Overview
At the University of Tokyo, a wide range of learning activities take place through the learning management system UTOL (UTokyo LMS), including viewing course materials, submitting assignments, taking quizzes, and participating in discussions.
The data recorded through these activities (learning logs) are valuable resources that can be used for:
- Improving course design
- Providing learning support at the class and faculty levels
- Developing learning environments and tools tailored to individual students
- Academic research related to the above
To appropriately promote research that contributes to improving education and learning, the Campus-wide Computing Research Division of the Information Technology Center requests students’ prior consent for the use of data recorded on UTOL.
What types of data are used?
The main types of data used include:
- Records of downloading course materials
- Assignment submission records
- Responses to quizzes and surveys
- Discussion board activity
- Attendance records
For more details, please see here.
Principles for Data Use
（1）Participation is voluntary.
Providing consent for research use is entirely voluntary.
Even if you do not give consent, there will be no disadvantage in:
- Using UTOL
- Attending classes
- Academic evaluation
- Course registration
- Your relationship with instructors/tutors
（2）You can withdraw consent at any time.
Even after giving consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Once withdrawn, your data will no longer be used for research from that point onward.
（3）Your identity will not be disclosed.
For research purposes:
- Your name
- Student ID number
- UTokyo Account
will not be used directly.
Instead, appropriate measures will be taken as needed, such as:
- Pseudonymization (replacing identifiers with alternative IDs)
- Aggregation
- Anonymization
to ensure that individuals cannot be identified.
（4）Research ethics review is mandatory.
Data will only be provided for research projects that have been approved by the university’s research ethics review board.
For further details on our policies, please refer to the policies of the Campus-wide Computing Research Division at the Information Technology Center.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Will the University closely monitor my individual activities?
No. Access to course data is restricted to authorized personnel such as course instructors, and student activity logs are not freely accessible. Instructors may review learning progress within the scope necessary for course management.
For research purposes, data are analyzed only after proper procedures and approvals, and always in a form that does not identify individuals.
The purpose of this initiative is not “surveillance”, but to improve the quality of education and learning environments.
Q2. What kinds of research or analysis are conducted?
Examples include:
- Analyzing how course materials are used or how quizzes are taken in each class session
- Identifying topics that attract strong student interest
- Examining course-level activity (e.g., UTOL access patterns)
- Developing strategies to encourage participation in courses with low engagement
In general, the focus is on research that improves education and learning through observing overall learning patterns.
In some cases, learning logs may be combined with enrollment information (reflecting students’ choices and interests) and/or grade data (official academic evaluation results).
However, because these types of data are closely related to student privacy and evaluation, they are handled differently from daily learning logs. The use of such information is strictly limited to cases where the scope of courses and the necessity of the analysis have been clearly defined, and where approval has been obtained through appropriate internal procedures.
Q3. Will my data be shared with external parties?
Your data may be shared with partner universities/research institutions conducting joint research and system vendors contracted by the University.
However, this is strictly limited to cases where:
- Appropriate processing (such as pseudonymization, anonymization, or statistical aggregation) has been applied
- The research is led by the University of Tokyo researcher(s) who has obtained approval through the official ethics review process
- The recipient agrees to comply with the University’s policies
Q4. How can I change my consent status?
You can change your consent status at any time via the “Consent” option at the top of the UTOL timetable page. If you withdraw consent, your data will no longer be used for research from that point forward.
If you change from non-consent to consent, your data from all past periods may become eligible for research use.
Inquiries
If you have any questions, please contact the UTOL team lms-support@itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp.