Student Privacy?

I can’t verify if this is true, but Dave Nachman writes that:

Nearly every course at Dartmouth uses Blackboard, an online software service that lets professors post materials and give online exams for their courses, along with an array of other features. Well, it turns out that professors can track student usage – when each individual students logs in or out of the course website, and when they looked at specific course readings.

One reason I’m rather skeptical is that none of my professors have ever mentioned the fact. I would assume that if they wanted their students to do their work, professors would hint (none too subtly) that they could find out whether each individual student did indeed do the work assigned. If this is true, it’s a bit creepy—like taking facebook stalking to a whole new level.

UPDATE: Professor Heckman, of the Comp Sci department, has confirmed that professors can track student usage.