2011/11/17 Bonnie MacKellar <macke...@stjohns.edu>: > I imagine many of you have seen Mark Guzdial’s post on what is happening > with FERPA at Georgia Tech?
GT has engaged in CYA politiks with respect to FERPA. The students are of the age of majority; while the law says I cannot disclose what classes students are enrolled in, they *do* have control over their own online identity. Students can be given the option not to take part in the public forum; if they choose not to, it is up to us as educators to find alternatives for them. However, we can ask a student to do work in the public sphere as part of their enrollment in a class, and they can say yes. This is not the end of FOSS participation for students. (We're getting our annual FERPA talk at tomorrow's faculty meeting. I just re-read the slide.) Yes, attendance in a particular course is protected, and the institution must protect that information. But the student can do anything they want -- they can post stories on blogs, their grades, etc., without violating FERPA. I cannot REQUIRE a student to give up their privacy, but I can ask them to. Or, I can give them options. GT's approach, if it is as Mark describes, sounds heavy-handed and reactionary. My 2p, not a lawyer, etc., Matt _______________________________________________ tos mailing list tos@teachingopensource.org http://lists.teachingopensource.org/mailman/listinfo/tos
