Vol. 26 No. 2 (2012)
Research Articles

We are not numbers: The use of identification codes in online learning

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  • Krista Francis,
  • Susan Darlene Moisey
Krista Francis
University of Calgary
Bio
Susan Darlene Moisey
Athabasca University
Bio

Published 2012-12-03

Keywords

  • Distance learning,
  • identity,
  • identification code,
  • FOIP,
  • privacy,
  • asynchronous text discussion
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Francis, K., & Moisey, S. D. (2012). We are not numbers: The use of identification codes in online learning. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education Revue Internationale Du E-Learning Et La Formation à Distance, 26(2). Retrieved from https://ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/801
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Abstract

This paper discusses students’ experiences with the use of identification codes in a graduate course delivered asynchronously via the Internet. While teaching an introductory masters level graduate course in distance learning, the authors discovered that the learning management system, Moodle, was programmed to display identification codes rather than student names when in the Student View mode. Consequently, when students participated in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) text discussions, their posts were attributed to their computer-generated IDs. Investigation into the identification protocol revealed that the institution had adopted a policy of using identification codes to comply with Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. We wondered what it meant to graduate students to be identified by a computer generated code rather than by name. In the context of an asynchronous CMC discussion forum, we asked how the use of an identification code affected students’ sense of identity within the online learning environment. Analysis of their responses revealed categories relating to personal identity (depersonalization and anonymity), social identity (community, learning, and engagement), and questions concerning suitable names for identification purposes. Most learners felt strongly that they should not be known through a numeric code and that their name was more personable. Résumé Cette étude traite d’expériences vécues par des étudiants qui ont utilisé des codes d’identification dans un cours d’études supérieures donné de façon asynchrone par l’intermédiaire d’Internet. C’est en donnant un cours d’introduction en matière d’éducation à distance au niveau de la maîtrise que les auteurs ont découvert que le système de gestion de l’apprentissage, Moodle, était programmé pour afficher les codes d’identification plutôt que les noms d’étudiants lorsqu’on était en mode "Student View". Par conséquent, lorsque les étudiants participaient à une discussion de texte par voie de communication électronique, leurs postes étaient attribués à leurs identifiants générés par ordinateur. Une enquête sur le protocole d’identification a révélé que l’établissement avait adopté l’utilisation des codes d’identification pour se conformer à la loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection des renseignements personnels (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act) de l’Alberta. Nous nous sommes demandé ce que cela pouvait représenter pour les étudiants d’études supérieures d’être identifiés par un code généré électroniquement, plutôt que par leur nom. Dans le contexte d’un forum de discussion asynchrone par ordinateur, nous leur avons demandé comment l’utilisation d’un code d’identité les influençait au niveau de leur sentiment d’identité dans le cadre de l’environnement d’apprentissage en ligne. L’analyse de leurs réponses a révélé diverses catégories en lien avec l’identité personnelle (dépersonnalisation et anonymat), l’identité sociale (communauté, apprentissage et implication), ainsi que des questions relatives à quels noms pourraient convenir à des fins d’identification. La plupart des étudiants étaient fortement d’avis qu’ils ne devraient pas être identifiés par un code numérique et que leur nom était un mode d’identification beaucoup plus sympathique
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