Student Information and Communication Technology
Acceptable Use Policy

This policy applies to all student users of The Manchester College’s network, IT services and facilities. If you do not understand this policy, please ask your tutor or a manager for guidance.

    1 Safeguarding and ICT

    The Manchester College must ensure that it is able to safeguard all users of its ICT facilities. For this reason, all students are required to read, understand and sign ICT Acceptable Use Policies which cover all fixed and mobile technologies in the college and all use of the college network. These policies are regularly reviewed and monitored. When using any college ICT facility, students

      • must always be professional and maintain the highest standards of personal behaviour at all times
      • always work and communicate in an open and accountable manner
      • always use appropriate language and be respectful in any communication
      • should not discriminate against anyone because of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, faith/belief, age or any other characteristic

    2 Online access using fixed or mobile technologies,What technologies are covered?

    The college Information and Communication Technology Acceptable Use Policy covers all fixed and mobile technologies you may use at college. Mobile technologies include any type of technology that can be taken with you and used on the move, as opposed to fixed technologies that stay in a fixed position for use at a fixed time. Mobile technologies include, but are not limited to, mobile phones and smartphones (mobile phones with in-built computer functions), laptops and notebooks, handheld computers such as PDAs and EDAs (personal and educational digital assistants), media players, digital cameras and e-book readers. All online activity such as internet or intranet usage is monitored by the college for security and personal safety purposes. The college may remotely view and monitor content accessed by individuals at the same time the individual is using it through classroom management software (LanSchool) which allows staff to
    • control what applications and websites you use
    • monitor what you are doing on your computer
    • send or collect files from your computer

    The college may also obtain a usage history from the college servers.

    Conditions for using the technologies

    The college provides internet access to assist you in your studies. This policy cannot define every specific coursework-related use of the internet. Examples of acceptable use include research for assignments and examinations, exploring online learning materials, or participating in forums or online social groups appropriate to your course. The terms and conditions of the policy are as follows:
    1. Some areas of the internet contain information, in textual or graphic form, which could cause offence to other people or may be illegal to download or view. You are prohibited from accessing, viewing or downloading such material.
    2. Social networking sites should only be accessed as part of your curriculum requirement. Your online activity must not bring the college into disrepute. Examples include uploading images or videos which show antisocial behaviour or illegal activities; making derogatory statements about the college, college staff or other students; or revealing confidential information about the college, college staff or other students. This list is not exhaustive.
    3. You must not use images of college sites or staff, or college logos, in videos or photographs, without prior permission from a tutor or manager at the college.
    4. You are not permitted to download and/or install software.
    5. You must not copy or remove sensitive data or data generated and owned by the college, members of staff or other students, from the network without consent from a college tutor.
    6. The college reserves the right to withdraw the right of internet access for any student found or believed to be:
      • in possession of material which is sexist, racist, abusive, defamatory or obscene
      • in possession of material promoting discriminatory actions or illegal behaviour
      • in possession of any material which is in breach of copyright legislation
      • using the college network to obtain such material
      • using the college network to distribute such material
      • using the college network to bring the college into disrepute
      • downloading or installing software
      • frequently using services that are unrelated to your course, causing college staff to be concerned about the effect of this activity on achievement with college work
      • playing online games other than those created for learning purposes
      • using online chat services unless specifically authorised by your tutor
      • using the college network in any way that is disrespectful or potentially harmful to other students, college staff, or the hardware and software provided by the college
    By accessing email/the internet/intranet from The Manchester College network, you agree to the terms and conditions of The Manchester College ICT Acceptable Use Policy. You are asked not to abuse this privilege. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of internet access privileges.

    3 Use of data storage devices including CDs, DVDs and USB memory devices

    The purpose of this section is to outline the acceptable and unacceptable use of data storage devices on college computers. USB memory devices are also known as ‘memory sticks’ and ‘pen drives’. It is important that you read this section carefully so you understand how to safely use devices that you save your college work on.

    Conditions of use

    • You can only use your own USB memory devices if they do not have to be connected to the mains electricity supply.
    • Powered USB devices can only be used if they are college property and are purchased through IT Services.
    • You can only use data storage devices on the college network for your college work.
    • You are personally responsible for the correct use of your data storage device, including connecting and ejecting them correctly. The college will not accept responsibility for any loss of work or damage to devices caused by incorrect connection, ejection or shutting down of computers.
    • Data storage devices must not interfere with the set up of any computer hardware or software.
    • Users must not bring into college any of the following through their data storage devices: computer games, viruses, public domain software (free software), shareware, illegal copies of any kind, pornography or other offensive materials from the internet or any other source.
    • To ensure that your storage devices are virus-free, you should only use these on equipment with upto-date anti-virus software. If you are unsure about this, scan your device using the college's virus protection software.
    • Sensitive data or data generated and owned by the college, members of staff or other students, must not be copied or removed from the network without consent.
    • You are responsible for the information and data held on your USB memory devices and you must comply with the Data Protection Act of 1998.

    4 Data protection

    The Data Protection Act 1998 gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them and provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly. Under this Act, the data we collect about you must be:
    • fairly and lawfully processed
    • processed for limited purpose
    • adequate, relevant and not excessive
    • accurate and up to date
    • not kept for longer than is necessary
    • processed in line with your rights
    • secure
    • not transferred to other countries without adequate protection

    5 Intellectual property rights – Copyright

    Copyright laws allow owners of copyrights to take legal action where materials are used without permission. Copyright laws may apply to materials published on the internet (such as text, audio, videos, movies, music or graphics), even if there is no direct statement on a website about copyright. Users of the college ICT facilities must follow the copyright laws. You must not
    • use illegal copies of a licensed computer program
    • download, copy, store or transmit copyrighted materials without permission
    • access any systems that you are not authorised to access

    6 Plagiarism

    Plagiarism involves passing off the work of another as one’s own. It is necessary and normal to learn from the work of others, including academic staff, fellow students and published materials, but it is essential that you always acknowledge the source of the ideas and information used in their work. Plagiarism can involve copying from the work of a fellow student or downloading material from the internet. In these and all other cases, you must clearly state their source. Plagiarism involves not only written work, but all forms of work which you may submit for assessment, including, for example, musical composition, artefacts and data in electronic form on a computer. The Manchester College uses a plagiarism detection tool (WriteCheck powered by Turnitin) which can compare students' work against a massive database of content from tens of thousands of major newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals and books as well as a database of over 13.5 billion current and archived pages of web content, and 140 million previously-submitted student papers (as of end of October 2010).

    Plagiarism procedure

    All forms of plagiarism will be treated very seriously by staff at The Manchester College. In addition students should be warned that plagiarism may involve breach of the European directive relating to intellectual property rights, infringement of which may result in legal action being taken against a student by the owner, publisher or distributor of that intellectual property.
    1. If a tutor suspects plagiarism, s/he will investigate the matter in confidence with the student(s) concerned to establish whether plagiarism has indeed taken place.
    2. If the tutor judges that plagiarism has occurred, the tutor will normally follow validating partner procedures. However, where the college is required to use its own procedures, the tutor will report the case to their line manager, usually the Divisional Lead Manager, and submit the relevant evidence.
    3. The Divisional Lead Manager will make a decision based on the evidence provided and, occasionally, further investigation. Where the student is requested to attend an investigatory hearing, they may seek support with the hearing from the Guidance and Welfare Service. The decision should always be reported to the relevant Board of Examiners.
    4. Depending on the extent of the offence and the evidence submitted, first time offenders may be allowed to resubmit the work within two weeks of establishing that plagiarism has taken place.
    5. Second time offenders will incur severe penalties, more specifically, the piece of work in question will be awarded no marks, nor will it be able to be used as evidence for the achievement of any learning outcomes. The student’s personal tutor and/or course tutor/coordinator will also be fully informed.
    6. Any case of repeated or final year plagiarism will be treated very seriously and may result in the student being asked to leave the course.

    Plagiarism appeals

    1. Any appeals concerning the application of this policy should, in the first instance, be directed to the appropriate Divisional Lead Manager who will investigate the case within ten working days, consulting both the student(s) and subject teacher(s) concerned.
    2. If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of this procedure, then s/he will have access to the college’s formal academic appeals procedure.

    If you have any questions about plagiarism and the policy, you can speak to either your tutor or the Guidance and Welfare Service

    7 Health and safety

    You are responsible for protecting your own health and safety while using college computers. For guidance on computer users' responsibilities regarding health and safety, see the Information and Communication Technology Student Handbook.
    Examples of health and safety include:
    • drinks or food are not allowed near computer terminals
    • bags or other items must not be placed where they are in the way of anyone walking past or using another computer
    • users must use their own personal headsets on computers
    • make sure that you sit comfortably in ways that don't put a strain on your eyes or body
    • take regular breaks from sitting at your computer by stretching and/or standing up for a while

    8 Security and privacy

    To ensure security of the systems and the privacy of users, you must:
    • not access the network with someone else’s details
    • not give your own access details to someone else
    • not access the network through other unauthorised means
    • log out of the network when you are not using it

    9 Printing

    The college is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its activities, including the use of paper for printing. All students are asked to support this aim. Please use printing facilities for course work only, and only print out documents when essential.

    10 Blocked websites

    If a website appears to be blocked, ask a member of staff (a tutor or an LRC assistant) if they can request IT Services to lift the block. This may not be immediate, but all valid requests will be dealt with as soon as
    possible.

    11 IT Resources – Agreement Form

    If you have received your ID card, you will already have signed a summary of this policy. If there is anything in this policy that you do not understand, please reread it and/or contact your tutor or manager for guidance. Failure to comply with this policy may result in suspension of access to the network and/ordisciplinary action. If necessary
    • police or local authorities may be asked to get involved
    • external agencies such as social networking or email member sites may be contacted
    If you witness actions or behaviour by other students that is in breach of this policy, or notice any equipment that has been damaged or does not work, please bring it to the attention of your tutor, a manager or a member of college staff.