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Data Privacy Policy

1. General

The Further Education Support Service (herein FESS) is committed to processing all personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (2016/679) (herein GDPR), Irish Data Protection Laws and any other relevant data protection laws and codes of conduct (herein collectively referred to as ‘the data protection laws’).

 

2. Who we are

The Further Education Support Service (FESS) was established in 1997. The Support Service is a full-time, year-round consultancy service operating through the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) The management of FESS is located in CDETB. The funding for this service is provided by SOLAS and DFHERIS. www.fess.ie is the website of FESS. FESS Learning is the section of this site that provides professional development supports for those working in FET through both face to face sessions and in an online environment using our Moodle learning platform at Moodle.fesslearning.ie. We may also use other online platforms to facilitate training such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

 

3. What is data privacy and why is it important?

Respecting your data’s privacy is essential to us.  We want you to understand and be comfortable with the ways in which we collect, process and use personal data (also called “personal information”) that we collect through our Moodle site fesslearning.ie (the ‘Site’).

When you share personal data with us or when we collect personal data about you, we will use it in line with this Privacy Data Notice. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please contact us at dpo@fess.ie.

By registering for this Site you consent to us using your personal information in the ways described below.

Without your consent to use your information in the ways set out in this Policy, we will not be able to provide you with access to our Site.

This policy is under regular review.  Please check this page for any policy updates.

Should we need to process your data in a new way, we will only do so after conducting a Data Privacy Impact Assessment.

 

4. What personal data do we collect from you and how do we use it?

The collection of personal data is a fundamental part of providing the service offered by FESS Learning and we therefore have specific measures and controls in place to ensure that we comply with the conditions outlined in the data protection laws.

The FESS and FESS Learning must have a lawful basis to collect and use personal information. These legal bases are explained below:

The legal basis on which we collect, process and use your information as described in this notice is:

•That it is necessary for the effectiveness of your participation on our courses and to provide you, where appropriate, with the relevant course approval and the digital badge; and

•That it reflects our legitimate interests in providing professional development and enhancing your learning experience.

In identifying this basis, we have weighed our legitimate interest against your rights and freedoms and determined that it will not unfairly impact on your rights. You have a right to object to this processing.

 

The "legal bases" on which we collect, process and use special categories of data relating to you in the manner described in this notice are:

•That you have given your explicit consent to such processing.

We collect information you give us or which we infer from your registration and use of our services.  We collect two types of personal information:

•            Information you provide to us; and

•            Information collected through your use of the Site.

During the registration process you will directly provide us with certain information to allow us provide you with the learning opportunities you have subscribed to. This information includes:

•            your full name;

•            your user name;

•            your work or educational institution email address;

•            your work mobile number or personal number if you do not have a work mobile, and you agree to this;

•            where you work or study.

Additional personal information may be collected through your use of the Site. This will include:

•            your access history (i.e. the videos you have watched, the tests you have attempted);

•            posts you make on the Site;

•            your country of residence and / or the country from which you are using the Site;

•            your response to any demographic/survey questions we ask;

•            your photo should you choose to upload one;

•            information automatically transmitted by your computer to us (such as your IP address) This occurs as part of the normal workings of the internet;

and

•            information collected by cookies (more details are provided in our Cookies Policy).

You can replace or change your profile details at any time during the course.

 

5. How do we use the information we collect?

FESS Learning will use your information to communicate with you regarding course workflow and course information details.

We will also use your information to identify and determine your progress on your subscribed course including your completion of online tasks and your online activity logs and postings.

We will use your email or your mobile phone no to contact you with information regarding the course.

We may de-personalise your information and use it for educational research purposes to inform us how our courses can be provided and improved in the future.

 

6. Do we share your information?

We keep your information private. However, we will pass on generic information on the numbers of course participants, geographical information and centre types from which participants come. In other occasional cases we will specifically request your consent should we need to share your information with an identified third party.

 

7. How long do we keep personal information?

We keep your learning data for a period of 3 years, after which FESS Learning removes all course participation data such as digital badge certificates, learning records and course postings/assignments. Therefore, it will not be possible for you to access PD records, including certificates of completion and digital badges beyond this 3-year period.

8. How do we keep personal information secure?

We deploy appropriate organisational and technical security measures to keep personal information secure.

Please play your part in keeping your personal information secure by choosing a strong password and by keeping your login details secret.

 

9. Where do we store personal information?

We generally store personal information on servers located inside the European Economic Area. However, in certain cases it may be necessary for us to transfer data to servers located outside of the EU. The privacy protections in these jurisdictions may not be equivalent to those in Europe. We will only transfer personal data outside of the EEA where permitted to do so by European law and we will take steps to ensure that the personal information continues to enjoy? appropriate protections.

 

10. What are your rights?

You have the following rights with regards to the personal data we hold on you:

•            The right to access the personal data we hold about you;

•            The right to access details about how your data is processed;

•            The right to have incorrect and incomplete personal data we hold about you updated;

•            The right to request that we erase the information we hold about you where FESS has no legitimate reason to retain your data;

•            The right to withdraw consent at any time for personal data processing that is based on consent;

•            The right to ask us to stop contacting you with direct marketing;

•            The right to restrict the processing of your personal data;

•            The right to data portability by receiving your personal data in a structured, commonly used format;

•            The right to object to automated decision making/profiling where this is utilised;

•            The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (see section 13 below).

To exercise these rights please contact FESS at the contact details outlined below.

Please include details to assist us to locate your personal data e.g. your name and e mail addresses as used to subscribe to this Site.

 

11. How do you exercise your rights?

If you have any questions or concerns about how we treat and use your personal data, or would like to exercise any of your rights as outlined above, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@fess.ie.

FESS will endeavour to address any data related concerns or complaints that you may have, however, if you would like to direct your complaint/concerns to the Data Protection Commissioner whose contact details are:

Data Protection Commissioner – Republic of Ireland

Canal House - Station Road

Portarlington

R32 AP23 Co Laois

 

Dublin Office

21 Fitzwilliam Square

Dublin 2 - DO2 RD28

Telephone: 057 8684800 / 0761 104 800

Email: info@dataprotection.ie

Visit: https://dataprotection.ie

12. Will we update this policy?

We may change this Privacy Policy at any time. Please, note the version number and date legend at the end of this page to see when this Privacy Policy was last revised. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective when we make the revised Privacy Policy available on or through the Site. If you are unhappy with the changes, you are free to delete your account.  Alternatively, you can continue to use the Site. If you continue to use our services after the date any revised Privacy Policy comes into force, you will be deemed to have consented to the revised Privacy Policies.

Full policy

Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions for using this site

 

We ask that all course participants accept and abide by the course terms and conditions below:

1. Copyright: All media contained on this site is subject to copyright and owned by FESS Learning and/or its collaborative partners. Any reproduction, republication or retransmission is strictly prohibited. All right, title, and interest (including all copyrights and other intellectual property rights) in your online course belongs to FESS Learning and/or its collaborative partners. Course participants acquire no proprietary interest in these materials or copies thereof.
2. Course participants may download (where made available) and/or print course materials and make copies of these for personal, educational and non-commercial use only.
3. While every effort has been made to ensure that course content is accurate and up to date at the time of dissemination it may be subject to later alteration or amendment in the light of policy, QA or other changes, course updates or other factors.
4. FESS Learning is not responsible for the information contained on third party websites and by linking to them does not implicitly or explicitly endorse these websites or associated organisations.
5. FESS Learning cannot assume responsibility for the presence of viruses, malware and/or spyware on third party linked websites encountered during the course. Guarding against malware and viruses is a common practice among users of computer technology and course participants must take full responsibility and apply their own precautions in this respect.
6. FESS Learning strives to provide constant, uninterrupted access to our online courses for their duration but we do not guarantee this. We accept no responsibility or liability for any interruption or delay of access, or any consequences of lack of service.
7. FESS Learning provide a username and password to facilitate your log in to the course material. In the case of personal/professional accounts, these are personal to you and cannot be transferred to any other person without the prior consent of FESS Learning. Please note that you are required to use your name and work email for login purposes. All interactions are underpinned by the principles outlined in the Teaching Council Code of Professional Conduct.
8. Guidance on the technology necessary to access course materials is provided in the course introduction. However, it is ultimately the participant’s responsibility to ensure they have access to the technology necessary for full participatory access (Broadband, PC, etc.).
9. As a course participant you undertake to abide by the guidance outlined in the paragraph below in relation to course discussion forums and any other communications such as Chat or Instant Messaging: “All communications must be original and of a professional and appropriate nature. It is considered inappropriate to name any person or centre in any context. If you are referring to any establishment the reference must be of a professional and respectful nature”. See Section 3 on Professional Conduct (3.7) in the Teaching Council Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers.
10. Where there is a course requirement to make postings to a course discussion forum, such postings must be of an original and appropriate nature. Plagiarism, including the use of one’s own previously posted/submitted materials, will not be tolerated and will result in your posting being removed and not counted in the fulfilment of course requirements.
11. FESS Learning reserves the right to terminate your access to its website and its services at any time and without due notice or prior notification.
12. FESS Learning reserves the right to deny or retrospectively withdraw Course Approval for any breach of terms and conditions.
13. FESS reserves the right to cancel a course if a minimum number of participants has not enrolled for that course. We will endeavour to provide as much notice as possible in the event that a course has to be cancelled.
14. Download of course digital badge: Please note that the course digital badge will be available from the time of course completion for a period of 1 month. You MUST download your Digital Badge as part of course completion. Any request for copies of the digital badge after this timeframe will be considered on a case by case basis, and may incur an administrative fee. After a certain timeframe, digital badges will no longer be available.
15. You participate in our courses as an independent learner. While FESS Learning endeavours to provide notice of all pertinent course completion details and requirements, it is your responsibility to complete all course requirements prior to course closure
16. Course Communications:
    We use FESS Learning as our main means of communicating with you as a course participant. All communications from this will be via email. In the event that an incorrect email address has been used to register and emails are bouncing back to us, we may contact you via telephone to rectify the situation. From time to time we may use your mobile phone number to contact you for important course updates or information. Our course communications cannot function without this form of communication. Therefore, if you do not want to be communicated with in this way we ask that you do not use our site for your learning.
    
    Participants seeking to communicate directly with FESS Learning are facilitated in doing so through the email address FESSLearning@fess.ie. We endeavour to respond to communications within 24 hours during normal working hours or within 72 hours over weekend and holiday ???? periods.
17. Data Privacy Policy: FESS Learning adheres to the FESS Learning Data Privacy Policy. By registering for the Site and accepting these terms and conditions you consent to us using your personal information in the ways described in the Privacy Policy. There is a Subject Access Request facility incorporated into our site operating system – see your personal profile for details.
18. Changes and/or updates to these Terms of Service: FESS Learning may modify these terms without notification, for any reason and at any time.

 

Full policy

WHAT IS A COOKIE?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a Site. Cookies are then sent back to the originating Site on each subsequent visit, or to another Site that recognises that cookie. Cookies are useful because they allow a Site to recognise a user’s device. You can find more information about cookies at:

• www.allaboutcookies.org
• www.youronlinechoices.eu

Cookies and Local Storage are standardised ways for a website to store a small text file in your browser, and FESSLearning.ie uses cookies to make the experience of using the site easier for you. 

WHICH COOKIES ARE BEING USED IN THIS SITE?

We use only use first party cookies which fall into the ‘strictly necessary’ category. Your consent is not required for us to use this type of cookie.

FESSLearning.ie uses Session Cookies to distinguish you from other users of the website. These cookies are necessary for FESSLearning.ie  to work for you. They provide you with seamless access as you move from one area of the site to another based on your session login. Once your session ends these cookies forget about you.

Strictly necessary cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the Site and use its features and/or services. Without these absolutely necessary cookies, the Site will not perform as smoothly for you as we would like it to and we may not be able to provide the Site with certain services or features. Under the GDPR, your consent for the use of such cookies is not required. This is the only type of cookie used on this website.

 

Cookie Name	Description	Expiry Date	1st party or 3rd party
MoodlesessionXXXXXXX (where X= a number)	To enable front page viewing and maintain the user login from page to page	24 hours	1st

 

FESSLearning.ie also uses Local Storage to keep track of the progress you have made within each course. They will remain in your web browser after you have logged off, and allow you to continue a learning programme at the point you previously ended it next time you log on.

You may delete cookies or other storage from your browser at any time you like by visiting your web browser settings.