J-WEL Site Terms of Service

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”), acting through the MIT Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL), offers online information and services via online platforms, including WebFlow and Hivebrite. Please read these Terms of Service ("TOS") and the J-WEL Privacy Policy prior to using any portion of the J-WEL public or membership websites (the "Site," which consists of all content and pages located within the jwel.mit.edu wand jconnector.mit.edu domains), including accessing any library material, chat rooms, or other electronic services. These TOS and the Privacy Policy, are agreements (the "Agreements") between you and MIT setting forth the terms under which you may access and use the Site. By using the Site, you accept and agree to be legally bound by the Agreements, whether or not you are a registered user. If you do not understand or do not wish to be bound by the terms of the Agreements, you should not use the Site. As used in this Terms of Service, "we," "us," and "our" refer to J-WEL.

We reserve the right to modify these TOS at any time without advance notice. Any changes to these TOS will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified TOS. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of these TOS.
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Description of J-WEL

The MIT Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) is an initiative at MIT that seeks to promote excellence and transformation in education around the world. J-WEL provides member organizations access to online services including: a library of content addressing aspects of educational research and practice; features supporting group interaction online, including document sharing, discussion forums, and videoconferencing services; and online courses and training activities.

Rules for Online Conduct

You agree that you are responsible for your own use of the Site and for your User Postings. "User Postings" include all content submitted, posted, published, or distributed on the Site by you or other users of the Site, including but not limited to all forum posts, wiki edits, notes, questions, comments, videos, and file uploads. You agree that you will use the Site in compliance with these TOS and all applicable local, state, national and international laws, rules and regulations, including copyright laws, any laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from your country of residence, and all United States export control laws.

As a condition of your use of the J-WEL and Site services, you will not use the Site in any manner intended to damage, disable, overburden, or impair any J-WEL server or the network(s) connected to any J-WEL server, or to interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of the Site. You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, other accounts, computer systems, or networks connected to any J-WEL server through hacking, password mining, or any other means. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information stored on the Site, its servers, or associated computers through any means not intentionally made available through the Site.
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Prohibited Content Types

Content that defames, harasses, or threatens others;
Content that discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them;
Content that infringes another's intellectual property, including, but not limited to, copyrights or trademarks;
Profane, pornographic, obscene, indecent, or unlawful content;
Advertising or any form of commercial solicitation;
Content related to partisan political activities;
Viruses, trojan horses, worms, time bombs, corrupted files, malware, spyware, or any other similar software that may damage the operation of another's computer or property; and
Content that contains intentionally inaccurate information or that is posted with the intent of misleading others.
Content that is otherwise unlawful.

Furthermore, you agree not to scrape, or otherwise download in bulk, any Site content, including but not limited to a list or directory of users on the system, online textbooks, User Postings, user information, or videos. You agree not to misrepresent or attempt to misrepresent your identity while using the Site (although you are welcome and encouraged to use an anonymous username in the forums and to act in a manner that keeps your identity concealed).

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User Accounts and Authority

In order for J-WEL staff to create a user account ("User Account") for you and so allow you to participate fully in Site activities, you must provide certain information about yourself. You agree that you will never share access to or access information for your User Account with any third party for any reason. In setting up your User Account, you may be prompted to enter additional optional information (e.g., your address). You represent that all information provided by you is accurate and current. You agree to maintain and update your information to keep it accurate and current.

We care about the confidentiality and security of your personal information. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about what information about you we collect and how we use that information.

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Your Rights to Use Site Content

For the purposes of these TOU, the term “Site Content” includes all content posted to the Site, including but not limited to texts, exams, video, images, and other instructional materials provided in connection with the courses offered on the Site, as well as User Postings posted by other users.

Unless otherwise indicated, Site Content is protected by United States and foreign copyright laws, and you may engage only in personal, non-commercial use of the Site Content. You may not otherwise reproduce, retransmit, distribute, display, publish, commercially exploit or otherwise make available any Site Content in print, electronic, or any other medium. You may not record any portion of any course. Any additional presentation of any course or of materials derived from any course is also strictly prohibited.

Certain reference documents, digital textbooks, articles, and other information on the Site are used with the permission of third parties, and your use of that information may be subject to certain additional rules and conditions, which will be posted along with the information. By using this Site, you agree to abide by all such rules and conditions.

You agree to retain all copyright and other notices on any content you obtain from the Site. All rights in the Site and its content, if not expressly granted, are reserved.

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User Postings

User Representations and Warranties. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you affirm, represent, and warrant (1) that you have the necessary rights, licenses, consents, and/or permissions to reproduce and publish the User Postings and to authorize J-WEL and its users to reproduce, modify, publish, and otherwise use and distribute your User Postings in a manner consistent with the licenses granted by you below, and (2) that neither your submission of your User Postings nor the exercise of the licenses granted below will infringe or violate the rights of any third party.

By uploading pictures or audiovisual recordings, you agree that you hold all applicable copyrights and to have previously obtained a valid release from each person included in your materials. This includes cases in which a parent, a guardian or another authorized person should read, agree and sign the appropriate release.You, and not we, are solely responsible for your User Postings and the consequences of posting or publishing them.

License Grant to J-WEL. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you hereby grant to us a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, assignable, sublicensable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to host, transfer, display, perform, reproduce, modify, distribute, redistribute, relicense, and otherwise use, make available, and exploit your User Postings, in whole or in part, in any form and in any media formats and through any media channels now known or hereafter developed.

License Grant to J-WEL Users. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you hereby grant to users of the Site a non-exclusive license to access and use your User Postings in connection with their uses of the Site for their own personal, non-commercial purposes.

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Certificates of Completion

Generally, we may offer a Certificate of Completion or other acknowledgment (a "Certificate") for community members who, in our judgment, have satisfactorily demonstrated completion of course material. Certificates will be issued by and under the name of J-WEL. The decision whether a Certificate will be awarded to a given student will be solely within our discretion. We may choose not to offer a Certificate for some courses.
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Registration

Registration process. In order to participate in the community, individual users must have user accounts sponsored by a J-WEL member organization in good standing, according to the terms of the membership benefits defined in the organization’s member agreement. Individual user access to the course site and materials is contingent upon the sponsoring member organization remaining in good standing.

Account Deletion. Individual users may request the deletion of their user accounts at any time by emailing the request, including the user’s name, email address associated with the user account and sponsoring organization name, to jwel at mit dot edu.
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Trademarks

Use of J-WEL Names, Trademarks and Service Marks. The “J-WEL” names, logos and seals are trademarks ("Trademarks") of MIT. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, without MIT’s prior written consent. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, for promotional purposes, or in any way that deliberately or inadvertently claims, suggests or, in MIT’s sole judgment, gives the appearance or impression of a relationship with or endorsement by MIT.

All trademarks not owned by MIT that appear on the Site on or through the services made available on or through the Site, are the property of their respective owners.

Nothing contained on the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark or Trademark displayed on the Site without the written permission of its owner.
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Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Copyright owners who believe their material has been infringed on the Site should contact our designated copyright agent at dmca-agent@mit.edu.

Notification must include:

Identification of the copyrighted work, or, in the case of multiple works at the same location, a representative list of such works at that site.
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity. You must include sufficient information for us to locate the material (e.g., URL, IP address, computer name).
Information for us to be able to contact the complaining party (e.g., email address, phone number). A statement that the complaining party believes that the use of the material has not been authorized by the copyright owner or an authorized agent.

DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTY / LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITIES

THE SITE AND ANY INFORMATION, CONTENT, OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, EXCEPT INSOFAR AS ANY SUCH IMPLIED WARRANTIES MAY NOT BE DISCLAIMED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

J-WEL AND COLLABORATORS (AS HEREINAFTER DEFINED) DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL OPERATE IN AN UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE MANNER, THAT THE SITE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE SERVICES OR CONTENT PROVIDED WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.

J-WEL AND COLLABORATORS ALSO MAKE NO WARRANTY ABOUT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, OR QUALITY OF THE SITE OR ANY CONTENT, OR THAT ANY PARTICULAR CONTENT WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE. “COLLABORATORS” MEANS MIT, THE ENTITIES (EXCLUDING OTHER USERS) PROVIDING INFORMATION, CONTENT, OR SERVICES FOR THE SITE.

USE OF THE SITE, AND THE CONTENT AND SERVICES OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOUR ACCESS TO OR DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION, MATERIALS, OR DATA THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY REFERENCE SITES IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM) OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF SUCH MATERIAL OR DATA, UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR IN THE J-WEL PRIVACY POLICY.

User Postings Disclaimer. You understand that when using the Site you will be exposed to User Postings from a variety of sources and that neither J-WEL nor Collaborators are responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, reliability, or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Postings. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Postings that are inaccurate, offensive, defamatory, indecent, or objectionable and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against J-WEL or Collaborators with respect thereto. Neither J-WEL nor Collaborators endorse any User Postings or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed therein. Neither J-WEL nor Collaborators have any obligation to monitor any User Postings or any other user communications through the Site.

However, we reserve the right to review User Postings and to exercise our sole discretion to edit or remove, in whole or in part, any User Posting at any time and for any reason, or to allow Collaborators to do so. Without limiting the foregoing, upon receiving notice from a user or a content owner that a User Posting allegedly does not conform to these TOS, we may investigate the allegation and determine in our sole discretion whether to remove the User Posting, which we reserve the right to do at any time and without notice.

Links to Other Sites. The Site may include hyperlinks to sites maintained or controlled by others. J-WEL and Collaborators are not responsible for and do not routinely screen, approve, review, or endorse the contents of or use of any of the products or services that may be offered at these sites. If you decide to access linked third-party websites, you do so at your own risk.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER J-WEL NOR COLLABORATORS WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES, EITHER ACTUAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, OR YOUR (OR ANY THIRD PARTY'S) USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, OR YOUR PLACEMENT OF CONTENT ON THE SITE, OR YOUR RELIANCE UPON INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, WHETHER YOUR CLAIM IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE OR OTHER LAW.

IN PARTICULAR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER J-WEL NOR COLLABORATORS WILL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, AND WHETHER OR NOT J-WEL OR COLLABORATORS HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE AT FAULT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, CLAIMS FOR DEFAMATION, ERRORS, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, OR INTERRUPTION IN AVAILABILITY OF DATA).

CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

Effective Date: February 1, 2018; Updated: August 25, 2023

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