Practical Steps to Protecting Students' Personal Information
The University is obliged to protect students' personal information. A critical area for protection is in the transfer of information, such as attendance sheets, essays, papers and lab reports, tests, grades, and the written comments of Professors/Instructors. This information must be managed so that students' personal information is not viewed, handled, used by, or disclosed to other students, or to any other unauthorized persons, including other staff members.
Personal information about a student includes but is not limited to name, student number, home address and contact information, age, sex, marital status, health information, information about the student's education and educational history, the student's own personal views or opinions (unless the views or opinions are about another person), any indentifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the student. In particular, student numbers, grades, and comments must no be exposed to public view.
Steps to protecting students' personal information:
- To take class attendance, collect student names and/or signatures only. Avoid collecting student numbers.
- Avoid the use of student numbers on the front pages of tests and papers. At the least, conceal the numbers inside the documents. If practical, avoid the use of student numbers altogether.
- If students are working on joint projects and are required to hand in reports or papers, avoid asking for student numbers on the documents. If students have the same or similar names, devise another method of distinguishing, preferably in discussion with the affected students. In some situations, it may be necessary to request the last three digits of the student numbers. Have the students place these digits inside the reports or papers.
- Do not allow tests and papers to be left outside an office door or in a public area where students or passers-by can gain access to student numbers, grades or comments. Devise a method for receiving and returning tests and papers that will protect students' personal information.
- Post grades by student numbers only. Avoid posting the numbers in the order that would correspond to alphabetical order of students' names.
- If there is a student number that stands out as different (for example, it starts with a 0) don't post it.
- For greater protection, post by using only the last five digits of the student numbers.
- Avoid posting marks on an unsecured system. Email is not secure; Jump and Angel Learning are safer.
- If the class is small, don't post. Devise another way of returning grades, tests and papers.
- Ensure that within your office, students' personal information is not exposed to public view.