A Systematic Review of Postgraduate Programmes Concerning Ethical Imperatives of Data Privacy in Sustainable Educational Data Analytics

Abstract

This systematic review, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, investigated the intersection of data privacy, postgraduate educational data analytics (EDA), and sustainability. Existing literature focuses on general privacy concerns in EDA, neglecting the specific data collected and related risks in postgraduate programmes. This review addresses this gap by identifying data types used by higher education institutions in postgraduate initiatives and evaluating the adequacy of current ethical frameworks, particularly for sustainability goals. Recognising the lack of established best practices for balancing data utility and privacy, the review analyses privacy-preserving techniques. Through identifying key data types collected in postgraduate initiatives, evaluating existing ethical frameworks, and exploring privacy-preserving educational data analytics techniques, this study provided practical guidance for higher education institutions to navigate the challenges of balancing data utility and student privacy. The results suggest that higher education institutions can achieve sustainable data use by adopting a comprehensive approach that incorporates best practices, emerging technologies, and continuous monitoring to safeguard student privacy while leveraging the benefits of educational data analytics for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.