Over the years, it has been seen that the Universities collect the data of its students to use it for a number of purpose. These purposes might include analyzing the swipes of the student ID cards at the different locations of the campus to know about the routine activities of the student as in University of Arizona. The data collection might not be harmful for the students. Like in a press release of a University, it has been revealed that the data about the students are used to create a social interaction model among the students, based on the location of their CatCard (University, 2018). One researcher found out that the data are being anonymized before sharing. However, the question arises on responsible sharing of the data. The situation gives rise to the questions whether the use of student data in colleges and universities for student retention is ethical or not. The current situation is analyzed on basis of four ethical theories which are Utilitarianism, deontology, virtue and contract. The ethical issue mainly arises because the students cannot opt out of the data collection process. Furthermore, the students are often obliged to study the data of the students in order to make their educational environment more effective. The analysis of the situation on basis of four classical ethical theories is discussed in the following paragraphs.
Utilitarianism theory can be described as a consequence based ethical theory that argues that the primary goal of an ethical and moral system is to produce the most desirable consequences for its members (Peters, 2015). Therefore, according to this theory, the morally correct action will be something that produces the most desirable outcome. Thus a theory will be ethical and morally permissible if it provides greatest good in its consequences. Utilitarianism theory draws on two main points which says that principle of the social utility should be used for determining the morality. The social utility can be measured by the happiness its consequences produce (Farseev et al., 2013). Utilirarians assume that all the people desire happiness and happiness is desired by every individual (Trevino & Nelson, 2016). Thus this theory of ethics states that an act will be good if it benefits a maximum number of people. Thus from an utilitatian perspective the collection and use of the students’ data for research or any other use may not be ethical (Tännsjö, 2013). This is because of the fact that the students are not allowed to opt out of this data collection process. Furthermore, it is seen that the anonymity of the data is not always maintained in the process.
However, the data is often used for the benefit of the student and for the improving the experiences of the students which may not be ethical. Furthermore, if the students’ data is not available for research, it might be a difficult for conducting any research and develop something new. Thus the collection and use of students’ data as long as its anonymity is maintained may not be unethical. However, if reverse is the case, which is the students’ data is shared without making it anonymous; it might give rise to an ethical dilemma as the act is not moral at all (Singer, 2013). Thus it is necessary for the colleges and the Universities to ensure that the anonymity of the data is maintained. However, the students should be able to opt out of the data collection process if they wish to. Then only the situation will be ethical and moral as well.
According to deontology theory of ethics, the morality of a situation mainly depends on the morality of the action. In Deontology theory it is believed that if every people is moral, it will help in development of a proper moral system (Gasper, 2016). This moral system will be based on two principles, Universality and impartiality. In such system, every individual needs to be treated fairly since the rules are universally true for every person. Thus for a deontologist, a particular action is right or wrong in itself. However, in deontology theory, the rules are same for every individual. Thus breaching the privacy of the students in the name of data collection to improve their experience in college or to study their behaviors may not be ethical.
According to the deontology theory it is always wrong to take someone’s data or property without his or her consent. Thus this situation is not ethical since the students are not able to opt out of data collection process even they want to (Koven, 2015). Furthermore, the data is often shared without their permission which is not ethical. The sharing of data collected without making is anonymous is ethically wrong according to the theory of deontology. The colleges and the universities should be careful about the data sharing so that privacy of the students is not breached in this process. Furthermore, the students should be given an option to opt out of the process of data sharing if they want. Then only the situation will be moral and ethical from the deontology point of view as well. However, if the Universities work for preserving the privacy of the students, the entire situation can be ethical and moral.
The virtue theory of ethics mainly stresses on the moral development and morality of a particular situation. According to this theory of ethics, each ethical situation depends on the set of rules and principles (Broad, 2014). The theory states that a person should be moral out of habit and not on introspection. Thus if an action is not hurting anyone, it can be ethical and moral. The data that is collected by the student is often used for their benefits which are therefore ethical (Van Hooft, 2014). However, if the universities and the colleges are making use of the data for tracking the behaviors of the students, it may not be ethical or moral.
One of the most significant problems associated with the virtue theory is that it is difficult to establish the real nature or virtue of people. If the data is not shared with the students, it might be difficult for the researchers to conduct any academic research. It might not be therefore acceptable for the majority of the society.
If the data is anonymized before sharing, it might not be a problem for the students as their privacy is not breached. Furthermore, it will not be a problem for the researchers to conduct their research if the data is anonymized (Ferrell et al., 2013). The colleges and the Universities should consider maintaining the anonymity of the data that they are collecting so that the process of data collection becomes moral and ethical. This particular situation sheds light to the fact that the students are completely unaware of the fact that their data is being collected which is not socially acceptable. It will be ethical if the Universities and the colleges take the permission of the students before collecting the data whatever the reason of data collection might be. Thus according to the Virtue theory of ethics, the current situation may not be ethical.
According to the Contract theory of ethics, the morality of any situation mainly depends on the contractual agreements between the individuals (Dan-Cohen, 2016). The Contract theory of ethics therefore motivates an individual to be moral. Establishment of a moral system is supported by the contract theory of ethics (Koszegi, 2014). Thus according to this theory of ethics, the current situation may not be ethical. This is mainly because the students are not being involved with a contractual agreement with the colleges and Universities and are not giving their consent for data collection. The data of every student are collected in this case and they do not have the option to opt out of the data collection system as well (Hursthouse, 2013). This is not acceptable from the point of view of the contract theory of ethics and it might not be socially acceptable as well. Thus an ethical dilemma arises in this case.
If a contractual agreement can be established between the students and the Universities, the situation will be ethical. Apart from that, it is needed to ensure that the privacy of the data that is being collected is preserved and are not misused. Only then the current situation will be ethical and moral according to the contract theory of ethics.
Conclusion
Thus it can be rightly concluded that collection of students’ data without their knowledge is not ethical. Although it might be a need for the sake of new researches and for understanding the behavior of the students, it might not be ethical. In this situation, the students are forced to be involved in the entire process and they do not have the right to opt out from them as well. This is makes the situation unethical. Data of the students is being collected in the Universities across the world and therefore it is unlikely to change the system. However, it is necessary to ensure that the data that is being collected remains anonymous to the people whom it is being shared. It would be great if the Universities could obtain the consent of the students before sharing the data. The students, furthermore, should be given an option to opt out of the process of data collection. If the students are given the option of opting out of the system anytime they prefer to, it will help in getting their consent for the data collection. This will eliminate the question of the situation being unethical altogether. Thus it is a valid option.
References
Broad, C. D. (2014). Five types of ethical theory. Routledge.
Dan-Cohen, M. (2016). Rights, persons, and organizations: A legal theory for bureaucratic society (Vol. 26). Quid Pro Books.
Farseev, A., Nie, L., Akbari, M., & Chua, T. S. (2015, June). Harvesting multiple sources for user profile learning: a big data study. In Proceedings of the 5th ACM on International Conference on Multimedia Retrieval (pp. 235-242). ACM.
Ferrell, O. C., Crittenden, V. L., Ferrell, L., & Crittenden, W. F. (2013). Theoretical development in ethical marketing decision making. AMS review, 3(2), 51-60.
Gasper, D. (2016). Ethics of development.
Hursthouse, R. (2013). Normative virtue ethics. ETHICA, 645.
Koszegi, B. (2014). Behavioral contract theory. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(4), 1075-1118.
Koven, S. G. (2015). Public sector ethics: Theory and applications. Routledge.
Peters, R. S. (2015). Ethics and Education (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Singer, P. (Ed.). (2013). A companion to ethics. John Wiley & Sons.
Tännsjö, T. (2013). Understanding ethics. Edinburgh University Press.
Trevino, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2016). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley & Sons.
University, S. (2018). Students and Sensors: Data, education, privacy, and research. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/students-and-sensors-data-education-privacy-and-research/
Van Hooft, S. (2014). Understanding virtue ethics. Routledge.
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