General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 

All teachers are obliged to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

• This page summarises the most important information on the GDPR 
• More detailed information on how to handle privacy as a teacher can be found in this guide.

Sharing student data

Processing student data, such as student lists or exam information, is part of your work. These files often contain personal data, sometimes including sensitive information, such as sickness absence or requests for additional time. Please ensure that you protect students’ privacy by handling these data securely and carefully.

Important tips

• Anonymise whenever possible and only share essential data.
• Handle information on sickness absence with particular care, as this is medical information.
• Only share data with people who should have access, such as other teachers and exam invigilators.

Secure tools

• Only use university-approved tools, such as SURFdrive and OneDrive, for storing and sharing student data. These platforms are secure and compliant with privacy laws.
• If you need to share data via email, use SURFfilesender to link to the file and also set a password. Do not include any personal data in the email itself or in an attachment.
• Delete lists as soon as they’re no longer needed.
• Don’t use external software for processing or storing these data.

Secure collaboration for students

When students work together on assignments, they often use their own familiar software, such as Google Docs or WhatsApp. These tools aren’t always secure in terms of personal data protection and compliant with the GDPR. Many students aren’t aware that their student account gives them free access to secure software, such as Office 365 products.

Give students the following tips to help them collaborate securely. You can also include these tips in Brightspace:

• For this assignment, you should use Office 365. Your student account (s+studentnummer@vuw.leidenuniv.nl) gives you free access to programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote.
• Work together with classmates via Teams: you can use it to chat, make (video) calls and share documents.
• Save your files and share them securely via OneDrive. Together we keep the university secure and confidential.

Working securely

You should also work securely in areas other than sharing student data; for example, in recognising phishing emails, using strong passwords and avoiding unsecured networks. Keep up-to-date with the latest information security policy and tips for working securely online.

By handling student data with care and using the right tools and protection mechanisms, we guarantee our students’ privacy and security, and also our own.

More information

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact your Privacy Officer or Security Officer.