exeposé
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ISSUE 696 25 FEB 2019 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
‘What do The Student Room get out of this data?’ The Student Room’s ‘Enlitened’ wellbeing app piloted ‘in collaboration’ with University Concerns raised regarding the app’s promotion in first-year lectures Data gathered is ‘analysed’ and shared with the University Image: Megan Davies
Edd Church Online News Editor
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EPRESENTATIVES for The Student Room’s wellbeing app, ‘Enlitened’, entered several firstyear English lectures despite assurance that they would not. Promotional materials handed out, and obtained by Exeposé, do not specify that the app is run and developed by a third-party company. The app launched as of 18 February 2019 in ‘collaboration’ with the University of Exeter. Representatives for the app’s pilot gave a presentation before several first
year English groups, taking up lecture time, despite assurance to the English subject chair that this would not happen. According to first-year sources, at least one of these presentations took up lecture time. English Student-Staff Liason Council first-year representatives were also contacted directly from the University to help promote this, without instruction from the Students’ Guild. Enlitened is developed and run by The Student Room Group Ltd.. a thirdparty company, and has entered a partnership with the University for the pilot scheme rolled out to English and History
cohorts. Students from the current firstyear English cohort were given a presentation on the app, despite assurance from representatives to Neha Shaji, the English Subject Chair, that this would not be the case. She said: “I was told specifically that the representatives for the app will not enter lecture theatres or disrupt learning in any way. I think that a third-party app should be advertised as such, and that the SSLC structures not be used by the university in such a manner. Our job is to listen to students and liaise with the department – not to promote the University’s part-
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nership with third party companies. I am also very concerned about representatives entering lecture theatres, when I was explicitly told that this would not happen for English. For a subject with such few contact hours, breaching lecture times to talk about something non-essential is unnecessary, especially if I was told otherwise.” A first-year English student said: “When they delivered the presentation, I was sceptical as to why The Student Room would care for student wellbeing and mental health considering they hardly have the historic interest and activism of the NHS or a mental health charity. The presenta-
tion stated how we could receive free food and other ‘rewards’ from across campus for answering the questions. It felt patronising and suspect. Especially when they said that this information would be available to our student representatives and department. But once again I’m unsure how they could have any impact on the mental health of students which is a personal and individual issue. They didn’t mention that The Student Room are a third-party able to access this data. My question is: what do The Student Room get out of this data?
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