Power, Consent, and Transparency: Stakeholder Perspectives of Learning Analytics

• In Event: Informed Consent in Online Education Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics

Abstract

This presentation examines the complex and contextual power dynamics of learning analytics and consent in higher education, influenced by the competitive global landscape and knowledge economy. In this landscape, individual and collective power are supported through data privacy. Control over one's digital learning data and consent are a personal empowerment and a collective force that can influence institutional norms and policies (Scheffel et al., 2021). However, enabling participatory ownership in higher education contexts by giving control back to students, the data producers, is scarce (Brown & Kline, 2020), largely due to the power held by third-party technology providers operating in closed, proprietary systems. Transparent communication regarding learner data, including consent, is essential for learning analytics to be just and equitable.

This session is informed by research that explored the multifaceted nature of power regarding learner data privacy and the ethical implications of learning analytics from eight higher education institutions in the United States. Specifically, power differences were upheld through strategically ambiguous communication strategies (Jarzabkowski et al., 2010), which allowed institutions to manage uncertainty and maintain control over learner data practices. Administrators employed strategic ambiguity to navigate technological uncertainties and sidestepped ethical communication about data collection and usage. Data analysts often echoed these ambiguous messages and were complicit and disempowered. Lastly, students demonstrated low awareness of learning analytics, limiting their ability to advocate for informed data practices, including informed consent.

Based on our qualitative analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews across stakeholder groups, we will discuss how transparent communication is essential to upholding ethical standards in learning analytics and empowering all stakeholders. Transparent communication will be contrasted with strategic ambiguity communication strategies, which maintain power imbalances and create a facade of innovation and competence while avoiding responsibility for unintended consequences. We will argue that strategic ambiguity around learning analytics creates a power imbalance, allowing data collection and assessment without informed consent or awareness.

This session highlights the significance of transparent, research-informed communication about learner data practices—including consent, collection, intended use, and governance—to foster a more a student-centered and ethical culture. This session draws into question the ethics of strategic ambiguity, particularly for vulnerable populations, including students and offers attendees research-backed alternatives for engaging with various organizational stakeholders. Open communication about learner data is essential to foster a culture of consent.

Brown, M., & Klein, C. (2020). Whose data? Which rights? Whose power? A policy discourse analysis of student privacy policy documents. The Journal of Higher Education, 91(7), 1149-1178. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1770045

Jarzabkowski, P., Sillince, J. A., & Shaw, D. (2010). Strategic ambiguity as a rhetorical resource for enabling multiple interests. Human Relations, 63(2), 219-248. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709337040

Scheffel, M., Tsai, Y.-S., Gašević, D., & Drachsler, H. (2019). Policy Matters: Expert Recommendations for Learning Analytics Policy. In M. Scheffel, J. Broisin, V. Pammer-Schindler, A. Ioannou, & J. Schneider (Eds.), Transforming Learning with Meaningful Technologies (pp. 510–524). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29736-7_38

Authors

• Rebecca E. Heiser, Athabasca University

• Margaretta Underhill, Oregon State University