Objectives:

In this section, you will learn safety and security features and considerations.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • List ways to protect your students’ identities

  • List security options available on Moodle

  • Explain the benefit of developing a code of conduct for your course

  • List online safety and security best practices 

Protecting Students’ Identities

Privacy is an important part of online learning. Students have the right to protect their identity for safety reasons. It may be risky for students to use their real names in online courses. 

You can help protect your students and their safety by:

  • Allowing students to use pseudonyms (i.e., a name someone uses instead of their real name) in a course.

  • Allowing students to keep their cameras off during virtual meetings.

  • Changing permission settings so that students cannot view the participant list.

  • Not expecting students to upload a profile picture of themselves. 

Managing Enrollment

In the “Participant” section of your course, you can choose how students can enrol into your course. For increased security, you can disable self enrolment and manually enrol your students. 

Note that all users using the DD Courses website are approved by DD Courses staff before being able to use the website. This is an extra layer of protection that helps to ensure only authenticated users are on the DD Course site.   

Developing a Code of Conduct

Developing a Code of Conduct is another way to set up expectations about students' behaviour and address privacy and security concerns. A Code of Conduct is a document that contains rules and expectations for students to follow while attending your course. 

You may develop your own Code of Conduct and ask students to review and sign it before being allowed into your course, or you may want to develop a Code of Conduct together as a class. Allowing students to discuss and develop some of the rules will empower the students to follow the rules. 

Some example Code of Conduct rules:

  • I can share what I learned in the course but I cannot share the identity of my classmates, what they said, or where they are located. 

  • I will respect my classmates and teacher by showing up to virtual class meetings on time, participating in course activities, and always trying my best. 

DD Courses Safety Measures

DD Courses takes the safety and security of students and instructors seriously. The following is a list of safety precautions taken by DD Courses:

  • The real names of the students aren’t used in DD Courses. Instead, students are given pseudonyms and assigned IDs. 

  • All the information students send on the internet is encrypted (i.e., information is converted into secret code that hides the information's true meaning) by default. 

  • The information submitted by students while registering and during the duration of their classes are securely stored. Further, any sensitive information is accessible only by privileged users who are bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement. 

  • Backup copies of Moodle are encrypted. 

  • Exams are conducted online so students do not have to convene at a single location. 

  • Big Blue Button (BBB), a secure video conferencing software, is hosted privately by CW4WAfghan and the data is secure within its servers. BBB traffic is also encrypted by default. 

  • The meetings in BBB are only accessible to those predetermined in advance. Usually these are course participants which are usually students.  

Online Safety and Best Practices

Online safety is important to anyone using the internet. Here are some tips on how to stay safe online:

  1. Keep your computers and mobile devices up to date. Having the latest version of security software, web browser (ex., Chrome or Edge), and operating system (ex., Windows or iOS) are the best defences against computer viruses and other online threats. 

  2. Set strong passwords. A strong password is at least eight characters in length and includes a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Do not use personal information such as birthdays, addresses, family or pet names in your password. Do not share your password with others. 

  3. Use a secure internet connection. A personal wireless network that requires a password is best. When connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, be cautious about what information you are sending over it.

  4. Keep personal information personal. Criminals can use social media profiles to figure out your passwords and answer those security questions in the password reset tools. Be cautious of requests to connect from people you do not know.

Resources

  1. Security Recommendations (Moodle Documentation): https://docs.moodle.org/401/en/Security_recommendations

  2. Course Enrollment (Moodle Documentation): https://docs.moodle.org/401/en/Course_enrolment

  1. Code of Conduct Example: https://connect.internetsociety.org/codeofconduct 

Last modified: Sunday, 9 April 2023, 11:50 PM