Purdue 'data diary' class assignment gets students thinking about big data and how their data is collected, used

Ellen Gundlach, education specialist and continuing lecturer in statistics at Purdue, assists students in her statistics 113 class with their work. (Photo credit: Vincent Walter) Download Photo

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Most people never embark on the long and punishing journey of reading a privacy agreement – it's far easier to skim, scroll, click to agree and move on to the next screen.

But Purdue student Steven Osmolski now knows better as a result of completing a “data diary” assignment in his introductory statistics class, which requires students to take a closer look at the value of their personal data, as well as how often and unflinchingly they give it away.

"As a result of completing the data diary assignment, I realized that I release my name, location and IP address to at least three entities - Facebook, Twitter and Google Chrome - first thing every morning, just by turning on my computer," says Osmolski, a student in Purdue's College of Liberal Arts. "I've since been more thoughtful about reviewing privacy policies, user agreements and settings on my phone to make sure tracking is turned off. It's opened my eyes more than any other homework I've completed while at Purdue."

Ellen Gundlach, education specialist and continuing lecturer in statistics, says information is a currency, just like gold, and the world of data collection is the Wild West.

"We talk a lot in class about being informed consumers of statistics, but it's interesting to show students that they are also the product, that information is being taken from them – and bought and sold and used – whether they realize it or not," Gundlach says.

In 2014, Gundlach started requiring her students, over a 24-hour period, to keep a "data diary" documenting everything they did that involved turning over personal data. A few examples are using Google to search online, shopping with a credit card or watching a movie on Netflix. Gundlach's assignment, given each semester to about 500 students across her traditional, online and hybrid course sections, also includes reading through a privacy policy and researching exciting, beneficial applications of big data.

Gundlach created the assignment after brainstorming with Clarence Maybee from Purdue Libraries and Kevin O'Shea from Purdue's Informatics unit.

"It was a really cool thought exercise about the impact of technology in our culture and daily lives in a non-technology class with non-technology students," O'Shea says.

Gundlach says the intention isn't to scare students, but to raise awareness about how much information they give away and the variety of ways it might be used.

"This topic makes people who grew up without the Internet want to throw their phones in the river, but today's students have been tracked their whole lives," Gundlach says. "I want them to understand that we don't have many rules out there for what's acceptable, and it's up to us as citizens to decide if we agree with that or if we would like more protection. As I tell my students, however, we can't make those decisions if we don't know what's happening."

The final portion of the assignment requires students to work in teams to draft a privacy "bill of rights," in which they outline the types of information appropriate for companies to collect, as well as how that information should be requested, used and protected.

While Osmolski says it's unrealistic to expect everyone to read the fine print of every online legal document, he says the exercise has provided him with a heightened awareness about the value of his personal data.

"People rarely stop to think about all the personal information they give away and the risks associated with how it might be used," Osmolski says. "You may want the convenience of being able to use these online tools, but you don’t want to be invaded." 

Writer: Andrea Thomas, 765-496-8204, thomas78@purdue.edu 

Sources: Ellen Gundlach, 765-496-6875, gundlach@purdue.edu

Kevin O’Shea, 765-496-1441, koshea@purdue.edu