Email from lecturer/college regarding results

siobhan08

Hi,

So a family member of mine is currently at college and recently received their results. However, they have failed a module and must repeat the module as it was practical.

Shortly after receiving their result, they received an email from the college regarding the module repeat.

This email was a group email and listed all the other students who are required to repeat as well as them.

They were very unhappy with how this email informed other students that they were required to repeat without their knowledge/permission. Surely the only people who know a student has to repeat should be the college administrators and whoever the student chooses to tell.

They asked my advice.

I would be of the opinion that this was very unprofessional and could possible breach data protection/ student privacy. I would believe that this type of information should have been sent individually to the affected students and not to a group as it’s nobody business who else has to repeat a module.

I would be grateful if others would be willing to share their opinion. As I wouldn't like to give bad advice if this would be normal practice.

august12

Yes, you are correct, the other email addresses should not be visible. This is an error on the part of the college in my opinion. It is possible to send a group email without displaying the other recipients which is what should have happened here.

freshpopcorn

I've seen college's do this in past.
The attitude I took to it was if you were going to do the repeat. Everybody would know because you would be seen doing the repeat at the exam or if the offered revision classes before it.

siobhan08

august12 wrote: »

Yes, you are correct, the other email addresses should not be visible. This is an error on the part of the college in my opinion. It is possible to send a group email without displaying the other recipients which is what should have happened here.

Yes I was under the impression that could be done as well but I not too sure how it is actually done. It is definitely not an appropriate method to communicate such information in my opinion

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I've seen college's do this in past.
The attitude I took to it was if you were going to do the repeat. Everybody would know because you would be seen doing the repeat at the exam or if the offered revision classes before it.

Can see that point of view but surely who is repeating shouldn't be broadcast to other students within days of the results bring released. Not very professional in my opinion

jimmycrackcorm

siobhan08 wrote:

They were very unhappy with how this email informed other students that they were required to repeat without their knowledge/permission. Surely the only people who know a student has to repeat should be the college administrators and whoever the student chooses to tell.

Will they be repeating in secret in spaced out times so that no one has to sit with anyone during the exam?

Tom Dunne

Absolutely and utterly unprofessional at best, a breach of Data Protection laws at worst.

I'd write a letter to the Registrar outlining your concerns.

freshpopcorn

siobhan08 wrote: »

Can see that point of view but surely who is repeated shouldn't be broadcast to other students within days of the results bring results. Not very professional in my opinion

I totally agree with you. I think people decided the people who sent the email would be grading their repeat and complaining about the issue might do the no favors.

siobhan08

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Will they be repeating in secret in spaced out times so that no one has to sit with anyone during the exam?

That's not the point. The point is a college should not share information regarding a student's results with other students without the students' permission/knowledge

siobhan08

siobhan08 wrote: »

That's not the point. The point is a college should not share information regarding a student's results with other students without the students' permission/knowledge

People have got awfully precious. When I was at college the results were pinned up on a public notice board.
Anyway if students have even a modicum of normal communication between themselves they will all know who passed and who's repeating.

dudara

That was a guffaw on the part of the college. It was probably done in error, but still doesn't excuse it.

Obviously, all the students will realize when they have to resit but they shouldn't know before then. As Tom Dunne said, a letter to the Registrar will highlight this.

Mattie500

For years college results were posted in the notice boards along the corridors. I remember it well, are results now kept secret?

siobhan08

Deleted User wrote: »

People have got awfully precious. When I was at college the results were pinned up on a public notice board.

Yes that was done when I was at college. It was done by student number so you had to know people's student number to know their results.

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyway if students have even a modicum of normal communication between themselves they will all know who passed and who's repeating.

Yes but the student has the option to tell people if they wish. The college should not go sending this information out to oter students

Mattie500 wrote: »

For years college results were posted in the notice boards along the corridors. I remember it well, are results now kept secret?

Yes students now must log in online to view their own result which are linked to their student number. Nobody else can see them unless the student shows others

siobhan08

siobhan08 wrote: »

Yes students now must log in online to view their own result which are linked to their student number. Nobody else can see them unless the student shows others

So, is there an unwritten rule among students now not to speak about results, or what they did in the summer (in case somebody is forced to admit that they were repeating)?

a 'Don't ask and don't tell' policy?

freshpopcorn

When I was in college this practice was done. My theory on them doing it was they know not everybody would check their emails and they knew they'd be a good chance their friends would remind them if they were also included in the email.

evolving_doors

Deleted User wrote: »

So, is there an unwritten rule among students now not to speak about results, or what they did in the summer (in case somebody is forced to admit that they were repeating)?

a 'Don't ask and don't tell' policy?

They can speak about their results if they want to... that's called having a choice and control over your own personal stuff.

Publishing personal data just isn't allowed anymore.

siobhan08

Deleted User wrote: »

So, is there an unwritten rule among students now not to speak about results, or what they did in the summer (in case somebody is forced to admit that they were repeating)?

a 'Don't ask and don't tell' policy?

You are clearly missing the point. Who knows a student is repeating is up to who the student wants to tell they have to repeat. If a student wants their peers to know if they are repeating they will do so of their own accord. The college has no place in sharing information regarding a student results with other students.

happywithlife

Two things I see wrong here. First is the results issue and precious (someone else's phrase) as it might sound you are entitled to privacy. It personally wouldn't bother me if those repeating were all going to be in the same room anyway but I still understand one being upset at others knowing.
Second issue is the sharing of other people's email- just not on in today's world. Someone used CC inside of BC obviously and I would expect anyone working in college Admin to know how to send a blind group email.
Personally I'd wait till I had the results of my repeat (in case I feared repercussions at grading) then raise with Admin- a memo should go out to Admin staff and that should be the end of it

racersedge

[Deleted User] wrote: »

So, is there an unwritten rule among students now not to speak about results, or what they did in the summer (in case somebody is forced to admit that they were repeating)?

a 'Don't ask and don't tell' policy?

I can attest to that theory. Currently doing a part-time degree course and nobody on it discusses the actual results. They talk vaguely about doing well or ther unhappiness with the results but never anything concrete. Quite different to my first trip to college. I'm guessing the mentality at the moment for some is that they don't want to judges by their grade?

PhoenixParker

Are college results really considered private data?

As others have noted, historically they never have been as results were posted publically. Presence at tutorials and repeat exams makes it clear who is repeating, top grades are announced in public fora with prizes. Degree awards are publicly announced. Colleges regularly talk about the results of past pupils, for instance if someone famous publicly claims a degree from college X, college X will correct the record if they don't in fact have that degree. The HSE and other bodies who deal with data that is actually private have none of those freedoms.

The pursuit of a degree is participation in an academic competition, and like other competitions the results can be published. While it sucks to have your name published with a Did Not Finish next to it, that's a risk and price of participation.

As for the issue of email address visibility, that's really a non-issue in a college setting. You're all effectively a small team of work colleagues so a bcc is unnecessary unless something truly private to each individual is being sent.

Lady is a tramp

Mattie500 wrote: »

For years college results were posted in the notice boards along the corridors. I remember it well, are results now kept secret?

That was the way back in my day. (Not all that long ago.) They were done by student number, but in alphabetical order, and there were only around 25 in my class by the end of final year ... roll call was taken every day, so we knew the order we were all in alphabetically and therefore we'd know looking at the results who got what, even though we didn't actually know each others student numbers off by heart. Sure I remember when the final degree results came out, I was one of the few students who actually lived in the same town where the college was, so I'd everyone messaging me to send them on their grades.

What happened here just seems like a bit of a big deal over nothing. Should the e-mail have been BCC'd rather than including everyone's names - yes, of course. But sure it's done now, I don't see the point in creating a fuss over it. You're probably technically right that it's a breach in data protection, but is there any harm actually done to anyone as a result?

evolving_doors

PhoenixParker wrote: »

Are college results really considered private data?

As others have noted, historically they never have been as results were posted publically. Presence at tutorials and repeat exams makes it clear who is repeating, top grades are announced in public fora with prizes. Degree awards are publicly announced. Colleges regularly talk about the results of past pupils, for instance if someone famous publicly claims a degree from college X, college X will correct the record if they don't in fact have that degree. The HSE and other bodies who deal with data that is actually private have none of those freedoms.

The pursuit of a degree is participation in an academic competition, and like other competitions the results can be published. While it sucks to have your name published with a Did Not Finish next to it, that's a risk and price of participation.

As for the issue of email address visibility, that's really a non-issue in a college setting. You're all effectively a small team of work colleagues so a bcc is unnecessary unless something truly private to each individual is being sent.

If it's data held by a company/organisation about you then it's 'truly' private.

freshpopcorn

Just a note for the girl to make. I had a lecturer used end the email about repeats to everybody even to those who passed!

Tom Dunne

Trinity College Dublin only started to allow Catholics to enrol in 1970. Does that qualify for "back in my day, this is how we did it?" Does that mean it was right?

Whether you accept it or not, the laws around what constitutes personal data, and, more importantly, what organisations can do with it, have changed considerably.

Red Alert

They shouldn't have done it, but to me it would be counterproductive to start a big stink about it. One reason I never send emails concerning exam times, repeats, or anything else to anyone other than the class group list.

Grolschevik

Tom Dunne wrote:

Trinity College Dublin only started to allow Catholics to enrol in 1970. Does that qualify for "back in my day, this is how we did it?" Does that mean it was right?

As an aside, it was the Catholic Church that banned going to Trinity til 1970, not the college itself...

Cakes and Ale

happywithlife wrote: »

Two things I see wrong here. First is the results issue and precious (someone else's phrase) as it might sound you are entitled to privacy. It personally wouldn't bother me if those repeating were all going to be in the same room anyway but I still understand one being upset at others knowing.
Second issue is the sharing of other people's email- just not on in today's world. Someone used CC inside of BC obviously and I would expect anyone working in college Admin to know how to send a blind group email.
Personally I'd wait till I had the results of my repeat (in case I feared repercussions at grading) then raise with Admin- a memo should go out to Admin staff and that should be the end of it

Re 2: It's quite often the case that all staff/student email addresses are visible to all students on e-learning platforms, or through whatever email system is in place. So they're not 'private' email addresses so to speak.

Re the email it may be that what is repeated has to be scheduled by the lecturer/teacher. Repeat presentations or in-class assessments for instance would need to be held at the one time, and scheduling these is easier through CC rather than BC (as all the repeats will have to be negotiate the time). So in these cases all repeating students will be meeting up together in any case. But outside of this BC would be more usual (or using a class group email if it's set up).

racersedge

racersedge wrote: »

I can attest to that theory. Currently doing a part-time degree course and nobody on it discusses the actual results. They talk vaguely about doing well or ther unhappiness with the results but never anything concrete. Quite different to my first trip to college.

Thats interesting. Part of going to college is learning to deal with life and I would suggest that internalising things like this might be a retrograde step.

Maybe its down to the facebook generation, where a facade that everything is 'good' is circulated to the world and lifes little bumps are kept hidden.

Not private data

Ideally wouldn't have been done like this

Students that fail modules probably best advised to concentrate on studying for repeats rather than making a mountain out of this molehill

evolving_doors

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Not private data

Ideally wouldn't have been done like this

Students that fail modules probably best advised to concentrate on studying for repeats rather than making a mountain out of this molehill

Not sure what your first statement is saying. Are you saying college results should be in the public domain?

Sure they should focus on the repeat, but a wrong is still a wrong and if it isn't addressed then it could happen again in a varied form.
Say a lecturer is walking into college and meets one of their classmates and says 'oh yeah will you tell John he's failed'.

No need to fire the lecturer, just admin pass around email to all to use the bcc function and stick to college procedure on results and data protection.

KeithTS

A BCC perhaps would have been more polite but the college aren't there to be polite.
I love the idea of these students rocking up to interview for a graduate program and when asked about their results they get offended and walk out.

This may seem narrow minded and certainly doesn't apply in all cases but perhaps the college view it as if you're ashamed or feel like you have something to hide based on your results perhaps you'll be more determined next time and study harder so you don't suffer the public shaming like in GoT.

Gebgbegb

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Say a lecturer is walking into college and meets one of their classmates and says 'oh yeah will you tell John he's failed'.

As I understand it, this wasnt the results. These had been given earlier.

This was an email about the autumn exams, sent only to the students doing those exams - just the same as an email about the summer exam would have been sent to the students doing that exam.

Its issues like this that have resulted in this generation getting its post-millenial name.