My former boss has a post on his blog about an ultimatum given to students regarding non-educational files stored in their network folders. Students have to remove said non-educational files from the network before a November 15th deadline or risk disciplinary actions. Any attempts to cover up the storage of non-educational files will result in tougher penalties.
Here I go playing devil’s advocate: how were the students notified of the deadline? I see that the school’s home page has a notice on the side of the page, but is that enough?
Again, I am not saying I disagree with the move. I am just wondering what happens when there is a large group of students who claim ignorance. You obviously cannot suspend a few hundred students from using the computers, but how many is too many?
The issue of regulation enforcement is one I have always found particularly interesting, and not just in education. Having not had formal training on administrative matters, I do not actually know where to draw the lines. Is consistency and drawing a straight line more important than having leniency and understanding? I guess I’ll have to wait and see how things play out over there.
There should at least be PA announcements. I really think there should be PA announcements and a handout. Announcing a crack down on a website’s sidebar is better calculated to trap students than to inform them. Of course, that isn’t such a bad idea. Scare them when you catch them. By actually putting them in the position of being caught and giving them a warning that next time they lose privileges could increase in compliance by making the issue more real for them.