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Chesapeake College provides access to the Internet in order to support Chesapeake's Mission and Objectives as a community college serving the counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, and Talbot. Specifically, the Internet is used to support the following objectives:
I. Provide for the information needs of the students, faculty, and staff of Chesapeake College and for the information needs, as deemed appropriate by the College, of the residents of the five-county area.
II. Expand the distance learning services of the College, so that the residents of the five-county area have access to a school without walls.
III. Develop the information literacy skills of the students of Chesapeake College.
IV. Support the lifelong learning of the community.
V. Support the professional development needs of the faculty and staff of Chesapeake College and enhance communication between members of the College community and their colleagues across the country.
It is a general policy that Chesapeake College facilities used for connection to the Internet are to be used in a responsible, ethical, and legal manner in accordance with the stated objectives for Internet access and the mission of Chesapeake College. Users must acknowledge their understanding of the general policy and guidelines as a condition for use of the Internet through Chesapeake College. Failure to adhere to this policy and its guidelines below may result in suspension of the offender's privilege of network access by the College. Persons who make use of the resources of the College to access the Internet do so as guests of the College and are expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Conduct which adversely affects the ability of others to use the Internet or which is harmful to others will not be permitted. The College reserves the right to monitor its computing systems, workstations, and lab facilities.
Guideline 1. Acceptable uses of the Internet are activities, which support learning and teaching. Internet users are encouraged to develop uses which meet their individual needs and which take advantage of the Internet's functions: electronic mail, conferences, bulletin boards, databases, telnet and ftp resources, etc.
Guideline 2. Persons obtaining access to the Internet through Chesapeake College, should adhere to the commonly accepted social norms of classroom behavior.
Guideline 3. Unacceptable uses of the Internet include:
a) Violating the rights to privacy of students and employees of the College including attempts to access another person's account, private files, or e-mail without permission of the owner.
b) Use of the College's computer resources to threaten or harass others.
c) Reposting personal communications without the author's prior consent.
d) Copying commercial software in violation of copyright law.
e) Using the Internet for any illegal activity.
f) Attempts to write, produce, copy, or attempt in any way to introduce any computer code designed to self-replicate, damage or otherwise hinder the performance of any computer. Any such software is commonly referred to as a computer virus.
g) Attempts to alter system software or hardware configurations. Deliberate attempts to degrade or disrupt system performance will be viewed as criminal activity under applicable state and federal laws.
h) Storing or printing files, materials, or messages that violate Maryland obscenity laws.
i) The display of sexually explicit materials on a College computer screen in such a manner that it can be seen by others may be a violation of the College's policies on sexual harassment.
j) Playing of computer games or simulations not in support of the curriculum at Chesapeake.
k) Use of the Internet for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of the College.
l) Developing web pages that do not meet the published standards of Chesapeake College.
m) Sending mass e-mail messages such as chain letters, spam, pyramid schemes, etc.
Guideline 4. Accounts issued to individuals are intended for the sole use of that individual. The person in whose name an account is issued is responsible at all times for its proper use. Users should change their passwords frequently according to published password guidelines.
Guideline 5. When making copies of information from the Internet, files should be downloaded to your own removable media (floppy disk, zip disk, CD, USB storage device or personal file storage on Canvas). Files downloaded to the College's network, or hard disk drives attached to that network, are subject to deletion without notice.
Guideline 6. When remotely accessing Chesapeake College subscriptions to the library's electronic databases, users should abide licensing, regulations and not share user names and passwords with those not associated with Chesapeake College.
Guideline 7. Electronic e-mail is not guaranteed to be private. Misuse of e-mail will result in the College's retrieval and review of e-mail residing on the College's servers.
Guideline 8. Access to the Internet or college e-mail may be limited or terminated at the College's discretion. In the event that other users are waiting to access College computing facilities, you will be asked to limit your time. Please be considerate of other users.
Guideline 1. Eligibility to have an account
All students enrolled in credit and developmental courses will be provided an account.
Guideline 2. Account termination
The account will terminate at such time that the student is not enrolled in a credit or developmental course or privileges have been terminated due to disciplinary sanctions for violating the Chesapeake College Internet Access Policy in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
Guideline 3. Privacy Issues
a) Inclusion in the Canvas Directory
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of a student's educational records. Student information that is considered public or directory information is defined in the Annual Notification of Student Rights under FERPA. Information that has been designated as directory information by FERPA may include the following: student name; address; telephone number; date of birth; major program of study; dates of attendance; degrees; diplomas, certificates and awards received; full or part time status; participation in recognized activities. Canvas will not divulge any student information to the general public and only e-mail addresses and participation in student organizations or clubs will be included in the directory accessible by other students, faculty and staff of the College. Students may request that no directory information be released by completing the non-disclosure form in the Registrar's office by the fifth day of the semester term. Complete information on the College's FERPA policy is available at www.chesapeake.edu/registration/records.asp#.
b) Electronic Mail System
E-mail users of Canvas are advised that there is no guarantee that confidentiality of the user's use of the e-mail or the content of specific messages will be maintained and that the system should not be regarded as a secure medium for sensitive or confidential correspondence.
Guideline 4.Storage limitations
Canvas provides storage for students' personal files, e-mail, photos, and Web pages. Specific storage limits are not currently in effect, but may be implemented in the future if deemed necessary. Students are responsible for deleting old items and/or downloading them to CDs or other offline storage media, and limiting their use of storage space to academic-related items. Canvas administrators will monitor the amount of storage space being used by individual accounts. If a student appears to be using an excessive amount of storage, the Canvas administrator will contact the student and request that they reduce their storage usage. The administrator will provide assistance in archiving or deleting items, if needed.
Guideline 5.Standards for creating Web pages
Canvas provides resources to support its mission of teaching, information distribution, professional development, communication and lifelong learning. Faculty, students and campus organizations are encouraged to create Web pages that fulfill one or more of these goals. All Web pages must follow Chesapeake College Web Guidelines and the Internet/Web Portal Access Procedure of Chesapeake College.