enter Grades area.

Things to Remember

Note that after you save your Final Grades area changes, you will have to click on the Cancel button to return to the Enter Grades area.

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Releasing Final Grades

As we near the end of the term, I thought this might be a useful little tutorial for you to bookmark.

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to release your Final Grades to your students, and is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Grades tool in D2L.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course, and make sure you are in the Enter Grades area.
  2. Grades-ReleasingFinalGrades1-700
  3.  Grades-ReleasingFinalGrades2-700
  4. Grades-ReleasingFinalGrades3-700
  5. Grades-ReleasingFinalGrades4-700

Things to Remember

Make sure you have entered the grades for all assessments, for all students before releasing the final grades to everyone.  You can also select individual students to release final grades to if you wish.

Note that after you save your Final Grades area changes, you will have to click on the Cancel button to return to the Enter Grades area.

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Deleting Everything in a Course

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have experience using D2L and will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete everything (content and activities) in your D2L course in order to “start from scratch”.  Note that you cannot “delete all” in a course in one step – you will need to delete the content/activities in each tool used in the course separately.  We recommend that you do not delete everything in course site that has student data in it (i.e., a course site for a past offering).  It is better to do this in a DEV or MASTER course site only.

If the course you are deleting from also has custom homepages or navigation bars, or incorporates tools beyond the list below (for example the Glossary or Survey tools), you will need to delete content contained in those tools as well.  If you are unsure of how to delete content from homepages, navigation bars or other tools not included in this tutorial, contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Deleting Content and Files in File Manager

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Content1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Content2
  4. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Content3
  5. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Content4
  6. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Content5

Deleting Quizzes

  1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes2
  4. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes3
  5. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes4
  6. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes5
  7. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Quizzes6

Deleting Dropbox Activities

  1. Go to the Dropbox tool in your course
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Dropbox1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Dropbox2
  4. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Dropbox3

Deleting Gradebook Items

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Grades1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Grades2
  4. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Grades3

Deleting Discussion Forums and Topics

  1. Go to the Discussions tool in your course.
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Discussions1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-Discussions2

Deleting News Items

  1. Go to your Course Home.
  2. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-News1
  3. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-News2
  4. CourseAdmin-DeleteAll-News3

Things to Remember

Note that even if you delete Discussion Forums and Topics, you can restore them at any time (they are never really gone).  This is the same for Dropbox activities.

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Setting Up Release Conditions

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have experience using D2L and tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to create release conditions for a tool/activity in D2L. The purpose of Conditional Release is to guide students through the content and activities by connecting them to the completion of other tasks in D2L.  For the purposes of this tutorial, Conditional Release for the News tool will be highlighted.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. ConditionalRelease-SettingConditions1-700
  2. ConditionalRelease-SettingConditions2-700
  3. ConditionalRelease-SettingConditions3-700
  4. ConditionalRelease-SettingConditions4-700
  5. ConditionalRelease-SettingConditions5-700

Things to Remember

When setting up multiple conditions for multiple activities, keep track of what you are setting up to avoid throwing students into an endless loop from which they may never emerge.

 

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Setting Your D2L Email to Forward to an External Email

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Setting Your D2L Email to Forward to an External Email

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have experience using D2L and will cover the steps involved when you wish have emails coming into the D2L Email tool forwarded to an external email account, for example, to your Camosun email address.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. CourseAdmin-ForwardingYourEmail1-700
  2. CourseAdmin-ForwardingYourEmail2-700
  3. CourseAdmin-ForwardingYourEmail3-700

Things to Remember

When you reply to a forwarded email, it will go back to D2L – you don’t have to go into D2L to reply to a forwarded email address.

Note: If you want to have D2L email forwarded to a cloud-based email address (for example, Gmail or Yahoo mail) you will need to inform your student as this is potentially in violation of B.C. Privacy Legislation. For more information, please contact an Instructional Designer at eLearning Development and Support.