Speaking to fellow lecturers, teaching assistants, and LIS staff on Monday during a lunch lecture at The Academy for Learning and Teaching, Serebrenik shares his own experiences with uncooperative computer systems—particularly the digital learning platform Canvas and the student information system Osiris.

His real-life examples include a student without a last name, twins who did not start at TU/e at the same time, and a student who felt compelled to disclose a gender transition.

First name only 

“At TU/e, a student from India enrolled who didn’t have a last name. Let’s call her Priya for convenience. In India, your last name can reveal your caste. Because her father wanted to leave that behind and moved to a new area without using his last name, his daughter didn’t have one either. That became a problem at TU/e.”

“In one of the information systems, her first name was also entered as her last name. Another system didn’t recognize Priya Priya as a person—only Priya. When lecturers asked for clarification, she had to tell the whole story about her father,” says Serebrenik. “To her, it felt like a safe being cracked open.”

Twins

Serebrenik also recalls a Chinese student who started her studies in Eindhoven exactly one academic year after her twin sister had begun at TU/e. But the TU/e system couldn’t handle her enrollment. “The sisters not only shared the same date and place of birth, but also the same initials. The problem was immediately identified, but it took a month to fix technically.”

It became even more awkward when something went wrong in forming project groups for a course. “All students knew that groups were composed with zero, two, or more students of a particular gender or non-Dutch nationality.” So that no one has to feel like an outsider.

“When a group started with only one woman, she felt forced to disclose that she was a trans woman (the transition took place during her studies, ed.). Another safe being cracked open.”

Last names

A more common issue concerns double last names. In Portuguese tradition, everyone receives the last names of both parents, with the second one typically used in daily practice. Dutch information systems, however, assume the first last name is the primary one.

“In about sixteen years, they’ll have to adapt—with or without further internationalization—because since 2024, last name choices in the Netherlands have also become more flexible,” someone in the audience remarks.

Serebrenik adds: “When you export information from Canvas, first names are replaced by initials. That means as a lecturer, I have to manually check students who share the same initials and last names using their student numbers.”

Fortunately, TU/e has switched to Office 365, so email addresses are now displayed, with first names included.

Asking for help

The issues Serebrenik highlights may seem small and individual. “But taken together, there are quite a few. And a student who feels upset because of a malfunctioning system is never good for a lecturer either.”

He invites those present to take a brief moment of self-reflection. What can you do to prevent these problems? Participants then discuss their thoughts in small groups, after which the best ideas are shared with everyone. “Being aware of these issues shows respect for students and for LIS staff and teacher supporters,” Serebrenik encourages.

The solutions—also contributed by online participants—come down to this: ask students how they want to be addressed and use student numbers. “Let’s help each other,” concludes the group that includes ESA policy officer Ludo van Meeuwen, “by telling colleagues what you run into and how you solve it. You can start tomorrow.”