How Data, Privilege, and Technology Shape College Admissions

Post-secondary school admissions are a high-stakes game. Institutions and applicants may behave unethically throughout the admissions process, which could put applicants from underprivileged backgrounds on an unfair playing field. These behaviours can increase inequality by giving those who enjoy financial privilege an unfair advantage. This course focuses on equality in post-secondary education in North America and how unethical practices affect the admission of qualified applicants.

It starts by explaining the ethical issues associated with post-secondary admissions using the Farrow Uncompleted Framework. Next, you will discover why equitable access to post-secondary education is an emerging issue across North America and how admission policies and tactics, like donations from wealthy individuals or the privilege for student-athletes, offer advantages to students of certain racial and socioeconomic groups. You will learn about some policies that have been implemented in an attempt to combat this gap.

The following section will teach you about privacy and data security, which are becoming the main issues in admissions with the increase in data tracking and analytics tools available to institutions. You will comprehend how to support educational integrity and minimize all participants’ risks. The final section will explain how to maintain student autonomy and independence in the post-secondary admissions procedure.