This policy outlines how Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) handles information collected through its Moodle learning management system. It applies to all users of Moodle at EMU.
Information Collected and Stored
Moodle at EMU collects and stores information to support teaching, learning, and administrative functions.
This includes:
- Personal Information: This includes your name, student ID, email address, and course enrollments, which are obtained from your university account.
- Course-Related Data: This encompasses content you submit (e.g., assignments, forum posts, wiki edits), grades, and any other data generated through your participation in Moodle activities (e.g., quiz attempts).
- Usage Data: Moodle logs your activity on the platform, such as login and logout times, pages viewed, files accessed, and interactions with course materials and activities. This data helps us understand how Moodle is used and can be used for system improvement and troubleshooting.
How Information is Used
The information collected through Moodle is used for the following purposes:
- Facilitating Teaching and Learning: To enable instructors to manage courses, deliver content, assess student performance, and communicate with students. To enable students to access course materials, submit assignments, participate in discussions, and track their progress.
- System Administration and Support: To maintain the Moodle platform, troubleshoot technical issues, monitor system performance, and ensure security.
- Academic and Administrative Purposes:
- Instructors: To provide feedback, assign grades, monitor student engagement, and communicate with students about their learning.
- Students: To track their academic progress, receive feedback, and access course resources.
- Academic Advisors and Support Staff: To provide academic advising, identify students who may need support, and facilitate student success.
- University Administration: For reporting, program evaluation, and to comply with legal and accreditation requirements.
- Research and Analytics: Aggregated and anonymized data may be used for educational research and to improve teaching and learning strategies at EMU. Individual user data will not be identifiable in such research unless explicit consent is obtained.
Access to Your Information
- Instructors: Can access all content and activity within their specific courses.
- Students: Can access their own course-related data and content within the courses they are enrolled in.
- Moodle System Administrators: A limited number of authorized ITS staff have access to all data on the Moodle system for the purposes of system maintenance, technical support, and security. Access to individual user data is strictly limited to what is necessary for these purposes or to comply with legal obligations.
- Other Authorized Personnel: Certain university staff (e.g., from the Registrar's Office, Academic Affairs) may have access to relevant data for legitimate academic or administrative purposes, in accordance with university policies and applicable laws (e.g., FERPA).
Data Security and Retention
- EMU is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your information stored in Moodle. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
- Course data, including student submissions and grades, will be retained in Moodle for a period consistent with EMU's record retention policies. Generally, Moodle course sites and their content are retained for at least three academic years after the course end date.
- Upon graduation or separation from the University, user access to Moodle will be terminated.
Integrated Services
You may be given the option to access or register for the Service through the use of your username and passwords for certain services provided by third parties (each, an “Integrated Service”), such as through the use of your Microsoft/Google account, or otherwise have the option to authorize an Integrated Service to provide Personal Data or other information to us. By authorising us to connect with an Integrated Service, you authorise us to access and store your name, email address(es), and basic profile information that the Integrated Service makes available to us, and to use and disclose it in accordance with this Policy. You should check your privacy settings on each Integrated Service to understand what information that Integrated Service makes available to us, and make changes as appropriate.
Please review each Integrated Service’s terms of use and privacy policies carefully before using their services and connecting to our Service.
Your Rights
- You have the right to access and review the personal information held about you in Moodle.
- You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- For questions regarding your data privacy in Moodle, please contact Eastern Mennonite University's Information Technology (IT) department.
Changes to this Policy
EMU may update this Moodle Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on this page.