Privacy in digital spaces are problematic. Specially when most students use them. Take google docs and for example, it is convenient to share files and documents to do collaborative work. They can see who made changes and who sent them a document. In a classroom, this is essential for their education since it takes part of how they interact with their peers and instructors. Students are used to be able to access all of the information that they need for their class. Syllabus, due dates, the work that they are currently focusing on, instructor’s feedback, and their grades
Privacy in Assignments
It has become easy to take advantage of digital spaces. Students rely on these to make sure that they are on the right track. Martha Fay Burtis stated in “Messy and Chaotic Learning”, “If assignments aren’t posted (with system prompts that text them when they’re due), they forget (or think they can ignore) the work. (messy and chaotic)”. When these types of prompts are private or not available right away, the instructor could be harming their students. The students are able to plan what needs to get done first and what can wait when they have access to these spaces right away.
Tracking of grades
Students already have an expectation that they can access their grades with a simple click. In “Understanding And Maintaining Your Privacy When Writing With Digital Technologies” Lindsey C. Kim writes “teachers are generally obligated to share grades with students”. A class should be more focused on whether or not the student is learning. However, the education system is set up in a way that the student depends on their grade to know if they are doing good or not in the class. The teacher has to make sure that they are letting their students know if they are making mistakes or progress. Teachers should not take away their students’ right to know about their grades. This could cause unnecessary stress for some students. Additionally, it can discourage some students from putting in more effort since they may focus on getting just a passing grade.
Whether we like it or not, students are going to rely on their grades to keep track of their classes. Digital spaces are important in the classroom. Students should not be put at the risk of falling behind because some grades or the prompts of the assignments are private. The professor needs to be aware of the effects when they decide to make them available when they feel like it.
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