Help! A Student or User Requested Deletion of their Data

From time to time, students or Users may request erasure of their data. They may use a system like SayMine to generate template requests, or they may simply send in an email request. Students or Users generally reach out to program Admins for these requests, but sometimes they email CourseStorm directly to request deletion of their identifying data.

CourseStorm does not delete personal data on behalf of students or Users for active CourseStorm sites.

When an individual emails CourseStorm to request deletion of their data, CourseStorm’s Support Team will forward the request to the program Admins of the associated CourseStorm site. The program Admins can choose their approach for handling and responding to the student’s request.

De-Identifying Personal Data

Student profiles cannot be deleted from the system, except in cases of sample/test profiles. This is to protect the integrity of the database and the registration and transaction history. However, a student’s identifying data may be edited to remove identifying components, which fulfills the criteria for student data removal.

When a student requests deletion of their student data, Admin Users may edit the student profile to de-identify or redact the personally-identifying information.

User profiles (Admins or Instructors) may be deleted from the site by another Admin User. Alternatively, an Admin User may choose to simply redact the User/Instructor profile to remove specific data if desired.

Required Fields in the Student Profile

Some student profile fields are required, meaning that the profile cannot be saved if these fields are empty. These fields can be edited to redact the student’s personal info and replace it with sample text, as the profile cannot be saved with these fields empty. Required fields include name, email address, phone number, and any required standard form questions.

We recommend changing the student name fields to something like “Student Redacted” or “Archived Student” and replacing the address, phone, and email with sample data. Programs may opt to include a hidden Notes field to enter additional details in the student profile, such as that the student requested deletion, the date, or other relevant info (adding this field is optional).

Optional Fields in the Student Profile

Other student profile fields are optional meaning that the profile can be saved even if they contain no data. Existing data in these fields can simply be deleted.

Redacting the student profile in this way sufficiently de-identifies the information so it can’t be traced back to the student, while protecting the registration and transaction data points in the system’s back-end.

To edit a student profile

  1. Navigate to “Admin Menu” > “Students”.

  2. Select the student from the list, or search for the student by name in the Admin Search bar.

  3. Click the “Actions” button.

  4. Select “Update Info” to access the editable fields in the student profile.

  5. Redact or remove info as desired.

  6. Click “Save Changes” to confirm.

After redacting the student’s information, we recommend that program staff email the student to confirm this action has been completed.

To edit or remove an Admin profile

  1. Navigate to “Admin Menu” > “Account” > “Users” > “Administrators.”

  2. Click on the name of the individual to open their profile.

  3. To delete the profile, click on the trash can icon and follow the prompts to confirm.

  4. To redact the profile without deleting it, click the “Edit” button and change fields as desired before clicking “Save” to confirm.

To edit or remove an Instructor profile

  1. Navigate to “Admin Menu” > “Catalog” > “More” > “Instructors.”

  2. Click on the name of the individual to open their profile and select “See Actions.”

  3. To delete the profile, click on the trash can icon and follow the prompts to confirm.

  4. To redact the profile without deleting it, click the “Edit” button and change fields as desired before clicking “Save” to confirm.

What if a Student Has Family/Friends on Their Account?

Student data deletion requests are limited to the student specifically identified in the request. If the requestor did not indicate additional family/friends members to be de-identified, programs do not need to edit their accounts.

Inactive Sites

If CourseStorm receives a data removal request from a student for a CourseStorm site that is disabled, CourseStorm’s Support Team will redact the data as noted above.