Students' privacy breached by learning analytics
Australian university students have been warned that their privacy is being breached through the widespread practice of learning analytics, whereby data is collected via students’ mobile phones and publicly-used computers to track their movements and online reading habits to help predict who might drop out or fail a course. Supporters of the system claim it provides valuable feedback to help in curriculum design, however privacy experts have warned that meaningful consent should be received from students before any data is collected.

Students of Australia, you are being watched. Not only in the lecture hall, but every time you log on, and even when you walk across the campus.

At the University of Melbourne, Wi-Fi routers track students as they move through the campus and leave a digital trail with their mobile phones.

Universities are collecting unprecedented amounts of information about students to personalise their learning and improve retention rates. Credit: Louise Kennerley

And at the University of Sydney, students' online activity is matched with their demographic background to predict who might drop out.

It's called "learning analytics" and universities say it is the key to improving retention rates and the student experience.