Student Privacy and Data Sharing
Beyond the Professoriate is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all users of our platforms. We provide learners the opportunity to explore career options, ask questions, and receive critical information about their job search, with anonymity.
We will never share an individual user’s name, email address, or activity with their institution or professional association.
Respecting online user privacy
Beyond the Professoriate follows the highest standards in online user privacy: the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. No matter where a user is located, they deserve to have their online privacy respected and protected.
Any information we collect about a user’s activities is only used for internal company purposes. A user must give us explicit and unambiguous consent to share information with others, including their institution. We only consider requests from users to share information with their institution if there is a legitimate professional development purpose, such as confirming participation or that they have earned a badge or certificate through our platform.
We use third-party tools and services to engage our users and deliver our content and services. In choosing these technologies, we only work with companies that share our commitment to user privacy.
Providing a safe learning environment
By protecting student privacy, we support all students including those who feel unable to access on-campus services for fear of reprisal. It is one way we help institutions scale career support and prepare more students for career success.
Many students have career ambitions that differ from those expected of them by their advisors. In some situations, students have faced intimidation and discrimination from non-supportive advisors including bullying, the loss of funding to continue their studies, lost academic opportunities to build their skills, and refused referrals and recommendations for jobs.
We put the student first
In providing anonymized user data that protects learner privacy, Beyond the Professoriate follows common best practices of other content-as-a-service providers, including academic publishers and electronic databases. Our reports show that students are using the platform, not who is using the platform.
Depending on the services they provide, other educational technology companies may need to provide different data to their participating institutions. For example, Learning Management Systems (LMS) provide detailed information about student activity because instructors need to know which student uploaded an assignment, completed a quiz, or participated in an online chat.
Other types of companies require universities to upload information about their students, which may not always be necessary for delivering services to students. Some organizations appear to be using loopholes in existing privacy laws to circumvent a student’s right to privacy and generate value for stakeholders other than the student. Such companies use implied rather than explicit consent to justify surveillance and reporting of individual user activity on their platform.
Beyond the Professoriate believes that when organizations attempt to circumvent the law to track student activity, they introduce distrust between a learner and their institution. By avoiding these techniques and providing a safe learning environment, we deliver on our mission to scale career support while helping institutions build trust with their students and alumni.