Do we need to pay attention to the new EU regulation about data?

Yes!

The European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect in May 2018. It strengthens data protections for EU residents as well as people and organisations who do business in the EU even if they are not located in the EU.

GDPR specifies that people own and control their data. It requires consent from individuals for what data are collected and retained, how long data are maintained before being expunged, and provides allowances for individuals to request that their data be removed from systems.

Higher education professionals all over the world including New Zealand need to learn what the GDPR entails and how Otago Polytechnic will be held accountable to it.

Some things to think about:

  • International students from the EU
  • Teaching staff on sabbatical in the EU
  • Students studying in the EU
  • Alumni living in the EU

Given the newness of GDPR and its broad scope, the full implication is not yet known, and higher education organisations, including AIR, continue to monitor its effect on American higher education overall and IR specifically. We will continue to track the processes undertaken in the USA for any applications in the New Zealand context.

The GDPR overview and regulation text provide data-related definitions and describe obligations and relevant penalties. In addition, several U.S. organisations offer insight and explanation of the effect of GDPR on American colleges and universities. They will have application to New Zealand institutions.

  • AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers)
  • CUPA-HR (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources)
  • EDUCAUSE
  • NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) and The Common Application
  • NAFSA (Association of International Educators)
  • NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators)
  • WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies)

This information was gathered from an article published by Ellen Peters, Director of Institutional Research, and Jamie Daniel, Deputy CIO, University of Puget Sound; Leah Ewing Ross,Senior Director for Research and Initiatives, Association of institutional Research.

 

 

 

 


Published on 20 Apr 2018

Orderdate: 20 Apr 2018
Expiry: 31 May 2019