Arizona State to use ID cards to track students every movement.

Colleges are intensifying their search for new ways to identify struggling students, because 42% of American college students drop out before finishing their degree. Arizona State university professor Matt Pittinsky believes that tracking students’ movements and purchases on campus through their student ID card could show which students are disengaging from college. However, this data-gathering raises major concerns about privacy and the role of college administrators in students’ lives.

At Arizona State, like many colleges, students swipe their ID card to buy food and access athletic and other facilities on campus. They can also use the card to shop at some off-campus locations.  When discussing his research, Professor Pittinsky gives the example of a student’s visits to Starbucks. If the student has as a history of buying a cup of coffee every day before a class and then suddenly stops, while at the same time failing to log into Blackboard, this would be a sign that an adviser should “reach out to” the student. The college is not using the system yet; right now Pinttinsky is doing research with a set of anonymous swipe data. But, Arizona State is known as an enthusiastic early adopter of new technology, and where it leads, other universities follow.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/12254/invasion-of-privacy-arizona-state-to-use-id-cards-to-track-students