Web space — terms of use
Veuillez lire attentivement les nouvelles conditions d’utilisation de l’Espace web.
Notez que nous n’acceptons plus les nouvelles demandes de multisites pour des étudiants.
Web space background and objectives
The Web Space service is financed by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur as part of its service agreement with Collecto. The basic service, free of charge for education professionals in the college network, aims to enable users to develop and host teaching and learning resources intended to be shared for free in order to promote reuse in the network.
Therefore, from November 2022, Collecto will no longer accept sites for students and private sites. Why?
- To better meet technological needs in the college network When Web Space was created, more than 15 years ago, the service aimed to offer a space in order to create pedagogical sites such as blogs or forums, at a time when not all institutions had digital learning environments at their disposal. In 2022, all institutions now have technology solutions at their disposal, allowing them to safely develop course websites for students. However, hosting of pedagogical resources intended to be shared in the network is an increasingly urgent need. The repositioning of the Web Space service primarily aims to meet the current needs of the network. Since the service is financed by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, Collecto is committed to providing the service in the most beneficial way across the college network.
- To strengthen cybersecurity Over the years, the Web Space has been used by some people as a place of exploration and experimentation to host virtual environments or “sandbox” sites for students learning how to program. The Web Space was not designed for such uses. Unfortunately, these sites compromised the Collecto server integrity several times or created service breakdowns for the other users. In 2022, when cybersecurity is more than ever a current issue, Collecto wishes to strengthen the Web Space security by restricting uses with potential risks of security breaches.
- To support educational resource pooling Collecto supports and leads several projects for the purpose of educational resource pooling. The repositioning of the Web Space service is consistent with our efforts to share relevant teaching and learning resources, developed by the college network, for the college network. Many teachers receive grants or release time to develop resources and hope to extend the use of these resources to their colleagues. Although these resources can be shared within an institution, local security measures do not always allow a large distribution in the network. By offering a hosting service free of charge for teachers who wish to share their resources or to make their pedagogical website publicly accessible without limitations, Collecto supports resource pooling initiatives, the free culture, and the perpetuation of pedagogical resources.
To use this free-of-charge service, the users need to agree to be bound by the Terms of Use described below.
Définitions
- Web Space
- Hosting space dedicated to a user on the Collecto server.
- Account
- User-specific information enabling the creation or access to the Web Space service: institutional email address, professional contact information, username, password.
- Website
- Once the Web Space account is created, the user can include one or more website formats, such as WordPress or Wiki to host resources in order to share them for free.
- Public access
- Website accessible without password or other restrictions (Everyone can access and consult it).
1. Acceptance of terms of service
Any request for the creation of a Web Space account commits the user to respect the present Terms of Use. These terms apply to all Web Space users, including those prior to the service update in November 2022.
2. Eligibility terms of free-of-charge service
- The user is part of the pedagogical staff in the Quebec college network. They use a valid institutional email address to sign in.
- The Web Space hosts one or more WordPress or Wiki-type sites to host digital resources intended to be shared and reused for free in the network (open educational resources or licensed under Creative Commons to allow the sharing and reusing). Expert sites, multisite instances for students, and private sites are no longer accepted.
- A Web Space has a maximal capacity of 1 GB, including all the sites it contains.
- The address of a new site uses by default the following structure: username. eductive.ca. The username can be personalized, but the address must contain the following: eductive.ca.
- Multimedia content (videos), unless previously authorized by Collecto, are hosted on external platforms.
- The user is responsible for plug-ins and third-party services they install on their WordPress or Wiki site. These must not affect the Web Space service or server integrity in any way. Collecto does not offer any technical support for third-party applications installed by the user.
Collecto reserves the right to deactivate a site that does not respect the eligibility terms described above.
Users who wish to host a digital resource under different terms of access and service from the ones provided for the free-of-charge service have the possibility of being charged a lump sum. Contact us for more information.
3. Web space registration
To use the Web Space, the user needs to request the creation of a Web Space account, which will be approved by Collecto.
- The user uses their institutional email address and their professional contact information to request an account.
- The user hereby agrees to provide accurate information and to keep it updated in their account.
- Only one Web Space account per person is allowed to be created. The user can install a maximum of 3 sites on their Web Space, while respecting the maximal capacity of 1 GB including all the sites it contains.
When the account is activated, the user will be able to log in to their Web Space through the Eductive site with their institutional email address and their password. Once logged in to their Web Space, the user will be able to request the creation of a site. The user will have to choose between a WordPress or Wiki site.
4. Personal information
The information collected when creating a Web Space is treated in compliance with privacy legislation. This information is used to provide the service and support related to the use of a Web Space and is stored on Collecto servers, hosted in Quebec.
5. ACCESS SECURITY
To access their Web Space account, build new sites, or manage existing sites, the user needs the username assigned and their chosen password. This password is unknown to the Eductive website administrator. The user is responsible for the confidentiality of their password and for actions taken with their username.
6. RESPONSIBILITY FOR STORED AND PUBLISHED CONTENT
The user is responsible for all online content made accessible to third parties.
- The user ensures to have the copyright of published content in their Web Space or that they respect the proper dissemination rights in the case of content that is free of copyright or licensed under Creative Commons.
- The user is responsible for any stored, downloaded, and transferred material in their Web Space hosted by Collecto servers.
- The user agrees not to upload, nor disseminate in any way information that violates the privacy legislation (with the exception of the required information to request an account).
- Will be considered contrary to the Terms of Use any information that prejudices the rights and dignity of individuals, including discrimination, hatred, or defamation.
- The use of the pedagogical Web Space excludes any transactional or commercial activities.
In addition, the user cannot under any circumstances :
- Intentionally download or make accessible any content containing or forming computer viruses, codes, or programs designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality or performance of any software, computers, or other computer hardware.
- Disrupt the exchanged data flow in such a way that it affects its functioning, or commit any other act that could alter its functioning.
- Gain unauthorized access or disrupt Collecto computer systems, including servers and connected networks.
In the event that Collecto detects an improper use of a Web Space, a notice will be sent to the user in order to resolve the situation. The Web Space could be temporarily suspended, depending on the problem detected.
A Web Space account may be deleted without notice in the event that Collecto detects a use that prejudices the integrity of servers or people.
7. Web space account inactivity or deactivation
In order to maximize the use of the Web Space free-of-charge service for the pedagogical staff in the Quebec college network, Collecto periodically deactivates inactive Web Spaces as to free space on servers allowing other users to make use of the service.
Account inactivity is indicated by one of the following characteristics:
- No or very infrequent use of one’s Web Space or sites.
- No published content other than the descriptive page automatically created for a site.
- The date of the last connection was more than one year ago.
- An inactive Web Space will be automatically deactivated after 1 year. If so, the user will receive an e-mail notification. The user can request to reactivate their Web Space for 3 months following the receipt of the notification.
If no request is made to reactivate the Web Space, it will be deleted without further notice.
If the user leaves the college network, they can obtain authorization from Collecto to maintain their hosting rights within 6 months following the departure date. There is also the possibility to transfer a Web Space account to another member of the college network who wishes to retrieve it. This person agrees to be bound by the Terms of Use described below.
8. Account deletion
A Web Space account can be deleted at all time upon the user’s request. The Web Space deletion is permanent and irrevocable.
9. Collecto limitation of liability
Collecto promptly updates the server infrastructure. There is a possibility, following these updates, that some technologies on certain Web Space sites do not function anymore. Collecto proceeds with these updates for security reasons and compatibility with the latest technologies. Collecto will not be held responsible for any data loss or stored information loss in a Web Space, nor any indirect damage caused by the use of it following an update. The users are responsible to keep a backup copy of the content hosted in their Web Space.
Fees apply for individual restoration requests.
