Remote learning is a fascinating type of learning in the current era. Especially due to the pandemic, the number of remote learners has increased. At one end, both teachers and students find remote learning conformable. But on the other end, remote learning puts many of us in several privacy problems. There are several privacy concerns of remote learning that we should regulate. This article by experts of coursework writing services will shortly discuss some of these concerns. These will aid in the aspect of better understanding, and are as follows;
Capturing Awkward Pictures
Nowadays classrooms at Mattapoisett’s Centre school have shifted to remote learning. Principal Bowman said that they decided to transition to remote learning. This was announced in light of the increasing Covid cases. After this transition for a few days, he added that the students would return to school on November 29. Due to such incidences for controlling the pandemic, remote learning has become widely popular. Especially among the young, whose parents don’t let them go to school, this aspect is really appreciated. But at the school level, students are unable to differentiate between right and wrong. Some students share screenshots of the instructors with their fellows for fun. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of remote learning. Hence, the lack of personal data security is a major privacy concern in remote learning.
The Youth Of Today Has More Electronic Gadgets
Schools’ transition towards remote learning exposed the world to technology threats. This can’t be avoided, although the ease of using electronic gadgets in remote learning makes it fascinating. The open access of students to electronic devices will impart ethical issues as well. A reason for this is the fact that school students are too young to select the right content for themselves. So during remote learning, sharing of weird content between teenagers is also observed. Further, students Photoshop their fellow’s pictures, and share them in the class groups. These acts of bullying are embarrassing for the students, and impart major privacy concerns for them as well.
Lack Of Trust On The Remote Learning Platforms
Due to the sudden shift to remote learning, there was no time to train, and prepare teachers for this aspect. Most teachers didn’t know the privacy concerns of remote teaching platforms they were using. The director of Future Education privacy forum Amelia Vance said that teachers chose easy to use platform for remote learning. But they should also be aware of the privacy concerns related to them. Nowadays, the most common privacy concern is collecting, or using students’ personal information. This unauthorised collection of data is against the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). So to avoid this, educational departments should arrange some EdTech courses for training their teachers.
Due to remote learning aspects, the students start taking notes from digital resources. Because of this, the habit of reading books has become old, and boring now. But while reading online web content, the students often accept all cookies. They are often unaware about their privacy policies as well. Many platforms ask for the students’ data, and enter it into the general stream. The platform later uses this information for profit generating advertisements. Tons of platforms guess the students’ interests through their search histories as well. Hence, students’ educational records need extra care, and protection.
Students’ Educational Progress
Education aims to make our youth confident. But the privacy concerns of remote learning serve as major hurdles in achieving this aim. Studies have proved that remote students have some legal ramifications. They hesitate in sharing their grades on common platforms. This is because students are often more conscious about their reputations. They don’t want people to judge, or comment on their educational progress. Hence, they don’t want to share their grades with many people. Other privacy concerns of students about remote learning include the following;
- Open access to each other’s’ work
- There is more transparency than is needed
- Public interference
- Collaborative assessment of their work
These, as well as many other privacy issues make students unconformable. So to cater these privacy concerns, the tutors must focus on gaining the students’ confidence. The students’ identities must always remain anonymous, and strict confidentiality should be maintained for this. Hence, treating the students’ issues as a priority is a big step forward in managing their privacy concerns.
Cybersecurity
Remote learning is an online platform based learning method. In this system of learning, the medium of communication is the computer that provides valuable content. Yet, the remote learning settings vary from institute to institute. Some instructors use zoom, while others use skype for conducting a remote class. Further, the exchange of written information often occurs through email. WhatsApp groups are also highly famous modes of communication among the students. In a remote class, exchange of information takes place through the online platforms. So, an important privacy concern in this scenario is that of cybersecurity. Hackers can steal your personal data, and this is a valid reason of being uncomfortable with information sharing. Hence, in remote learning, ensuring confidentiality of exam papers, as well as students’ results is of the utmost importance.
