Online education and privacy at VU Amsterdam

The measures taken in relation to coronavirus have had a major impact on education at the university. We would like to thank you for being patient as we have looked for alternative teaching options to ensure as much continuity as possible in our education and assessment processes. For the time being, a lot of education is taking place online. In response to concerns from the University and Faculty Student Councils regarding the accessibility of online education and students’ privacy, we would like to explain here which considerations the university has taken into account.

Why have we opted for online teaching?

VU Amsterdam, like all universities, is required to follow government measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. At the same time, we are required to provide high-quality, accessible education that can be completed within the period specified for the relevant programme. This means that we have had to look for alternatives in order to ensure continuity in our education and examinations, so that your academic progress is not delayed. Adequate measures to prevent misconduct during examinations must also be taken, otherwise the value of your degree will be adversely affected. To ensure that this does not happen, we have opted to provide online teaching and to provide online monitoring (or ‘online proctoring’) for a number of examinations, in order to prevent any misconduct. This involves recording you using your own webcam. We only use this method if, according to the Examination Board, no alternative method of assessment is possible.

Privacy

We understand that this raises questions regarding privacy. We take these concerns very seriously, and will make every effort to ensure that all personal data is handled carefully and securely. When using new educational tools, we will therefore consider in advance whether these are appropriate and, if so, under what circumstances and conditions. A tool will only be used if it meets the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and meets the needs of both students and teaching staff.

At the moment, we are receiving many questions regarding 1) the use of online monitoring for remote assessment and 2) the use of Zoom for teaching purposes. We will explain more about both these subjects below.

1. Online proctoring for remote assessment

While the university is closed to students, remote assessment with online monitoring provides an alternative to regular examinations. The Examination Board will determine which alternative form of assessment is appropriate and necessary with respect to each exam. Other methods of assessment include, for example, submitting a paper or an open-book examination without monitoring. VU Amsterdam will only use remote assessment with online monitoring if the Examination Board has deemed it necessary. Online monitoring is used to:

a. check the identity of the individual taking the exam;

b. ascertain that there is no academic misconduct during the assessment;

c. ascertain that the assessment was completed within the allotted time frame.

You do not need to consent to the use of online monitoring. This is because the university has a legitimate interest in using online monitoring while students cannot come to the university and in cases where the Examination Board has ruled that there is no other alternative.

We will naturally take every step so that all personal data is handled carefully and securely. You can read more about how we do this in the privacy statement. In addition to the privacy statement, this site provides more practical information about the use of online monitoring.