Handling Sensitive Information

When working as a teaching assistant, you are exposed to a lot of confidential and sensitive student information on a daily basis. Part of your responsibility in this role is to make sure you handle any and all student information with the respect it deserves. We acknowledge that there are instances when you have to discuss information for all sorts of reasons. Whether it is telling your supervisor about a problem, asking a coworker for insight, or booking an appointment with us, you need to make sure you keep information safe and secure.

This article refers to speaking about grades as if it were done in one-on-one discussion with another person, but this also applies to any form of communication. The best practice is to be cautious about what information you provide and who may receive this information that shouldn’t.

Identifying sensitive information

There is a large variety of information you get in your day and it can be difficult to know what is considered ‘sensitive.’ For our purposes, we identify sensitive information as any statements of fact or opinion that can be used to identify a student or provide your audience (intentional or not) information on a student that they should otherwise not know.

Grades

These are likely the piece of sensitive information you will encounter most frequently and there are different situations in which it is acceptable to discuss openly. Grades are not considered sensitive information when they are a broad generalization for a group that does not actually provide individual numbers. For example, it is generally acceptable to discuss class averages without too much concern if you are speaking to a group of students. While it may give them information that they are unhappy with if they find they are below it, talking about an average does not force them to divulge that information to their peers.

When discussing grades with other teaching staff, you may find it helpful to discuss individual marks without linking them to specific students. This can provide valuable insight into the range of marks given or marks that may be outliers. Because of this, talking about grades in this way can actually be helpful professional development. In this instance, you must ensure that you are not in a situation where a student might overhear the conversation.

If you are speaking about an individual student grade, it should likely only be with the student or the instructor. In this instance, you should ensure there is no other student around and try to avoid providing too much identifying information if possible. If providing written information, it may be helpful to provide slightly censored information if it still provides enough information to the necessary party. For example, you may find it helpful to write “John S.” instead of “John Smith” if the instructor will be able to understand the information they need about a student.

The most likely situation you will encounter in which you might not know how to handle sensitive information is if a student approaches you in a semi-public setting (such as after a course meeting) to ask you about input on a grade they received. In this instance, try to encourage the student to meet with you in a more suitable location or to wait until their peers are gone. Explain that you feel it’s best to not discuss grades in front of others and that will help you give them your full attention.

Student Behaviour

Student behaviour is something people are often tempted to talk about with people outside the institution since it seems similar to many interpersonal interactions we have in our day-to-day life. However, your work deals with these students as individuals and you should avoid talking about their behaviour to others to the best of your abilities.

It can be helpful to discuss student behaviour with your support system if it is causing you distress. In these instances, take the following precautions to ensure your and your students’ security:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid situations where one of the students’ peers may overhear.

• Under no circumstances should you use the name of the students. If you need to give a name to help you explain, use a fake name. You can use names that start with the same letter if you have trouble coming up with it.

• Try to use gender-neutral pronouns if possible. The singular “they” is generally considered grammatically correct and can add an extra layer of protection to your students.

• Do not discuss them with people who may know them. If you are not sure if somebody could possibly know the student, try to avoid discussing the student with them. If you aren’t sure, then don’t.

If you are unsure whether the member of your support system is one you can speak with about the student, check in with your institution for confirmation.

Sharing Course Content

While you may be aware that you should not openly distribute copyrighted material such as textbooks or articles, you may not be aware that there are potential risks involved when sharing course content such as lectures, assignment information, or even syllabi. These materials are likely the intellectual property of the instructor or institution and should not be shared without their consent.

You are likely able to discuss them generally without infringing on intellectual property. Also, be aware of what students already know. For example, you can likely send an excerpt of the syllabus to a student if it addresses their specific concern. However, be careful to make sure this is not going to give anyone unfair advantage in the course. You should not provide a student with any information that they have not yet been given.

When discussing course content with people outside the course, try to avoid providing specific details if possible. If there is a specific section that you hope to discuss with somebody, try to avoid sharing more than 2-3 sentences or 100 words. However, your institution may allow you to share more information. Check out our Approved Institutions page to see if your institution has more specific information on what you can provide.

You should also avoid uploading course content to Artificial Intelligence services unless your institution says otherwise. Information uploaded to these services can generally be used to help improve their models and may inadvertently provide this information to individuals who you do not have permission to share it with.

If you are looking for additional support with navigating these concerns, please check our Approved Institutions page and consider booking an appointment. If you are unable to book an appointment with us, there will be members of your institution that can provide guidance on this topic. Trillium Academics strives to provide you with information to best serve your needs. Please review our Terms and Conditions before booking an appointment or applying any information to your professional practices.