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Science Data Collection

Some courses take part in educational research. In such a course, Artemis asks whether you want to contribute your course interaction data, and records it only if you agree. Contributing is voluntary, changes nothing about what you can do in the course, and you can change your mind at any time.

What is recorded and why​

When you contribute, Artemis notes which parts of the course you open and when: lectures and lecture units, exercises, competencies, your learning path and the steps you take through it, and whether you open Iris from the course sidebar. Each entry holds the time, the kind of interaction, the course, and which lecture, exercise or other item it was about. The content of your work, such as your submissions, messages or answers, is never recorded.

Researchers use this data to understand how students learn with Artemis and to improve both the teaching and the platform. Before any data leaves Artemis, your login is replaced by a code that is different in every export, so the researchers cannot identify you from the code alone. Other details, such as the timing of interactions, could still make it possible to identify you.

Your Artemis administrators decide which courses take part. Collection only happens in those courses, and only after you agreed in that particular course.

Deciding in a course​

The first time you open a course that takes part, a dialog titled Contribute course interaction data? asks for your decision:

  • Contribute data starts recording your interactions in this course.
  • Do not contribute records your refusal. Nothing about your interactions is recorded.

You do not have to decide straight away. Closing the dialog records no decision and nothing is collected; Artemis asks again on a later visit. The dialog never appears while you are taking an exam.

Your decision applies to this one course. Another course that takes part asks you separately.

Changing your decision​

Open User Settings → Profile. The Science data collection section lists every course that takes part, or took part, and that you are a member of or decided about. Use the Contribute switch next to a course to start or stop contributing. The change takes effect immediately.

If a course no longer collects data, the list marks it with science collection currently disabled. You can still switch contributing off there and delete your data, but you cannot switch it on until the course takes part again. If a course is enabled again later, your earlier decision applies again without a new question, so check this page if you want to stop.

Stopping does not remove what was recorded while you contributed. To remove that, delete your data as well.

Deleting your data​

On the same page, the delete button with the trash icon next to a course removes the interactions Artemis recorded for you in that course. Confirm with Delete. Artemis keeps a short record of your decisions in that course, including, if anything was removed, the fact that you deleted your data, because this record is what proves which data you agreed to share.

Deleting your data does not change your decision. If you are still contributing, new interactions are recorded again from then on; switch Contribute off first if you want to stop.

A deletion applies to Artemis and to every research export created after it. An export that was already handed to researchers cannot be changed, because it is no longer held by Artemis and your code in it is not linked to your account.

Seeing your data​

Your personal data export contains every science event Artemis holds for you, in the file science_events.csv. See Exports for how to request it.

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