The role of design ethics in maintaining students' privacy: A call to action to learning designers in higher education

Abstract Maintaining students' privacy in higher education, an integral aspect of learning design and technology integration, is not only a matter policy law but also ethics. Similar to faculty educators, designers education play vital role maintaining by designing experiences that rely on online integration. Like other professional designers, they need care for the humans producing designs infringe their privacy, thus, causing harm. Recognizing widely used instructional models are silent topic do address ethical considerations such as we focus this paper how ethics can be leveraged practical manner, illustrated through authentic examples. We highlight where responsibility comes into foreground when well‐being, especially settings. outline existing decision‐making framework show use it call action protect students for, strengthening capacity. Practitioner notes What already known about Existing codes standards from well‐known organizations upon without clear guidance so. Design within often discussed abstract ways with principles difficult apply. Most, if all, professionals have learned either and/or consider valid dimension, making mostly excluded graduate programs. Practical means engaging practice scarce field. adds A maintain demonstration designerly tool well‐being. Authentic examples—in form vignettes—of dilemmas/issues could face, focused privacy. Methods—using framework—for grounded philosophy guarantors designs, employed detect situations best interests at risk. make stellar decisions service priorities stakeholders. Implications Higher programs/institutions prepare/employ ought treat topics designer's more explicitly practically one addition policies. Learning hold powerful position important responsibilities. adopt thinking mindset order (1) challenging ideas assumptions regarding integration general (2) detecting what User Experience (UX) “dark patterns” course design.