The UiO has developed a digital introductory course in personal data in research, which provides employees and students with basic knowledge about personal data protection, information security and the UiO's routines in this area. The course is offered in Canvas – the UiO’s digital learning platform.
The GDPR course is mandatory for all academic staff and for administrative staff who work on such matters.
The course takes 2-3 hours to complete.
Versions
The Faculty of Social Sciences offers two different GDPR courses: one for social science research and one for health research. The latter is adapted for researchers at the Department of Psychology and applies to those who are subject to the Health Research Act.
The final version of the health research variant is pending (spring 2024), thus only the social research variant is currently available.
Course registration
The course is available in Norwegian and English:
- GDPR e-learning course (social science research)
- E-l?ringskurs i personvern (samfunnsforskning)
Registration English language version (2023)
P?melding norsk versjon (2023)
The above link goes to a registration form. Upon submission you will be enrolled in the GDPR e-learning course for employees at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The course will be available in Canvas within a couple of hours.
Take the course
Log in to Canvas with your UiO username. The course is on your dashboard.
Alternatively, you will find it by selecting Courses > All courses in the left menu.
Take the course in Canvas (V23)
Log-in problems?
Are you having trouble accessing or have other questions? Contact Marit Eldholm (marit.eldholm@sv.uio.no), primary contact for GDPR at the faculty.
Background
The Dean, in consultation with the department and center leaders, has decided that the course in personal data protection is compulsory for all scientific employees, including temporary employees. It is also mandatory for administrative staff who work with issues related to privacy and data protection in research.
In the next step, the course will become an integral part of the PhD programme and in the study plan for MA students.
The course addresses regulations related to data protection, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires that the UiO takes data protection rules into account in all its research activities and makes all researchers familiar with how to process information about other people.
The e-learning course is set up to meet this demand and addresses key principles and concepts used in the GDPR, the duties imposed on us by law when we process information about other people, and routines we must follow when we deal with personal data.
The course is developed by LINK – the Centre for Learning, Innovation & Academic Development – and the IT legal group at USIT – the University Centre for Information Technology. The GDPR course offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences is adapted to specific cases and questions from social science research in module 4, which have been developed by the faculty administration's Section for Research and Communication.
Research ethics
The course has a natural connection to research ethics, most notably as regards the respect for individuals, groups, and institutions in research. When registering for the course in personal data protection, employees must confirm that they are familiar with existing national research ethical guidelines for the social sciences and the UiO’s resources in the field.
Note that the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and Humanities (NESH) gave new guidelines in December 2021. The English translation was published in 2022.
Course structure
The course has a duration of 2-3 hours and is structured in four modules:
- Module 1: Fundamental terminology
- Module 2: Principles relating to processing of personal data
- Module 3: Obligations and responsibility
- Module 4: Cases adapted to social science research and a test "What do you know about the GDPR?"
The result of the quiz is stored in Canvas, indicating if you have passed the course. The test may be taken several times.