Learner terms and conduct policy

1. Purpose and scope

This policy sets the terms and the conduct expected of everyone who uses the TIPCS e-learning courses, quizzes and attestations on www.tipcs.org.

It applies to every learner, to staff and volunteers who support learning, and to authors of course content. It sits beside the ratified policies on Safeguarding, Research ethics and Anti-fraud and integrity.

2. Definitions

• Learner: an adult, aged 18 or over, with a TIPCS account who follows a course.
• Course: a structured set of units, steps and quizzes published by TIPCS.
• Quiz: a short test inside a course to check understanding.
• Attestation: a document from TIPCS stating that the learner completed a course or reached its passing grade; it is not a diploma, degree or state-recognised certificate.
• Learning record: the progress, quiz results and attestations linked to the learner’s account.

3. Principles

• Adults only: learners are 18 or over.
• Personal use: access is for the named learner’s own learning.
• Integrity: learners do their own work and credit their sources.
• No promise: TIPCS does not promise a job, a visa, admission, a diploma, a recognised qualification or a skill or language level.
• Respect and inclusion: courses are open to all adults without discrimination, in a safe learning space.

4. Rules and procedure

The Board supervises; the executive administration manages and signs. Rules:

• Account: create or open a TIPCS account, confirm you are 18 or over, and keep your details accurate.
• No sharing of access: do not share your password or let anyone else follow a course or take a quiz in your name.
• Academic integrity: no cheating, impersonation, copying answers, or use of tools that conceal who did the work; cite sources in any written work.
• Content licence: TIPCS grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to view course content for your own learning. You may not copy, resell, republish or record it without written permission, unless the content states an open licence.
• Quizzes and attestations: attestation is issued after the passing grade stated in the course; attestations show participation and learning, not a diploma.
• Accessibility: tell us at Contact@tipcs.org if you need adjustments; TIPCS will try to provide reasonable ones.
• Decisions on integrity breaches are taken by the executive administration, with a right to reply and appeal to the Board. Any spending linked to courses needs three different signatures.

5. Roles and responsibilities

• Board: approves this policy and hears appeals.
• Executive administration: runs the platform, manages accounts, decides on breaches, signs attestations.
• Academic or pedagogy lead: ensures content quality and honest learning outcomes.
• Learners: follow these terms.
• Content authors: respect copyright and TIPCS’s research ethics, and never include unlawful or discriminatory material.

6. Rights and obligations of the learner

The learner has the right to clear course descriptions, accessible content as far as reasonable, protection of their data, access to their learning record, correction of errors, and to complain. The learner must be an adult, act respectfully toward others, keep access private, respect content licences, and never misrepresent an attestation as a diploma or as recognised by a state or an institution.

7. Legal framework

• Law 94-36 of 24 February 1994 on literary and artistic property: course content is protected; learners may not copy it beyond what is allowed.
• Organic Law 2004-63 of 27 July 2004 on personal data: learning records are personal data protected by consent, purpose, access and objection.
• Law 2000-83 of 9 August 2000 on electronic exchanges: online acceptance of terms and electronic records.
• Code of Obligations and Contracts: accepting these terms forms a contract in general terms.
• Constitution of 27 January 2014: right to education and protection of private life.
• Organic Law 2018-50 of 23 October 2018 on eliminating racial discrimination, and Organic Law 2017-58 of 11 August 2017 on eliminating violence against women: abusive conduct in learning spaces is not tolerated.

8. Data protection and learning records

TIPCS keeps account data, progress, quiz results and attestations to run the course and to verify attestations. It does not sell data. The TIPCS declaration to the INPDP is in progress. Retention: [period to be fixed by the Board after the INPDP declaration]. Learners may ask for access, correction or deletion at Contact@tipcs.org.

Controller: Tunisian Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (TIPCS), registered office Avenue Mahmoud Bourguiba, Monastir 5000, Tunisia; contact Contact@tipcs.org. Under Organic Law 2004-63 you may ask to be informed about how your data is used, to access it, to have it corrected, to object to its processing and to have it deleted, within the limits of that law, by writing to Contact@tipcs.org. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (INPDP), www.inpdp.nat.tn.

9. Respect, safeguarding, sanctions and conflicts of interest

Harassment, hate speech, discrimination and threats are forbidden in forums, comments and live sessions. Safeguarding concerns are handled under the Safeguarding policy. Sanctions are proportionate: a warning, removal of content posted, temporary suspension, withdrawal of an attestation obtained by cheating, or closure of the account. Staff or authors with a personal interest in a learner’s case declare it and step aside.

10. Account closure, archive, complaints and whistleblowing

A learner may close their account at any time by writing to Contact@tipcs.org. TIPCS may close an account for serious or repeated breaches, with reasons. On closure, the learning record is archived for the period fixed under section 8, then deleted or anonymised, and verification of past attestations may remain possible. Complaints go to Contact@tipcs.org; confidential concerns use the subject “CONFIDENTIAL – Concern”. Whistleblowers are protected as Law 2017-10 provides.

11. Review of the policy and version control

The Board reviews this policy at least annually. Each version has a number and date and old versions are archived.