Chapter 35 — Capstone proposal | Bachelor's Privacy and data protection

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Chapter 35 — Capstone proposal

Lesson map

Lesson 35 published. Map, example, EX103.

flowchart TD
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["35.1 Proposal"]
  N2["35.2 Criteria"]
  N3["35.3 Risks"]
  N4["35.4 Ethics and approval"]
  N5["Synthesis"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5
  N5 --> EX["Worked example"]
  EX --> Q["Exercise EX103"]

Logical drawing

flowchart LR
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["35.1 Proposal"]
  N2["35.2 Criteria"]
  N3["35.3 Risks"]
  N4["35.4 Ethics and approval"]
  N5["Synthesis"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> Q["EX103"]

[Learning outcomes]
    |
    v
[35.1 Proposal]
    |
    v
[35.2 Criteria]
    |
    v
[35.3 Risks]
    |
    v
[35.4 Ethics and approval]
    |
    v
[Synthesis]
    |
    v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX103]

Learning outcomes

You will (1) propose a capstone that improves practice; (2) define success criteria; (3) plan risks and ethics.

35.1 Proposal

Elena proposes a capstone: a privacy-aware parent communication system for the trust, replacing email for sensitive reports. Reports would be shared through a secure portal with authentication, so that misdirected emails like the incident in Chapter 28 become impossible for those documents. She defines the scope: reports and letters about individual pupils, not general newsletters. She explains the problem with evidence from the incident log and the failure analysis. A secure parent portal would replace emailed reports. Parents would log in to read reports, and staff would upload them once rather than emailing each family separately with attachments.

35.2 Criteria

Success criteria: no sensitive reports sent by email after rollout; at least 85% of parents able to access the portal within a term; requests from parents without internet access handled through alternatives; and staff time not increased. She defines how each will be measured. She notes that the third criterion protects fairness, because some families have limited digital access and must not be excluded from information about their children. Four criteria are set before building. Each is measurable. Activation, errors, staff time and access equity are measured.

35.3 Risks

Elena lists risks: parents unable to log in, a portal breach exposing many reports, staff reverting to email under time pressure, and vendor dependence. Controls include support for parents, strong security and monitoring, making the portal faster than email for staff, and contract terms. She plans a DPIA because the portal processes children's data at scale, following WP248 criteria. The DPIA records children's data at scale. Risks include wrong parent links, weak passwords, vendor access and exclusion of families without devices.

35.4 Ethics and approval

The capstone involves real processes but Elena tests with synthetic data until the trust's data protection lead approves the DPIA. Parents are informed before rollout. Dr. Asante approves the proposal with the condition that Elena measures outcomes honestly, including if the portal fails some criteria. She notes the condition in her plan, recognising that a capstone is an experiment as well as a project. The trust approves on condition of honest reporting. Governors review the plan before any real family data are used.

Worked example

Elena proposes a secure parent portal for sensitive reports with four success criteria including fairness for families without internet, lists risks and plans a DPIA under WP248 criteria.

Synthetic case. The proposal is synthetic; WP248 rev.01 is real.

Errors and limits

Portals can shift risk rather than remove it; a breach could expose many reports at once.

Exercises

EX103 — Portal purpose. What problem does the portal solve? Rubric: 3 = misdirected emails of sensitive reports;; 2 = mentions email;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
EX104 — Fairness criterion. Why include alternatives for parents without internet? Rubric: 3 = so families with limited digital access are not excluded;; 2 = mentions fairness;; 1 = ignore;; 0 = none.
EX105 — DPIA need. Why plan a DPIA for the portal? Rubric: 3 = it processes children's data at scale, meeting WP248 criteria;; 2 = mentions children;; 1 = unnecessary;; 0 = none.

Synthesis

Chapter 35 proposes the capstone. Chapter 36 is field practice.

Continue studying — chapter 35 of 40

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