Student and staff data: use of data analytics and machine learning

The request was partially successful.

Dear University of Lincoln,

I am making a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Please can you provide information pertaining to any data analytics software used by the university using personal data about your students and staff, since 2012.

1a). Whether you are using any data analytics software at all:
1b) if so, which ones?
1c) what date this data analytics processing began?
1d) indicate whether in the past and ended, or still in current use

2a). Any predictive analytics software such as used in but not only, Blackboard, Xray and JISC supported Civitas.
2b) if so, which ones?
2c) what date this analytics processing began for predictive purposes?

3. If the answer to Q1a or Q2a is yes, please provide a copy of any contract terms on using the data by the provider company including
a) the data items feedling analytics, any profiling, and/or used in prediction
b) what the prediction purposes / aims are
c) training the software (such as AI and machine learning) by the provider using the data provided via your organisation.

4. Whether the University is using its own student or staff population data for machine learning for purposes not included in 1-3 above? (ie but not only, within the university computing department for any project or with another third-party)

5. From which time periods were the student or staff data collected which are processed in any of the above (ie not only, retrospective student data from the last ten years / only current intake which began in autumn term 2018)?

6. How many people/user accounts have access to the whole population student data in any of the above in this calendar year?

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Jen Persson

Compliance Mailbox, University of Lincoln

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email.

The University of Lincoln is processing your request in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and will provide a response within the statutory timescales.

Kind Regards
Naomi Timings
Information Compliance Officer
Secretariat
University of Lincoln. Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. LN6 7TS
tel: +44 (0)1522 886618

lincoln.ac.uk | facebook.com | twitter.com

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Naomi Timings, University of Lincoln

Good morning,

Having allocated your request for information to the relevant department I have been asked to seek clarification. Your request is therefore placed on hold until clarification has been received.

Could you please clarify the following points;

Question 1

Could you please clarify the term "using data analytics software at all", this definition can be broadly interpreted to includes things like excel, some of our systems perform analysis of data to certain extents, as well as the teams within the University performing analysis using some of the systems. Do you mean this type of information, or whether the University uses commercial off the shelf software packages?

Question 2.

You have requested information regarding any predictive analytics software, such as Blackboard, are you referring a particular module of Blackboard, such as the Blackboard Analytics?

Question 4.

You refer to the University Computing department, can you confirm whether you mean the University's ICT department, or the School of Computer Science?

Kind regards
Naomi Timings
Information Compliance Officer
Secretariat
University of Lincoln. Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire. LN6 7TS
tel: +44 (0)1522 886618

lincoln.ac.uk | facebook.com | twitter.com

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Dear Naomi Timings,

Thank you for your reply asking for more details. To answer your 3 clarifications:

Question 1: any data analytics software used by the university
1a) using personal data about your students and staff, since 2012.
For example for the purposes of profiling, to create dashboards, comparative attainment --
b) asks for those software to be listed. These may be commercial products, or internally designed software.

Question 2.
"such as Blackboard." This may be any module, but cannot be tightly narrowed since it may or not be this product that your university uses. Perhaps a sentence may help explain which applies, if the respondent thinks it necessary to clarify.

Question 4.

This may be pertainent to either the University's ICT department, or the School of Computer Science. The question is to ascertain whether or not general student and staff data are made available for internal university purposes, of machine learning or AI projects, regardless of the name of the computing centre.

Thank you. I would be grateful if you can restart the clock on the request timed process.

Sincerely,
Jen Persson

Naomi Timings, University of Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Naomi Timings, University of Lincoln

1 Attachment

Good afternoon

Please find attached the University of Lincoln's response to your recent request for information.

If you wish to discuss the response further please let me know.

Kind regards
Naomi

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