TEACHING & LEARNING COMMONS KNOWLEDGE BASE

Instructors using this service will need to explain that students are not required to register for the service, use the Kahoot! app, or submit identifying information about themselves. Their Kahoot! nickname can be anything they want it to be, and students need to be encouraged to choose a nickname that doesn’t identify them.  

• Avoid requiring students to register for Kahoot! to generate their own presentations and polls.

• Do not provide students access to the instructor’s Kahoot accounts to generate their own presentations and polls.  This does not mitigate the risk of students entering identifiable personal information into the service and violates Kahoot’s Terms of Service.

• Avoid requiring students to identify themselves within this service because the service manages personal information outside of Canada.  Encourage the use of fun and appropriate nicknames that will allow them to remain anonymous. 

• Avoid asking students to submit open ended responses to polls that a reasonable person would view as potentially controversial or sensitive in a form specific enough to identify the person (i.e. personal political views / personal religious views / medical experience or information / details of considerable stress or trauma experienced)

• Avoid requiring your students or other participants to use the Kahoot! app.  Directing them to the Play section on Kahoot!’s website and providing the game pin allows students to participate in Kahoot! exercises using only aliased information. 

• Avoid using Kahoot! in classes with ten or less students to avoid risk of mosaic effect in closed ended answers.  

• Avoid numerous demographic questions that may reveal attributes about a student that could be linked to other responses to avoid risk of mosaic effect.  

• Review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy with the class and provide time for a meaningful discussion about how to anonymize personal information online.  Give students the opportunity to discuss their concerns.  If you need support discussing privacy matters with your students, contact privacy@kpu.ca for support.

If students are required to register, use the Kahoot! App, directly identify themselves, or have substantial risk of identifying themselves through what they submit within Kahoot!, contact privacy@kpu.ca to receive support on how to manage compliance with FIPPA.  The Privacy Office asks that you are prepared to explain why the above recommendations do not meet your needs.

Please note: for new KPU related privacy enquiries, or any other matters related to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of BC, please contact privacy@kpu.ca.