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Purpose: Privacy is a culturally universal process; however, in the era of Big Data privacy is handled very differently in different parts of the world. This is a challenge when designing tools and approaches for the use of Educational Big Data (EBD) and learning analytics (LA) in a global market. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of information privacy in a cross-cultural setting to define a common point of reference for privacy engineering. Design/methodology/approach: The paper follows a conceptual exploration approach. Conceptual work on privacy in EBD and LA in China and the west is contrasted with the general discussion of privacy in a large corpus of literature and recent research. As much of the discourse on privacy has an American or European bias, intimate knowledge of Chinese education is used to test the concept of privacy and to drive the exploration of how information privacy is perceived in different cultural and educational settings. Findings: The findings indicate that there are problems using privacy concepts found in European and North-American theories to inform privacy engineering for a cross-cultural market in the era of Big Data. Theories based on individualism and ideas of control of private information do not capture current global digital practice. The paper discusses how a contextual and culture-aware understanding of privacy could be developed to inform privacy engineering without letting go of universally shared values. The paper concludes with questions that need further research to fully understand information privacy in education. Originality/value: As far as the authors know, this paper is the first attempt to discuss – from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective – information privacy in an educational context in the era of Big Data. The paper presents initial explorations of a problem that needs urgent attention if good intentions of privacy supportive educational technologies are to be turned into more than political slogans. ; acceptedVersion

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) in higher education institutions has increased in the past 20 years. While ICT has brought many benefits to students and faculty, research shows that it also creates barriers and challenges for students with disabilities due to the inaccessibility of digital tools and learning materials. Faculty members play an important role in inclusive higher education. Previous studies have emphasised the need to train faculty about digital accessibility to achieve inclusion in higher education. This systematic literature review aims to study existing work on increasing the faculty members' competence in providing accessible and inclusive digital learning materials and environments to students in higher education. Sixteen peer-reviewed papers were included and analysed. Most trainings included topics on disability and awareness, legislation, and methods of producing accessible digital materials and providing inclusive digital learning environments. While surveys and interviews were mostly used to evaluate training outcomes, there was a lack of objective data and commonly accepted instrument for evaluation. Good practices and further research opportunities are identified. This study has implications for researchers and higher education institutions that are interested in research and practice on increasing general competence in digital accessibility and inclusive education. ; This work was funded by Universell*, national coordinator of accessibility in higher education in Norway. ; publishedVersion

Purpose Students in higher education are a diverse group comprising people with different backgrounds and abilities. Regulations require that digital learning materials and platforms employed in higher education accommodate this diversity. Furthermore, they require faculty members to have an understanding of universal design and digital accessibility, as well as practical knowledge of how to make learning materials and courses accessible for more students. The goal of this research is to gain insight into the status of such knowledge among faculty members. Methods The research presented in this paper involved a qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 faculty members employed in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Norway and Poland. The participants worked in the computer science and engineering disciplines. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, and two main themes and six sub-themes were identified. Results We found that most participants lack sufficient understanding of digital barriers and assistive technologies. Very few were aware of legislation and guidelines related to universal design. Most importantly, the majority lack practical knowledge on how to make digital learning materials and courses accessible. Furthermore, the solutions they propose for addressing the barriers are intuitive and only encompass barriers that are easy to recognise and identify. Conclusion The findings indicate that there is a gap between legislation and implementation in practice when it comes to making digital learning materials accessible in higher education. The lack of knowledge among faculty members shows that training is necessary to increase understanding and practical knowledge, and HEIs should prioritise this in strategies and action plans going forward.