Are MOOC-Takers 'Students'? Not When It Comes to the Feds Protecting Their Data

By Steve Kolowich. The U.S. Education Department wants to encourage colleges and the tech companies they work with to protect student data from misuse. But the agency’s power to protect the privacy of people taking free, online courses is essentially nonexistent.
"Data in the higher-education context for MOOCs is seldom Ferpa-protected," Kathleen Styles, the Education Department’s chief privacy officer, said on Tuesday at a symposium on student privacy. More...