EDU790: Acceptable Use Policy for Technology

 Acceptable Use Policy

Source: Lime Academy Hornbeam

What are AUPs? 

AUP stands for Acceptable Use Policy.  Many businesses and schools have AUPs in place to keep    their customers, clients, workers, staff, or students safe.  Thomas Murray's article, Acceptable or Responsible? What's Your Use Policy?, speaks to AUPs in schools.  He states that high quality acceptable use policies lay the foundation for digital citizenship and personal accountability.  Murray also mentions that high quality AUPs includes information about a variety of areas such as internet, software access, email and account user information, filtering and monitoring, privacy expectations, and more.  AUPs lay out how district technology should be used and the expectations of its use. 

My District's AUP: 

Through my research and help from a colleague also enrolled in the same graduate level technology course at Dominican University, I was able to find two district wide AUPs. The first one was found on our district website, check pages 65-67.  This AUP is part of our student handbook that both students and parents must sign upon enrollment at the district.  The second AUP was shared by a colleague that works at the same school as I.  The second AUP is more geared towards employees, I remember signing this document when I was first hired at my district.  This AUP was in the form of a contract. After review both AUPs I found them to be very similar and have a lot of the same verbiage. One major difference was the area to be signed. 

My district's AUP seems to be on point.  However, in my opinion after viewing both documents which were almost exactly the same, both lay out what students and staff "should not" be doing.  Our districts AUP includes students, staff, administrators, and any employee with in our district.  I do suggest that our district make some changes mostly to phrase or incorporate what students and staff "should be" doing with district technology.  The AUP mentions how the technology "should be" used, however it is only a fraction of the document.  See below: 

Mission 

The mission of Morton High Schools Internet/Network and E-mail Initiative is to enhance learning and teaching through interpersonal communication; student, teacher and staff access to information; research; teacher training; collaboration and dissemination of successful educational practices, methods, and materials. 

 

Rights and Responsibilities 

Internet/Network access is granted as a privilege and not a right. Every user has the responsibility to respect and protect the privileges of every other user in our community and on the Internet. In short, account holders are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner, in accordance with Morton High School's Internet/Network and E-mail Acceptable Use Policy Statement Summary.

Tying it all Together:

Check out this article shared by my professor at Dominican University. It is pretty eye opening to see that there were 1,331 cyber security incidents reported at schools since 2016. I'm sure the number is much higher as many incidents do not get reported. Incidents that were reported include: unauthorized disclosures, breaches or hacks resulting in the disclosure of personal data, ransomware attacks, phishing attacks, denial-of-service attacks, and other cyber incidents resulting in school disruptions. AUPs are important because they can limit the chance a cyber event may affect a school. If students and staff use the technology appropriated there is less of a chance they may stumble upon a risky situation that may compromise the districts networks with a cyber security event. When looking at my districts AUP it focuses more on the user not using the technology for malice or harm however it also directs users to be responsible and keep use for educational purposes only.