Data are fundamental to Learning Analytics (LA) research and practice. However, the ethical use of data, particularly in terms of respecting learners' privacy rights, is a potential barrier that could hinder the widespread adoption of LA in the education industry. Despite the policies and guidelines of privacy protection being available worldwide,…

Computational learning theory studies the design and analysis of learning algorithms, and it is integral to the foundation of machine learning. In the modern era, classical computational learning theory is growingly unable to catch up with new practical demands. In particular, problems arise in the following aspects: i). "scalability":…

Penciling, a technique used to anonymize images for both human and machine vision, offers an opportunity to reduce technical traceability and retain visual data for online and social media research contexts. Drawing on methods for creating composite narrative and visual accounts to preserve participant anonymity, penciling enables researchers to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the contribution of privacy pedagogy to the role of the university. Design/methodology/approach: This paper takes up two arguments; first, it puts forward Arendt's characterization that the purpose of the university is to prepare a new generation for the responsibility of renewing the shared human…

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of three large language models (LLMs), GPT-4o, Llama 3.3 70B and Llama 3.1 8B, in redacting personally identifying information (PII) from forum data in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Design/methodology/approach: Forum posts from students enrolled in nine MOOCs were redacted by three…

We describe Shamir's secret sharing scheme and explain how it can be used for secure and redundant cryptocurrency storage. We include samples of individual and group assignments that can be used in an upper-division cryptology class for students who are familiar with modular arithmetic. It takes about one class to cover Shamir's secret sharing,…

To explore various stakeholders' understanding of student privacy and how protections for it are enacted on their campus, we conducted interviews with 27 faculty, instructional designers, and academic librarians at Very High Research Activity universities across the United States. Although there were no interview questions concerning the pandemic,…

Introduction: The digital era is reshaping not only technology and economy but also the legal systems governing democratic societies. The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, big data, and digitisation calls for proactive adaptation of legal frameworks. This article explores the intersection of digital transformation and the rule of law,…

Conducting rigorous impact studies that produce actionable evidence for educators and policymakers is a key goal of the Standards for Excellence in Education Research (SEER). Although studies can be initiated by individual districts or schools, researchers often conduct their own studies to address broadly relevant questions about the…

The growing significance of social media in research demands new ethical standards and practices. Although a substantial body of literature on social media ethics exists, studies on the ethics of conducting research using social media are scarce. The emergence of new evidence sources, like social media, requires innovative methods and renewed…

Linking survey and social media data has gained popularity. However, obtaining consent from respondents to link social media is a known challenge. Using data from a nationally representative survey of the U.K. this study investigated whether respondents' a) activity frequency, b) activity variety and c) technical skills with smartphones are…

The research was conducted to determine whether there is a relationship between adolescents' social media privacy protection skills and social media addiction levels. A total of 499 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 participated in this correlational study. The study used a Personal Information Form, the Social Media Privacy Protection…

Over the last two decades, online safety education has emerged as a new field of research focusing on concerns about a myriad of cyber risks. These risks range from online sexual exploitation through to the reproduction of social inequalities. The main assumption underlying this field is that online risks can be mitigated via educational…

Background: We identified participant-level risks and safeguards in social-behavioural research with adults with developmental disabilities. Method: We conducted a qualitative systematic review on risks and safeguards in peer-reviewed research with adults with developmental disabilities. We identified research reporting on risks and safeguards…

Data ethics have emerged as an essential topic in education. Educators must know how to use data effectively and responsibly. This is a complex and systemic issue that involves bringing awareness to all stakeholders, building human capacity, modifying policy, and considering equitable solutions to data use. This article posits an initial framework…