First we learned Computing and Information Services could monitor dorm bandwidth use. Then the University installed video surveillance cameras in Faunce House. Now it turns out instructors can use WebCT to peer into the study habits of their students.
Most professors who use the statistics WebCT provides - how often students log in, how long they stay on the site - use them to gauge the program's effectiveness as a learning tool and decide whether their efforts to maintain the site are worthwhile. But a small number of professors and TAs use the information to nudge up or down borderline grades or to contribute to that bane of clarity in grading, "class participation." These usage numbers are powerful but intensely misleading tools, and with the expected upgrade to the WebCT software, there needs to be more clarity about the use and pitfalls of this technology.
First of all, every user of WebCT should know about the existence of these statistics. In a modern world of electronic surveillance, we live under the mistaken impression that we still have privacy, while our expectation of privacy is violated every day - without malicious intent, usually.
We don't fear a vast University conspiracy to track our every move, from studying to picking up mail. What bothers us is that students were never informed about what logging on to WebCT might entail. A simple note on the front page of WebCT explaining what exact information will be tied to students' names would do all site users good.
Second, professors and TAs need to be carefully taught how to interpret these statistics. Even those who do not access them for the explicit purpose of evaluating student performance should have the tools available to make accurate assessments of how effectively their slaved-over sites are being used. Statistics like sessions and page hits are at best misleading and at worst wrong, depending on the quality of the servers and information processors. Especially in the case of online readings and lecture notes, students may be doing readings jointly from one user's account or sharing printed copies.
We love the Web and its increasing use among the faculty corps. But the possibilities are balanced by some responsibilities to be honest about how much instructors will be looking over students' shoulders.
