Let’s Talk Ethics: Privacy and Data Protection Framework for a Learning Analytics Toolbox

To find a balance between learning analytics research and individual privacy a learning analytics project needs to appropriately address privacy and data protection issues and comply with relevant legal regulations. A range of general guidelines, model codes, and principles for appropriate data and privacy protection exist that may serve the consideration of these topics in a learning analytics context. The importance and significance of data protection are also reflected in national and international laws and directives, where data protection is usually considered as a fundamental right. Existing ethics guidelines and approaches and relevant regulations served as a basis for elaborating a privacy and data protection framework for the LEA’s BOX project. A set of eight principles has been defined to derive implications to ensure an ethical treatment of personal data in the learning analytics platform and services.