Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy

Try to avoid saving student personal information to a local hard drive, memory stick or CD. Instead, get in the habit of using the University provided network drives. The network drives are more secure. Contact CCS for more information. If your memory stick has the ability to set a password, please use it.

Information that is saved on a laptop, cell phone or other portable device is vulnerable to loss or theft. Please take extra precautions when working or travelling off campus. Password protect your laptop, cell phone and other portable devices.

Do not copy files containing personal information to your home PC. Use network drives, such as OneDrive, and access them from home via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). For information on using VPN, click here.

Only use your Carleton email account for University business. Communicate with students only using their cmail accounts. Avoid sending files to or from outside accounts that may not have as high a level of security for all work-related matters. Do not to use email to communicate highly sensitive personal information.

Use the secure interface of Brightspace for students to submit work, and for returning graded assignments and tests. Avoid writing a student’s grade on the outside of a test or assignment. Do not leave hard copy assignments or tests unattended outside an office door.

Do not post grades with student numbers in public areas, including classrooms or online. Use Brightspace tools such as the grade book or assignment drop boxes to communicate grades to students confidentially. For more information on Brightspace tools, consult the TLS Brightspace support webpage.

The University requires instructors to keep all course related student records, including unclaimed assignments and examinations, for one year academic calendar year. This also includes electronic records, such as in Brightspace. Please consult Carleton University Retention Schedule website for detailed information on teaching related records, including course syllabi, tests, examinations, and student records.

Whenever information is collected from students, the University is required to provide an official “notice of collection”. If your department is asking students to provide personal information for a field trip or other activity, please have them sign a consent form located on the University’s Privacy Website.  Alternatively, the department may wish to include these uses in a notice of collection managed by the department.

It is recommended that any requests for references (academic and employment) be accompanied by a signed Third-Party Authorization Form found on the Forms page of the Carleton University Privacy Office website.