Tracking Community College Students: Are Universities Watching?

Universities have been known to use technology to track students' locations, online activity, and academic performance. This includes monitoring students' messages on social media and email, tracking their movements with GPS, and recording their attendance and grades. While the goal of this monitoring is generally safety and support, there are concerns about privacy and the potential for reinforcing racial inequities. In terms of community college students specifically, there is a lack of consistent tracking across the United States. For example, California does not have a system in place to track students through high school, college, and the workplace, while other states have implemented such measures.

Universities use tracking systems to monitor students' academic performance

Universities are increasingly using tracking systems to monitor students' academic performance. These technologies include video surveillance, GPS, social media and email monitoring, and digital textbooks. For example, Syracuse University uses an app that connects with students' smartphones via Bluetooth to track attendance in classes. This data is then used to adjust students' grades.

Some universities also use predictive analytics to identify students who are at risk of dropping out or struggling academically, so that support can be provided. This involves using artificial intelligence to hunt for patterns in large amounts of historical student data, such as grades, attendance, and demographics.

While the goal of these tracking systems is generally safety and support, there are concerns about the invasion of privacy and potential reinforcement of racial inequities. Many students are unaware of the extent of the tracking and the data collected on them.

Colleges track students' locations via their smartphones

Colleges are increasingly turning to smartphones to track students' locations and monitor their academic performance, mental health, and general conduct. This is achieved through the use of Bluetooth beacons installed in classrooms, which connect with students' smartphones and track their attendance. Additionally, Wi-Fi access points can track students' movements around campus 24 hours a day, collecting up to 6,000 location data points daily.

While the goal of such monitoring is often cited as being for safety and support, there are growing privacy concerns. Many students are unaware of the extent of the tracking, with some only learning about it through social media or friends. This has led to concerns about the privacy and intimate details of their lives being shared without their knowledge or consent.

The data collected by colleges through smartphone tracking can be extensive, including not only location but also attendance, academic performance, and even mental health. Colleges justify this by claiming that it helps them identify students who may be struggling and provide support to prevent dropouts. Additionally, they argue that it can be used to make better predictions about which students are most likely to apply, accept offers, and enroll.

However, critics argue that this level of surveillance may be invading students' privacy and reinforcing racial and social inequities. There are concerns that the data could be used to steer low-income or minority students into easier majors or discourage them from continuing their education. The accuracy of the data and the potential for errors are also questioned, as the context and explanations behind students' movements and actions may not always be captured.

Despite these concerns, the use of smartphone tracking by colleges is likely to continue and even expand in the coming years. With the college-age population expected to decline after 2025, universities will have a greater incentive to retain students, and the data collected through smartphone tracking can provide valuable insights to achieve this.

Universities monitor students' messages on social media and email

Universities and colleges have been known to monitor their students' social media activity and emails. While some institutions claim that this is done to ensure the safety of students and staff, others believe that it is an invasion of privacy.

Monitoring Social Media

Social media has become an integral part of universities' online presence. They use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to market themselves, build their online reputation, and improve their brand image. Additionally, universities monitor social media to identify their strengths and weaknesses, target new international students, and manage crises and risks.

Some universities monitor social media to address issues such as gun violence and cyberbullying. They track mentions of keywords related to self-harm, suicide threats, and cyberbullying in students' public social media posts. However, critics argue that this practice violates students' civil rights to free speech and privacy.

Monitoring Emails

Universities have also been known to monitor students' emails. For example, the University of Wisconsin-Stout installed tracking software on its website, which allowed it to track prospective students' activities on the site, including the pages they visited and how long they spent on each one. The software also provided a map of the student's geographical location and an "affinity index" estimating their interest in attending the school.

Additionally, universities may monitor students' emails to track their attendance and location on campus. For instance, Bluetooth beacons installed in classrooms can log students' attendance, late arrivals, and early departures. Wi-Fi access points can also track students' movements on campus 24 hours a day, generating up to 6,000 location data points daily.

This data is used by universities to monitor class attendance and, in some cases, to identify students who may be going through a mental health crisis. However, critics argue that this level of surveillance invades students' privacy and may put them in a tough position, as the data collected may be full of errors and lack context.

Colleges use data to determine students' risk of dropping out

Colleges are increasingly using technology to track students' data and monitor their movements. This includes tracking students' locations via their smartphones, using facial recognition software, and monitoring their messages on social media and email.

One example of this is Syracuse University, which uses an app called SpotterEDU to monitor students' attendance in class. The app connects with Bluetooth beacons hidden in lecture halls and logs students' attendance, or absence, in a campus database. This data can then be used to adjust students' grades and is also used by professors to contact students who have missed class.

Another way colleges track students is through the use of tracking software on their websites. This software can recognize prospective students based on a piece of code, called a cookie, which is placed on their computer during their visit to the site. The software can then send an alert to the school's admissions office containing the student's name, contact information, and details about their activities on the site.

While the goal of this monitoring is generally safety and support, there are privacy concerns. Some students may not be aware of the extent of the tracking and may feel that their privacy is being invaded. Additionally, there are concerns that the data collected could be used to reinforce historical inequities and funnel low-income students or students of color into easier majors.

Despite these concerns, the use of data to track students appears to be becoming more common. It is estimated that 1,400 colleges and universities in the United States are using predictive analytics to identify students who may be struggling academically and provide support before they drop out. This involves using artificial intelligence to hunt for patterns in millions of past student records and match them to students who ultimately dropped out.

One example of a college using predictive analytics is Georgia State University, which uses an analytics system to color-code students' risk of dropping out. The system takes into account factors such as grades, major, and whether the student has been flagged for skipping class or flunking quizzes. Advisors can then use this information to provide support and guidance to students who may be at risk of dropping out.

While there are potential downsides to the use of data and predictive analytics in higher education, there is also evidence that it can be effective in improving graduation rates. For example, after implementing predictive analytics, Georgia State University has seen a 23 percentage point increase in its graduation rate over the past several years.

Universities use data to predict students' likelihood of enrolling

Universities are increasingly using data to predict whether students are likely to enrol, and to monitor their academic performance, conduct and mental health.

In the US, at least 44 public and private universities work with consulting companies to collect and analyse data on prospective students. They do this by tracking their web activity and formulating predictive scores to measure each student's likelihood of enrolling.

One way they do this is by using tracking software. When a student visits a university website, the software automatically recognises them and sends an alert to the admissions office containing the student's name, contact information and details about their life and activities on the site. The admissions officer will also receive a link to a private profile of the student, listing all the pages they viewed on the site and how long they spent on each one.

Universities also use technology to monitor students' attendance and location. For example, Syracuse University uses an app that connects with students' smartphones and logs their attendance. It also alerts professors when a student is absent, and this information is recorded in a campus database that can affect their grade.

Universities also use video surveillance cameras, GPS tracking, and monitor students' messages on social media and email.

Some critics worry that these practices may invade students' privacy and reinforce racial inequities.

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