OLDaily

Presentation
Ethical Codes and Learning Analytics
Stephen Downes, Jun 22, 2020, European Diistance Education Network (EDEN), Timisoara, Romania, via Zoom

The growth and development of learning analytics has placed a range of new capacities into the hands of educational institutions. At the same time, this increased capacity has raised a range of ethical issues. A common approach to address these issues is to develop an ethical code of conduct for practitioners. Such codes of conduct are drawn from similar codes in other disciplines. Some authors assert that there are fundamental tenets common to all such codes. This paper consists of an analysis of ethical codes from other disciplines. It argues that while there is some overlap, there is no set of principles common to all disciplines. The ethics of learning analytics will therefore need to be developed on criteria specific to education. We conclude with some ideas about how this ethic will be determined and what it may look like. Full Paper, References

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Feature Article
Ethical Codes and Learning Analytics
Stephen Downes, Half an Hour, 2020/06/22

The growth and development of learning analytics has placed a range of new capacities into the hands of educational institutions. At the same time, this increased capacity has raised a range of ethical issues. A common approach to address these issues is to develop an ethical code of conduct for practitioners. Such codes of conduct are drawn from similar codes in other disciplines. Some authors assert that there are fundamental tenets common to all such codes. This paper consists of an analysis of ethical codes from other disciplines. It argues that while there is some overlap, there is no set of principles common to all disciplines. The ethics of learning analytics will therefore need to be developed on criteria specific to education. We conclude with some ideas about how this ethic will be determined and what it may look like. Full Paper, References. Presented at EDEN 2020 - Presentation page.

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The Ed-Tech Imaginary
Audrey Watters, Hack Education, 2020/06/22

Is ed tech a tool of oppression? Audrey Watters, I think would argue that it is. She asks, " How much of ed-tech is, to use Ruha Benjamin's phrase, 'the new Jim Code'? How much of ed-tech is designed by those who imagine students as cheats or criminals, as deficient or negligent?" And she suggests, "so much of the ed-tech imaginary is wrapped up in narratives about the Hero, the Weapon, the Machine, the Behavior, the Action, the Disruption. And it's so striking because education should be a practice of care, not conquest."

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How much ‘work’ should my online course be for me and my students?
Dave Cormier, Dave’s Educational Blog, 2020/06/22

This is a really good reflection on time and online learning. It begins by moving away from the 'credit hour' as defined by classroom seat time, and looks at how much work (as measured by time) a student is expected to put in, and how much an instructor is expected to put in. There are good bits scattered throughout this article. Like: "keep trying to think about it from the perspective of what a student is actually going TO DO." And: "try to stay focus(ed) on what it is possible to do, not what we ‘need’ to do." And: "The standardization police have been telling us for years that each student must learn the same things. Poppycock." And: "if your TA is being paid for 45 hours, that’s as many as they are supposed to work. If your design means they run out of hours, you are uh… going to have to do the rest of the grading."

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Towards fall 2020 in higher education: what an “in person semester” really means
Bryan Alexander, 2020/06/22

The plan for most American univresities this fall seems to be to advertise that they will be open for in-person classes, then to shift to online learning when needed. Writes Bryan Alexander, who has been tracking their announcements, "Very few campuses are proclaiming a wholly online semester, because (among other reasons) they fear losing enrollment.  Yet it seems like many are quietly planning on the possibility." Is it too soon to say that the sector is planning to bait and switch?

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"Attending" a virtual conference
Erin Conwell, 2020/06/22

Are you missing in-person conferences? Perhaps you've forgotten the little details that make them, um, memorable. Classic Twitter thread. " To help simulate the real thing, I'll set out a picked-over tray of mini-muffins, soggy cut fruit, and some weak coffee, and then whisk them away just as he approaches the table." Image: Alan Levine, Conference Chicken.

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