Privacy considerations

There’s one more thing you should think about if you choose to use video-based assessments in your course: privacy. You’ll want to consider how the video tool you choose handles sensitive information. For example, while it might be tempting to turn to a free video service like YouTube, such services aren’t typically designed with students’ privacy in mind.

Here are some key things you should consider when asking students to record and upload videos of themselves:

• Will the video be viewable by the general public?
• Is there concern around a student’s personal information being stored with another company?
• How long and to whom will students’ videos be accessible? Who has access to them outside of the school?
• Who will help ensure that students don’t unwittingly expose their geo-location when they upload a video?

One benefit of a video solution that integrates with your LMS is that it’s a trusted system. Tools within the LMS may be held to stricter privacy and data standards than external, third-party solutions. Furthermore, instructors have much more control over who can watch the videos, who can leave comments, and when those videos expire.

Data residency and student privacy are increasingly hot-button issues, so it’s important to keep them in mind when you’re selecting a video tool to use in your classroom.