During the recent Pandemic Pedagogy Research Symposium hosted by Duke Learning Innovation in May 2022, an attendee commented on Twitter asking a question we receive regularly here at Learning Innovation:
We receive flavors of this question almost every semester. Some faculty ask ‘is it ok to use an unsupported tool?’ while others who may have been using something for a few terms might ask ‘what would you suggest to help sustain the use of this tool?’
There are a lot of reasons not to use unsupported educational technology (edtech) tools, but there are also situations that warrant them. If your institution enables faculty to experiment with unsupported tools in their classes, there are a number of topics worth reflecting on and discussing with a vendor before you partner with them. Below is an email template to help facilitate the conversation with edtech vendors:
Dear {COMPANY},
I’m interested in using {TOOL} in my {COURSE} this term. Since {TOOL} is not an {INSTITUTION} supported and endorsed tool, I’d like to discuss the following to ensure a simple, secure, and reliable experience for my students and me.
> Is your product FERPA and WCAG 2.1 compliant?
> Do you have a VPAT and HECVAT you can share with me?
> Who owns the user data and user-created content my students and I put in {TOOL}?
> What entities outside {COMPANY} do you grant access to or sell the user data and user-created content my students and I put in {TOOL}?
> How does {TOOL} accommodate or help achieve {TEACHING VALUE, PEDAGOGY, GOAL}?
> Where can I find the policies and terms my students and I will agree to if we use {TOOL}?
> What languages does {TOOL} support other than English?
> We have students taking this class from {COUNTRY}. Are there any restrictions or known issues accessing {TOOL} from {COUNTRY}?
> How do you protect users from doxxing, harassment, or hate speech from others using {TOOL}?
Establish your values
The questions in the template address several technological values shared by Learning Innovation and Duke OIT including data security (HECVAT), privacy (FERPA), and accessibility (WCAG and VPAT). We recommend you:
- Reflect on your goals, pedagogy, teaching philosophy, professional values, and planned use of the tool.
- Research the tool and company to see if there is any conflict with your answer to #1.
- Discuss these with your peers, IT support, and teaching and learning support groups.
An example of edtech conflicting with values can be found in our Design and Grade Course Work Teaching Guide under the “Duke has chosen not to implement a proctoring technology” heading.
If your institution supports Learning Management System (LMS) integrations for unsupported tools, ask the vendor about their integration with the LMS your institution uses. An LTI integration can provide an additional layer of security and ease the process you and your students have to go through to use the tool.
Establish responsibility
One reason central IT departments and teaching and learning centers exist — and why we engage in contractual relationships with vendors — is to define and hold accountable someone responsible for the security of the people and data they create while using a tool.
Who is responsible for making sure your students’ data is protected and not shared? You are.
This isn’t legal advice; if you use an unsupported tool, someone is still responsible for the security of the data your class puts in the tool. We think it’s best not to assume and explicitly ask questions of the vendor related to what you are responsible for, what your students are responsible for, what the vendor is responsible for, and how they manage their technology and operations so that you feel confident in trusting them.
Ask for a copy of (and read) any policies, terms, or agreements you’ll be accepting if you use the tool. These are sometimes but not always found publicly on their website and may be labeled terms, policies, or EULA (End User License Agreement).
Regardless of whether the tool is free, it is common for data you and your students create to be shared or resold by the company if not explicitly stated otherwise. Reflect on the data your class will put in the tool and what that means if given to a third party.
Who is responsible for informing your students that they’re using a tool that the institution does not support and has not been reviewed for privacy and security? You are.
Informing your students that the tool is not supported by your institution should be one of the first things you explain before you start using the tool in class. This is especially important when a tool produces something public – like a public blog, website, or profile. Prepare plans for accommodating students who wish to opt out of using the tool.
Creating a safe environment for experimentation and failure is a key component of learning. This can sometimes be negatively affected by the desire to participate in public spaces like social media or the desire to use industry-standard tools students may use professionally post-graduation.
Think through the options the tool has for private and public spaces and how that might affect your students’ mindset, creativity, honesty, and ability to learn. How would you support a student who experiences doxxing, harassment, or hate speech from others on the tool if the vendor cannot prevent it?
If the tool isn’t free, does it require a purchase by the student, creating an added expense and burden?
Do you have an alternate plan if the tool goes away, changes features or pricing options, or doesn’t work as you anticipated?
Who is responsible for providing technical support for the tool? You are.
Congratulations, you’re now the IT service desk 😂! Ask the tool specifically what support options they offer and include instructions for your students on where and how to get help with the tool.
If supporting the tool yourself becomes too much to handle, prepare a backup plan and stop using it.
Understand the unique characteristics of your class and institution
Institutions with international or multilingual student populations should ask about the internationalization features of the tool. Since Duke partners with Duke Kunshan University, we specifically call out difficulties students may run into accessing tools from inside China.
For students in certain countries including China, some commonly used tools such as Google Docs may not be accessible at all. Students may be able to work around this problem by using a VPN (or virtual private network); however, this solution may not be straightforward for students.
We use this as a conversation starter, balancing brevity and scope and knowing we haven’t accounted for everything. Let us know what we missed and what topics or questions would you include.
Resources
Educause Rubric for selecting active learning technologies
Western University Rubric for eLearning Tool Evaluation
The full thread that inspired this piece can be found on Twitter. Thanks, @Jenae_Cohn!
Below is another version of the template for staff supporting faculty requesting unsupported tools at other institutions.
Thank you for reaching out and requesting support. Unfortunately, we cannot support {TOOLNAME} at this time. We recommend using {INSTITUTION} supported and endorsed tools to keep things simple, secure and reliable, but realize you might also be faced with a situation that warrants the use of non-{INSTITUTION} supported tools.
If you do move forward with {TOOLNAME}, keep in mind that when you use tools that have not been reviewed and supported by {INSTITUTION} you are:
1. Responsible for making sure your students’ data is protected and not shared;
2. Responsible for informing your students that they’re using a tool that {INSTITUTION} does not support and has not been reviewed for privacy and security (this is especially necessary when a tool produces something public – like a public blog or website, for example);
3. Responsible for providing technical support for the tool yourself (if the tool or platform doesn’t already provide sufficient support).
For {INSTITUTION} students in China, some commonly used tools (e.g., Google Docs, Google Sites, WhatsApp) may not be accessible. Students may be able to work around this problem by using a VPN (or virtual private network); however, this solution may not be straightforward for students.
We recommend asking a representative of {TOOLNAME} these questions before you move forward:
> Is your product FERPA and WCAG 2.1 compliant?
> Do you have a VPAT and HECVAT you can share with me?
> Who owns the user data and user-created content my students and I put in {TOOL}?
> What entities outside {COMPANY} do you grant access to or sell the user data and user-created content my students and I put in {TOOL}?
> How does {TOOL} accommodate or help achieve {TEACHING VALUE, PEDAGOGY, GOAL}?
> Where can I find the policies and terms my students and I will agree to if we use {TOOL}?
> What languages does {TOOL} support other than English?
> We have students taking this class from {COUNTRY}. Are there any restrictions or known issues accessing {TOOL} from {COUNTRY}?
> How do you protect users from doxxing, harassment, or hate speech from others using {TOOL}?