Joint Platform Policies (Digital Education Ecosystem Initiative)

The online joint platform supports students and teachers in accessing digital content in different practical fields and specializations for different ages, which helps in expanding students’ knowledge of digital educational contents from reliable sources. The initiative seeks to provide students with educational digital content in a variety of rich resources and learning activities through the joint platform in addition to the providing training packages for teachers through the knowledge presented  which contributes to enhancing teaching skills and gaining new experiences in teaching methods and providing ideal content to students. The owner of the joint platform is the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates. Therefore, policies developed to help improve the educational and training service on the platform for teachers and students.

 

Objective of Joint Platform Policy:

The policies aim to govern many related areas in the areas clauses of the joint platform: accessibility, intellectual property rights in content, permitted usage, unauthorized usage, trademarks, links to third-party websites, interactive features, privacy, reservation of rights to monitor digital content, applicable law and judicial disputes. Therefore, those policies were developed to work better and more comprehensively to ensure the quality by the platform supervisors and users (students and teachers) from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

 

 

Accessibility:

 A.Commitment to accessibility:

NELC is committed to the ease and accessibility to the joint platform by the largest number of users regardless of their technical backgrounds. It also provides a number of features that support the accessibility, including:

The “Learner Options” feature allows you to change the display style of the website to suit your own needs. You can find this feature in the upper left corner of every page in the platform, and you can find a step-by-step guideline with images.

 

All platform’s pages are compatible with screen readers and can be accessed with keyboard navigation. In addition, the platform’s authoring tools are built with well-formulated HTML-tagging that include long ARIA descriptions, image annotations, and embedded A11y microdata.

 

The platform supports multiple (AFA) and (A11y) descriptive fields. Search by using specific criteria in the advanced search to find educational resources that support different learning methods and modes (audio, visual, text) that contain features such as long ARIA descriptions and image annotations.

 

B.Accessibility barriers

Although NELC has done a lot to ensure the accessibility, there can be some issues. Please report any issue to NELC support team via email (care@nelc.gov.sa). We welcome all constructive feedback regarding the accessibility and use of this platform, and will consider it carefully.

Disclaimer:

Content and metadata are provided as per mutually agreed standards  between (KSA and UAE)" including, but not limited to, acknowledgment of accuracy, completeness, upload ability and appropriateness for a particular use. The use of the platform is entirely at your own risk, and NELC is not responsible for any damage that may occur as a result of using the Platform and downloading any content from it.

Content Intellectual Property Rights:

Ministry of Education is the supervisor of the content and metadata

Content posted on the platform, which consists of text, images, audio and video, databases, design, icons and software, but NELC does not necessarily own every element. Content on the Platform may be owned by the Ministry of Education or other institutions or persons and may be used with their permission (such as User Generated Content) or subject to use in accordance with applicable laws. Part of the content is in the public domain and other part is subject to third-party rights, such as copyright, trademark, publicity rights, privacy and contractual restrictions, and no person who has view it is entitled to use it for purposes other than for which it was made available for it except with the written consent of the platform’s owner.

 

b.Permissions

National eLearning Center seeks to provide information on the copyright status of content and to identify any other terms and conditions that may apply to your use of the content (such as trademark, privacy or publicity rights, donor restrictions, etc.). However, the Center does not guarantee that all relevant information is available or that the information is correct in all circumstances. Whatever the content, "read the small caption" means that you should read the usage information and/or its guidelines, which may include copyright information, terms of use, restrictions, etc. relating to the content. In any event, it is your responsibility to determine the permission(s) you may need to use the content and to obtain such content as necessary.

c.Licensing Content

As for content uploaded to the platform, each user or publisher determines the appropriate Creative Commons license for the content

In terms of the OER (5Rs) openness strategy, the author of the original content allows others to benefit from the resources such as retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the resource. These powers are well known and commonly used under the name (5Rs), and they are as follows:

Complaints or objections

If you have any complaints or objections to content posted on the platform because it is not properly attributed to you or as a result of it being posted without permission and you are its owner, please contact the NELC support team care@nelc.gov. sa

When reporting an alleged copyright infringement to National eLearning Center, please take the following into consideration:

Identifying the copyrighted work that is allegedly infringed. If this includes several works, please provide an illustrative list of them.

Providing sufficient information to allow the Center to identify the intellectual property that you claim has been infringed.

Providing your contact information ( name, email address, telephone number and postal address).

Acknowledging that you have good faith belief that the disputed use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, the intellectual property owner, its agent, or the law.

Acknowledging under penalty of perjury that you are authorized to enforce the copyright that you claim has been infringed. Your written or electronic signature.

We respond to reports of allegations of copyright infringement and terminate the accounts of alleged infringers in accordance with the procedure set out in the Copyright Law of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Permitted use:

a. Fair Use

Fair use of content As determined by the Copyright Law, the Publications and Distribution Law, and the Electronic Publishing Regulations, fair use information in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is available at the Copyright Department of the Ministry of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia https://www.media.gov.sa/media/1/ media/8795489639.pdf

Please note that you are responsible for determining whether your use is fair and for responding to any claims that may arise from your use.

b. Other Conditions of Permitted Use

In addition, considering web content and downloading pages for personal, educational and other non-commercial use of the content subject to the following terms:

As with any printed material, you must cite the author and source of the content.

Cite the link to the platform, where possible, as a source of content.

You may not delete any copyright, trademark or other proprietary notices, including attribution information, credits, and notices placed near text, images, or data.

You must comply with all other terms or restrictions (such as trademark, publicity and privacy rights or contractual restrictions) as may be specified by the metadata or as may otherwise apply to the content.

Unauthorized use:

a. Unauthorized Access.

You may not attempt to access or access the platform, the computer system or networks connected to the platform, by unauthorized methods such as hacking, password mining, or any other means.

b. Commercial Purposes.

You may not use the content for commercial purposes, which means that you may not sell the content, materials, products or services that use and warrant the content, nor may you use the content to promote or advertise products or services, except with the written consent of the content owner as what is described in the next paragraph.

c. Instructions for Applying for a Commercial Purpose License

If you wish to use the content for any purpose beyond the permitted uses set forth in this Agreement, such as Publicity (except as permitted by fair use under the Copyright Law), you must obtain the prior written consent of the content owner.

Links to Third Party Websites:

The content may be linked to third party websites that are not under the direct control of the owner of the platform. Links from the platform are provided for convenience, sponsorship, advertising or informational purposes; It does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation with the third party or the linked website, and the platform disclaims any liability for the accuracy, legality, content, or safety of external linked websites.

Links from Third Party Websites:

If you provide a link to any part of the platform on any third party site, you agree to provide the link in a manner that does not imply that the owner of the platform expressly or implicitly endorses any products, services or opinions offered on your website. Any link to the platform shall provide clearly written notice that the user is leaving your website to access another website, and any browser provided through a third party shall be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

Interactive Features:

The platform offers specific interactive features (“Interactive Features”) such as discussion boards, content authoring tools, and ratings and evaluations for brainstorming, creating and improving ideas. Accordingly, you are encouraged to interact with the platform subject to the following conditions:

You are solely responsible for the content you submit.

 

By posting Content, you give the owner of the platform, and those authorized by it, permission to use it for any educational, promotional or other standard purposes.

You will not post any content that is out of context, partisan-political, personal offensive, insulting, obscene, threatening, illegal, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory, obscene, lying, pornographic or anything that infringes the rights of any third party, the Platform owner has the right to legally prosecute any transgressions.

You will only post content that belongs to you or that you have received permission to post from the person or institution that owns it and relates to intellectual property rights.

You will not include any advertising or promotional content of your own or any third party in your posts.

I understand that the owner of the platform shall have no liability for the publication of your content or for any error, defamation, slander, omission, obscenity, danger or inaccuracy in any information you post or for any failure or delay in posting such content.

You will not introduce any software viruses, worms, or other programs designed to damage software, hardware, or telecommunications equipment.

You agree that you will not collect any information about users of the website or use such information for any purpose whatsoever.

Privacy:

a. Our commitment to Your Privacy

National eLearning Center is responsible for processing the information and data we collect through your use of the platform. The Center does not collect personally identifiable information (PII) from children under the age of 13. If you become aware that a child has provided us with any personally identifiable information, please contact us at care@nelc.gov.sa.

b. Information Collected About You

If you are a registered member of the platform, you will have provided personally identifiable information to the National eLearning Center. We use this information in a variety of ways to provide educational services and support your wishes.

c. Cookies

When you visit the platform, it may send one or more cookies to your computer. A cookie is a small text file containing a series of alphanumeric codes used to uniquely identify your browser and help you access and browse websites quickly. A cookie can transmit information to the National eLearning Center about how you use the platform (e.g. the pages you view, the links you click, and other actions you take on the platform), and allow the Center to track your use of the platform over time. The session cookie is temporary and disappears after you close your browser. This persistent cookie remains on your hard drive after you close your browser, to facilitate your subsequent visits to the platform. Persistent cookies can be deleted by following the instructions provided on your browser. You can reset your browser to reject all cookies or to limit when a cookie is used. However, some features of the platform may not function properly when the ability to allow cookies is disabled.

d. Information Storage

We process the information we collect about you when you visit our website in strict confidence. Private information, such as email coordinates, is stored in the platform database and is protected by blocking services.

e. Deleting or Correcting your Personal Information:

As a platform user, you can log in with your email address and password to view and change your personal information by editing your user profile page. The National eLearning Center makes every effort to maintain your privacy and safety by verifying your identity when you use our system. Should you have any inquiries or concerns, please contact the National eLearning Center at any time by sending an email to the Platform Support Desk at (---------------------)

f. Disclosure of information

The National eLearning Center is committed to responsibly handling the information and data we collect through the platform. We do not sell or trade your personally identifiable information. You agree that the National eLearning Center may access, retain, and disclose any information or content you provide if we are required to do so under law or when we believe in good faith that such access, retention or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with the legal procedures; (b) enforce this Agreement; (c) respond to claims that any content infringes the rights of third parties; (c) respond to your requests for service; (e) to protect the private and public rights, property, or personal safety of users of the platform. This includes publicity content displayed on your user profile page.

g. Student Data

The platform does not require a login to access or use the educational resources (see Permitted Use above). If you have any questions regarding students' privacy, please contact the National eLearning Center support team at (--------------------------- ------).

h. Third Party Websites

The platform may include links to specific third party websites. The National eLearning Center does not own, monitor or operate such linked websites, and is not responsible for the privacy policies or procedures of them. The privacy policies and procedures of those sites may differ from our privacy policies and procedures. You will be using these linked websites entirely at your own risk. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these websites before disclosing your personally identifiable information on them.

i. Concerns

If you have any concerns about the platform, please contact the the National eLearning Center support team  at care@nelc.gov.sa

j. Data and Information Exchange

The platform may exchange your data and information with a third party within the limits of sending promotional, awareness, educational, and other messages.

Compensation:

By using the platform, you acknowledge and guarantee that such use will comply with this Agreement. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold the National eLearning Center harmless from and against any and all claims, causes of action, allegations, costs, expenses, fees (including reasonable fees for the appointment of an attorney), judgments, liabilities, losses and damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the platform.

Reservation of rights:

a. Right to Monitor Content and Information

The National eLearning Center is under no obligation to review any content and information you submit to the platform, but reserves the right to do so.

b. Right to Edit or Delete the Content

The platform owner reserves the right to edit or delete any Content if it is deemed appropriate to do so in the sole discretion of the Digital Educational Content Standards, for example to comply with law or legal procedures, respond to complaints by third parties or enforce this Agreement.

c. Right to Amend the Terms of this Agreement

The platform owner reserves the right to amend the terms of this Agreement at any time by posting the revised Terms on the platform; These revised Terms shall become effective within 30 days after they are posted. Failure to enforce these terms shall not constitute a waiver of these terms.

Applicable Law and Judicial Disputes:

This Agreement and any amendments thereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You shall be liable for compliance with applicable laws in connection with your access to and use of the platform. Any disputes between the National eLearning Center  and you regarding this Agreement shall be settled amicably. If this is not possible within (90) days from the date on which the dispute or allegation was reported in writing to one of the parties by the other party, either party may refer such dispute or claim to the competent judicial authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Privacy Changes:

Kindly take the privacy policy into consideration, which is subject to periodic review, and may be subject to some development and amendments. When there is any change or update, the extent of the policy of privacy will contain a signal of a recent review (with date), which indicates that the user must review the new provisions that are in place, effective immediately upon posting on this page, with new effective date. This signal will be next to the link of the policy of privacy for at least (10) days, after making the updates. When the user login after the conduct of any changes in the policy of privacy, is considered as prior acceptance from the user. The user should make sure to visit the privacy policy changes page periodically to be aware of the latest version of it and to view the changes contained therein. All that is mentioned in this document is subject to the implementing regulations for electronic publishing, issued by the Ministry of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Copyright Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M/41) on 2/07/1424 AH , amended by the Council of Ministers decision No. (536) and the Anti-Cyber Crime Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M/17) dated 3/08/1428 AH, and the amendments thereto.

Terms of Use of the Joint Platform and its Content:

Kindly Read the Terms of Using the Joint Platform and its Content carefully. Terms of use outline the user’s rights, as well as the Ministry’s obligations regarding the user’s data and personal information, and to what extent the user’s rights may be shared without violation. The user access to  and the use of the platform is subject to the terms and conditions, and by accessing, browsing and using the platform, the user accepts the terms and conditions of use contained in this document without restriction or condition.

1. The platform may include hyperlinks that take the user to other websites, or include advertisement links from other websites, and the Ministry is not responsible for the methods of collecting data from those websites. The user can view the confidentiality policies and the content of those websites that are accessed through any link within this website. The Ministry of Education is not responsible for the damage caused by viruses caused by infiltration of users' devices to the platform by accessing those websites, and the user will be responsible for accessing and visiting those other websites.

2. The platform allows viewing and making use of the digital content published on the platform; For educational and non-commercial purposes, this availability of the platform does not authorize the user to commercially sell or invest the content on the platform.

3. Beware of some behaviors that may pose a threat to the security and confidentiality of information, so it is necessary, for example, but not limited to:

Do not write the username and password in a paper or an online document in order to remember it. Do not share the password with others.

Change the password periodically.

Use licensed systems and software on your device and keep it updated to prevent any data breaches or leaks.

Use original antivirus software.

Do not click on any unknown links or attachments.

Do not install unknown software as it may contain vulnerabilities or malware.

Set a password to the personal device and do not leave it unlocked when unattended.

4. The user is not allowed to change any information contained in the platform or that which is circulated through it, and the user has no right to store it except after obtaining written permission.

5. The user must preserve all copyrights, trademarks, and all proprietary notices contained in the original material in any copy thereof, including those published via the platform, or those published by the user.

6. The User may sell, modify, reproduce, display, distribute, transfer, publish, license, or create derivative works from any material or content contained in the platform.

7. Platform beneficiaries are not authorized to reuse any of the materials posted on any other website or in a computer shared environment in another network.

8. It is prohibited to use the website to commit a crime, or encourage others to engage in any conduct that may be considered a crime or involve civil liability.

9. It is prohibited to introduce or publish any illegal content that includes discriminatory, libelous, abusive, defamatory or inappropriate material.

10. It is prohibited to use the platform to impersonate identities or third parties.

Joint Platform Terms