Policies and Guidelines

The Collaborative, Inquiry and Development Group (CID) have created the ELM Collaboratory as a web center for accessing information, connecting to and collaborating with others to improve teaching and learning.

Within this mission, CID is working towards establishing "Best Practices" for use of Web standards for accessibility and usability, privacy issues, and copyright concerns. Above all, we value honesty and consideration for others and hope users of the ELM Collaboratory will also.

Accessibility:

• CID is committed to ensuring accessibility of its Web site for people with disabilities. All the pages on our Web site will conform to W3C/WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, Conformance Level A (all Priority 1 checkpoints are satisfied)

Privacy:

Personal Information

• No personal information is collected by the ELM Collaboratory web site unless members voluntarily choose to provide it.
• Personal information includes: name, address, email address, etc.
• Personal information submitted to the ELM Collaboratory is not available to third parties. If any information is shared, it is with permission only.
• Demographic and statistical information is collected, but not linked to personal Information.

Non-Personal Information:

• If you visit as a guest, our server does record some information such as your IP address, domain, type of browser, date and time visited, and information to prevent unauthorized uses of the site.
• Guest information is used only for statistical analysis to improve our site.

FERPA:

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) "gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records". (U.S. Department of Education).
• CID maintains that it is the responsibility of participants to be sure they have written permission from a parent or student over 18 (or "attends a school beyond high school level") before any information from a student's educational record is released.
• "Directory information" may be disclosed without consent if parents were notified by the school annually of their right to choose not to disclose this information. Schools are required to have this FERPA form completed each year. Check your school for verification.
• Directory information consists of: a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth honors and awards, and dates of attendance.

Copyright:

• All site design is copyrighted and owned by the CID Group