Bennett Stein writes:
On Sunday, the New York Times published an extensive piece surveying the ways American universities are using their access to students’ information to tailor their college experiences.
Universities collect a huge amount of data on their students—course selection and grades, past educational experience and standardized test scores, and other personal information. Austin Peay University analyzes a student’s data and suggests classes in which the student is likely to “succeed.” Arizona State University uses its data to identify students who are “off track” based on course selection and course results. ASU is also experimenting with using information on student swipes of ID cards around campus—at the gym, at the
dining hall, at the dorm, at the library, etc.—to understand social ties. (Lastweek, my colleague Catherine Crump also wrote about universities experimenting with monitoring students’ internet usage to assess mental health.)While universities have an important role in supporting students towards graduation, these data mining methods threaten campus as a place of self-exploration, development, and discovery.
Read more on ACLU.
Thanks to Joe Cadillic who sent in this link.