ABSTRACT
Protecting the data of individuals and preserving their privacy is not only essential for the acceptance and long-term viability of learning analytics but is a legal requirement in most jurisdictions. Learning analytics brings additional challenges for the protection of individuals' privacy. The EU General Data Protection Regulation was proposed 'to strengthen privacy rights and boost Europe's digital economy', and will create a single law applicable across member states, without the need for separate national legislation. The relative strictness of European data protection legislation affects perceptions of what data should be collected about students and what should be done with it. Some types of data are arguably more 'sensitive' than others: race, political beliefs, sexual orientation or religion. Agencies such as Coursera or Udacity, which host massive open online courses (MOOCs) for universities, also have a strong interest in collecting data on MOOCs users for a range of learning analytics purposes, including monitoring the effectiveness of particular teaching methods.
