Student Conceptualizations of Canvas Privacy Suggestions

As online education continues to grow, students increasingly navigate digital platforms that collect and share large amounts of data about them with almost no privacy protections or consent. Learning Management Systems (LMSs) lack privacy features that moderate the personal data that is shared between students and instructors. We conducted semi-structured interviews asking students how the implementation of anonymity features and privacy dashboards would impact their interactions. Our thematic analysis finds that students' most salient concerns about the implementation of privacy solutions are Authentic Self-Expression, Control, and Power Asymmetry. Based on these themes, we suggest that LMS designers should consider pseudonymity as a balance of anonymity and interpersonal collaborative learning. We caution about implementing privacy features that will lead to further risks of misrepresentation of students for their privacy decisions through burdensome privacy self-management. We call for interdisciplinary collaboration and to ensure the judicious use of data to empirically benefit students' education.