The increasing use of the Internet for service delivery has paralleled an increase of e-service users' privacy concerns as technology offers ample opportunities for organizations to store, process, ...and exploit personal data. This may reduce individuals' perceived ability to control their personal information and increase their perceived privacy risk. A systematic understanding of individuals' privacy concerns is important as negative user perceptions are a challenge to service providers' reputation and may hamper service delivery processes as they influence users' trust and willingness to disclose personal information. This study develops and validates a model that examines the effect of organizational privacy assurances on individual privacy concerns, privacy control and risk perceptions, trust beliefs and non-self-disclosure behavior. Drawing on a survey to 547 users of different types of e-services – e-government, e-commerce and social networking – in Rwanda, and working within the framework of exploratory analysis, this study uses partial least square-structural equation modeling to validate the overall model and the proposed hypotheses. The findings show that perceptions of privacy risks and privacy control are antecedents of e-service users' privacy concerns, trust and non-self-disclosure behavior. They further show that the perceived effectiveness of privacy policy and perceived effectiveness of self-regulations influence both perceptions of privacy risks and control and their consequences; users' privacy concerns, trust and non-self-disclosure behavior. The hypotheses are supported differently across the three types of e-services, which means that privacy is specific to context and situation. The study shows that the effect of privacy assurances on trust is different in e-government services than in other services which suggest that trust in e-government may be more complex and different in nature than in other contexts. The findings serve to enhance a theoretical understanding of organizational privacy assurances and individual privacy concerns, trust and self-disclosure behavior. They also have implications for e-service providers and users as well as for regulatory bodies and e-services designers.
•Perceptions of privacy risk-control influence privacy concerns, trust and self-disclosure behavior.•Privacy policy influences perceptions of privacy risk and/or control, privacy concerns, trust and self-disclosure behavior.•Organizational privacy self-regulations influence users’ privacy concerns, trust and non-self-disclosure behavior.•Organization's strategies in executing privacy policies may reflect how effective the organization is in protecting personal information.•Privacy and trust in e-government are influenced by the level of trust users have in the government and its organizations.
Abstract
Stakeholders and researchers in higher education have long debated the consequences of English-medium instruction (EMI); a key assumption of EMI is that student’s academic learning through ...English should be at least as good as learning through their first language (usually the national language). This study addressed the following question: “What is the impact from English-medium instruction on students’ academic performance in an online learning environment?” “Academic performance” was measured in two ways: number of correctly answered test questions and through-put/drop-out rate. The study adopted an experimental design involving a large group (
n
= 2,263) randomized control study in a programming course. Student participants were randomly allocated to an English-medium version of the course (the intervention group) or a Swedish-medium version of the course (the control group). The findings were that students enrolled on the English-medium version of the course answered statistically significantly fewer test questions correctly; the EMI students also dropped out from the course to a statistically significantly higher degree compared to students enrolled on the Swedish version of the course. The conclusion of this study is thus that EMI may, under certain circumstances, have negative consequences for students’ academic performance.
East African countries face significant societal challenges related to sustainable development goals but have limited resources to address these problems, including a shortage of nutrition experts ...and health care workers, limited access to physical and digital infrastructure, and a shortage of advanced educational programs and continuing professional development.
This study aimed to develop a web-based program for sustainable development with a focus on digital learning, digital health literacy, and child nutrition, targeting government officials and decision-makers at nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Ethiopia and Rwanda.
A web-based program-OneLearns (Online Education for Leaders in Nutrition and Sustainability)-uses a question-based learning methodology. This is a research-based pedagogical method developed within the open learning initiative at Carnegie Mellon University, United States. Participants were recruited during the fall of 2020 from ministries of health, education, and agriculture and NGOs that have public health, nutrition, and education in their missions. The program was conducted during the spring of 2021.
Of the 70 applicants, 25 (36%) were selected and remained active throughout the entire program and filled out a pre- and postassessment questionnaire. After the program, of the 25 applicants, 20 (80%, 95% CI 64%-96%) participants reported that their capacity to drive change related to the sustainable development goals as well as child nutrition in their organizations had increased to large extent or to a very large extent. Furthermore, 17 (68%, 95% CI 50%-86%) and 18 (72%, 95% CI 54%-90%) participants reported that their capacity to drive change related to digital health literacy and digital learning had increased to a large extent and to a very large extent, respectively.
Digital learning based on a question-based learning methodology was perceived as a useful method for increasing the capacity to drive change regarding sustainable development among government officials and decision-makers at NGOs in Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Applications of learning analytics (LA) can raise concerns from students about their privacy in higher education contexts. Developing effective privacy-enhancing practices requires a systematic ...understanding of students' privacy concerns and how they vary across national and cultural dimensions. We conducted a survey study with established instruments to measure privacy concerns and cultural values for university students in five countries (Germany, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States; N = 762). The results show that students generally trusted institutions with their data and disclosed information as they perceived the risks to be manageable even though they felt somewhat limited in their ability to control their privacy. Across the five countries, German and Swedish students stood out as the most trusting and least concerned, especially compared to US students who reported greater perceived risk and less control. Students in South Korea and Spain responded similarly on all five privacy dimensions (perceived privacy risk, perceived privacy control, privacy concerns, trusting beliefs, and non-self-disclosure behavior), despite their significant cultural differences. Culture measured at the individual level affected the antecedents and outcomes of privacy concerns. Perceived privacy risk and privacy control increase with power distance. Trusting beliefs increase with a desire for uncertainty avoidance and lower masculinity. Non-self-disclosure behaviors rise with power distance and masculinity and decrease with more uncertainty avoidance. Thus, cultural values related to trust in institutions, social equality and risk-taking should be considered when developing privacy-enhancing practices and policies in higher education.
Abstract Digital technologies are increasingly used in assessment. On the one hand, this use offers opportunities for teachers to practice assessment more effectively, and on the other hand, it ...brings challenges to the design of pedagogically sound and responsible digital assessment. There is a lack of validated instruments and models that explain, assess and support teachers' critical pedagogical practice of digital assessment. This explorative work first develops and validates a survey instrument to examine teachers' digital assessment practices. Secondly, we build a model to investigate to what extent teachers' pedagogical digital assessment knowledge is a foundation for the future of digital assessment (ie, authentic, accessible, automated, continuous and responsible). A total of 219 university teachers at a large European university participated in the survey study. Factor exploratory analysis and structural equation modelling were used to validate the reliability and validity of items and internal causal relations of factors. The results show the survey is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing teachers' digital assessment practice in higher education. Teachers' pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of digital assessment is critical, while teachers' technological pedagogical knowledge seems to have a more limited impact on the future of digital assessment. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Digital technologies are increasingly used in assessment in higher education. Teachers are the key stakeholders in the assessment for learning. There is a limited transformative nature of digital assessment practices. What this paper adds A validated instrument to assess teachers' pedagogical practice of digital assessment in higher education. Teachers' pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge of digital assessment is critical to the future of digital assessment. Teachers' technological pedagogical knowledge of digital assessment has a more limited impact on the future of digital assessment. Implications for practice and policy Teachers need to be supported in developing pedagogical digital assessment practices in higher education. Based on this study's outcomes, educators, institutions and policymakers can inform the design and implementation of effective and responsible digital assessment practices. The design and implementation of responsible digital assessments will enhance the quality of higher education in the digital age.
Understanding students' privacy concerns is an essential first step toward effective privacy‐enhancing practices in learning analytics (LA). In this study, we develop and validate a model to explore ...the students' privacy concerns (SPICE) regarding LA practice in higher education. The SPICE model considers privacy concerns as a central construct between two antecedents—perceived privacy risk and perceived privacy control, and two outcomes—trusting beliefs and non‐self‐disclosure behaviours. To validate the model, data through an online survey were collected, and 132 students from three Swedish universities participated in the study. Partial least square results show that the model accounts for high variance in privacy concerns, trusting beliefs, and non‐self‐disclosure behaviours. They also illustrate that students' perceived privacy risk is a firm predictor of their privacy concerns. The students' privacy concerns and perceived privacy risk were found to affect their non‐self‐disclosure behaviours. Finally, the results show that the students' perceptions of privacy control and privacy risks determine their trusting beliefs. The study results contribute to understand the relationships between students' privacy concerns, trust and non‐self‐disclosure behaviours in the LA context. A set of relevant implications for LA systems' design and privacy‐enhancing practices' development in higher education is offered.
Practitioner notes
What is already known about this topic
Addressing students' privacy is critical for large‐scale learning analytics (LA) implementation.
Understanding students' privacy concerns is an essential first step to developing effective privacy‐enhancing practices in LA.
Several conceptual, not empirically validated frameworks focus on ethics and privacy in LA.
What this paper adds
The paper offers a validated model to explore the nature of students' privacy concerns in LA in higher education.
It provides an enhanced theoretical understanding of the relationship between privacy concerns, trust and self‐disclosure behaviour in the LA context of higher education.
It offers a set of relevant implications for LA researchers and practitioners.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Students' perceptions of privacy risks and privacy control are antecedents of students' privacy concerns, trust in the higher education institution and the willingness to share personal information.
Enhancing students' perceptions of privacy control and reducing perceptions of privacy risks are essential for LA adoption and success.
Contextual factors that may influence students' privacy concerns should be considered.
Privacy is one of the key challenges to the adoption and implementation of online proctoring systems in higher education. To better understand this challenge, we adopt privacy as contextual integrity ...theory to conduct a scoping review of 17 papers. The results show different types of students' personal and sensitive information are collected and disseminated; this raises considerable privacy concerns. As well as the governing principles including transparency and fairness, consent and choice, information minimization, accountability, and information security and accuracy have been identified to address privacy problems. This study notifies a need to clarify how these principles should be implemented and sustained, and what privacy concerns and actors they relate to. Further, it calls for the need to clarify the responsibility of key actors in enacting and sustaining responsible adoption and use of OPS in higher education.
Privacy of information is a critical issue for e‐government development as lack of it negatively influences users' trust and adoption of e‐government. To earn user trust government organizations need ...to provide reliable privacy assurance by implementing adequate information privacy protection (IPP) practices. African least developing countries (LDCs) today develop e‐government, but focus is on quick technical development, and the status of IPP issues is not clear. Little research has yet studied the status of IPP practices in e‐government in African LDCs. To fill this gap, we assess the status of existing IPP practices in e‐government in Rwanda, using international privacy principles as an assessment baseline. We adopt a case study approach including three cases. Data were collected by interviews and a survey. The findings call into question the efficacy of existing IPP practices and their effect in ensuring e‐government service users' privacy protection in Rwanda. The study extends existing literature by providing insights related to privacy protection from an African LDC context. For practitioners in Rwanda and other LDCs, this study contributes to the protection of information privacy in e‐government by providing recommendations to mitigate identified gaps.