Ethical Challenges and Privacy Issues in Students’ Digital Learning
Keywords:
digital learning, educational ethics, privacy, data security, educational policies, studentsAbstract
This study aims to examine and analyze ethical challenges and privacy issues in students’ digital learning environments and to propose strategic frameworks to address these challenges. This research employed a systematic qualitative review of twelve selected scholarly articles. Data collection was based solely on literature review, and thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software version 14. The coding process included open coding, categorization into subthemes, and the formation of main themes, continuing until theoretical saturation was achieved. The results revealed three main categories of challenges in students’ digital learning: ethical challenges, privacy and data security challenges, and strategic and policy frameworks for managing these challenges. Ethical challenges included academic integrity, equity in access to resources, unprofessional behaviors in virtual interactions, and algorithmic bias. Privacy-related challenges encompassed personal data disclosure, excessive surveillance, insufficient student consent, and vulnerability to cyberattacks. Strategic frameworks involved establishing ethical policies, providing digital literacy education, designing ethics-oriented technologies, and fostering collaboration between universities and technology industry to mitigate negative outcomes of digital learning. The study indicates that while digital learning offers significant educational opportunities, it is accompanied by critical ethical and privacy challenges requiring responsible policy-making, education, and technology design. Implementing ethical frameworks and human-centered technologies can enhance students’ trust and improve the quality of digital learning experiences.
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