Policies & Privacy

(Please note: This page shows most of the important policies which apply. As part of the registration process registering students will also receive the “Student Information & Policies Handbook”, as well as the “Course Information & Syllabus” documents. These documents will, therefore show all the relevant policies of the EWA. What follows below contains some of the important policies, but in the event of a difference between the wording of the website and in the documents referred to above the two documents will prevail.)

In any learning environment, students should have a clear understanding of what the tutor and the EWA expects from them, as well as what they can expect from the tutor and the EWA. This need is more urgent for e-learning students than for traditional students because e-learning activities often occur in an environment where students may have difficulty getting timely answers to important questions. We, therefore, hope to anticipate students’ needs for clarity by way of this page in our website and also from the two documents referred to above.

Credit for previous studies

Should a student believe that he/she has already acquired credits, at a different educational institution, for subjects who form part of a course for which she/he wishes to register, such student shall contact the EWA with a full motivation and the EWA shall consider such student’s application for such credits. The EWA’s decision in this regard will be communicated to the relevant student in writing but its decision shall notwithstanding be final and binding and shall not be subject to appeal or review.

Communication system policies

(The system by which e-mails, assignments, queries, registration forms, tutor application forms, comments etc. are sent and received)

• Whilst every effort is made to ensure that our communication system is free from defect, we do not accept responsibility for any damage to, or loss of data on, your computer system, network or server that results from the use of any of our materials or those licensed from any third parties.

• Any advice or guidance given by the EWA relating to any aspect of the communication system or its use is followed at the student’s own risk.

• Sending materials: This will be done mostly via the e-learning platform or by email. Virtually all communication between tutor and student will take place via the internet. Students should make a copy of all materials sent via the internet, as the EWA accepts no responsibility for the loss of any such material.

E-Mail Policies

E-learning tutors routinely report being overwhelmed by the need to answer numerous e-mails they receive from students. Please ensure that you have a legitimate need before you send emails to tutors. To avoid time wastage:

• Students are required to refer to the course material, this Introduction and Syllabus for general course information and course policies instead of requesting it from tutors by e-mail.

• Tutors will not answer emails where the subject line has not been filled in with a clear subject or where it raises an inappropriate subject

• Tutors will respond to emails within a maximum of 5 business days, and within the official e-office hours set out in this document

• students are required to check their email regularly, preferably every day

• Tutors will not respond to e-mails about test dates, how students’ grades are determined, or any other information that is clearly listed as general course information in the course syllabus.

• Tutors will only respond to emails that deal with: a students’ personal concerns, students difficulties comprehending course content, or their need for clarification about graded work.

• Tutors will only respond to emails in the following e-office hours: Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.(European time);Tuesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Fridays from 10:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Assignment and Essays Policies

Clear guidelines governing written work like assignments or essays are very important, in part because they reduce student frustration when preparing assignments and also because they can reduce the number of e-mails students will send tutors asking for clarification.

• Lectures are made available to students on a regular (usually weekly) basis, via the platform

• Not all lectures will require students to submit assignments; instead, such lectures will contain quizzes which are compulsory. Such quizzes will be conducted via the platform.

• The work you submit for assessment must be your own unaided work.

• Any materials (e.g. books, leaflets or information from the Internet) used in the completion of your coursework should be acknowledged in the work itself, at the end in the form of a bibliography. Whilst it is a debatable question whether information taken from the Internet may be used in education and teaching without permission, and in fact, some of our lectures sometimes utilize such information, it is still preferable that you use full references.

• To present material copied from any source without acknowledgement will not be acceptable.

• You should add pictures and graphs to make your answers more credible.

• You will receive credit points if you can show that you have formed an own opinion on the topic of the assignment, and not just repeated the course notes!

• The subject line of the relevant email must include your name, the course, the assignment number. Example: “ John Smith – wine2/18 – assignment 7”

• All Assignments must comply with the following requirements:

  • it shall not be part of the e-mail’s body but shall be in a separate Word document

  • spell checkers must be used before you submit the assignment

  • it must include the student’s name and the course description –(see example on the e-learning platform)

  • it shall be free from typing defects

  • proper grammar shall be used (students sometimes wonder why we bother with spelling and grammar: we would not be fulfilling our obligation to you if we allow you to believe that in the business world it is acceptable to write documents, emails and letters of a low standard!)

  • each page must be numbered

  • only regular fonts, such as Ariel or Times New Roman, may be used

  • The course software standards for submission of assignments are Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Assignments contained in the body of an email are not acceptable and will therefore not be reviewed or graded.

  • No copyright infringement or plagiarism is allowed

  • Sources, including textbooks or websites, used in the preparation of the assignment must be quoted fully at the end of the assignment

  • Each question should first be stated, with the answer following it

  • All assignment due dates must be strictly complied with; late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements were made with the relevant tutor

  • Students must ensure that assignments are virus-free. Should our virus detection service nevertheless detect a virus such student will be advised thereof and such assignment must be re-submitted, minus said virus, within 24 hours thereof

  • Students are advised to keep hard copies of their assignments as well as of tutor’s reviews, as the EWA does not provide copies from its record base.

Student Privacy Policies

Privacy policies and related procedures protect a student’s legal right to privacy and confidentiality. We are committed to respecting your privacy and protecting any information provided by you.

• The information requested during registration is collected by the EWA alone and is used to facilitate effective, personalised communication between student and tutor and to allow us to maintain contact with our registered students.

• By supplying us with personal information, registered students agree to the collection and storage of this information and to the ongoing collection and storage of information relating to that student’s progress.

• Information within a student’s progress record can be accessed only by the student, the student’s tutor and the administration department of the EWA.

• Other than for the distribution of course materials, or if the law requires it, the EWA will not disclose any personally identifiable information except when we have asked for and been given, written permission from the student.

• Registered students may, at any time, view the personal information held about them by the EWA. They may update or correct this information by contacting the administration department by email.

• Through this strict policy of privacy the EWA endeavours to protect the information provided by its registered students, however, students should be aware that transmission over the internet and the World Wide Web cannot be guaranteed as totally secure.

• We do not require details about student personal traits such as race, ethnicity or disabilities.

• If we plan to publicize students’ work, including, for example, their words in electronic discussions, e-mail, or assignments they will be informed of such decisions and permission to do so will be obtained in advance.

Intellectual Property Rights Policy

• The Internet makes it very easy to obtain and use work created by others, hence easy to violate their rights to this work.

• When students unfairly use materials created by others in e-learning assignments,
  essays or projects they are guilty of plagiarism. This applies to any and all sources they use.

• All the materials that form part of this course, together with the announcements posted and words in electronic discussions and email remain the intellectual property of the EWA, not to students who might wish to use them.

• Course materials are for class purposes only and cannot be distributed to others without violating the intellectual property rights and/or the privacy rights of the owners of these materials, whether the course tutor, students in the course, or those who created outside sources of information.

Examinations Policy

In keeping with our policy of wishing to produce serious students, and because of accreditation requirements, students following longer courses will write exams/tests periodically. These are done at the end of each module on the e-learning platform via on-line multiple choice tests. Where relevant we may also allow a student to do such exams or tests with the trusted Proctor system.

Student Code of Conduct Policies

This code of conduct is established to ensure that students have a clear understanding of what their tutor and fellow students expect of their conduct in this class.

Each student is expected:

• To treat other students and tutors with dignity and respect in all discussions and at all times

• Comply with all regulations and policies of the EWA

• Not contravene any policy relating to plagiarism or copyright, violation of which could lead to dismissal from the course

• Regarding attendance: students are expected to attend all workshops, audio-or video-conferences, and chat sessions unless they have obtained an exemption from their tutor in advance

• Be self-motivated and self-disciplined.

• Be a good time manager.

• Approach the course with a desire to learn.

• Voluntarily help other students, bearing in mind, however, that doing other people’s work for them is tantamount to cheating.

• Develop needed technology skills.

• Contribute to course discussions.

• Listen to others, and respond respectfully to their comments.

• Contribute to team activities, and respect the ideas of others.

• Comply with all course policies.

• Submit constructive suggestions for improving the course.

The Registration process, Payment of Course Fees and Registration costs

Students are not regarded as being registered or enrolled in a course until the full registration process has been completed (see below).

The Registration process: To complete a registration the following steps have to be finalised:

• The student submits his/her signed “Registration form”, containing all required details

• EWA emails the “Student Information & Policies Handbook” to the student;

• Payment is made of all course fees, registration costs and other ancillary costs (as outlined on the Registration form)

• Once payment has been received EWA will forward its official Invoice to the student.

• Immediately upon the provisional registration (after the Registration form has been submitted and payment of the course fees has been made) EWA also will email (the email is quite detailed, in order to explain everything again for the student) the “Course Introduction & Syllabus” document to that student, together with the student’s username and password- which means that the student has immediate access to his/her course.

Course fees

All current course fees are displayed on EWA’s website. Additionally, all students pay registration costs, and there are examination fees per module. The Registration form sets out all relevant costs and course fees.

Payments

• As EWA strives to keep its course fees reasonable and affordable we prefer that students make payments via SWIFT (bank transfers), but we have recently set up a credit card payment system too, however, that leads to course fee increases as the student has to add 3% to the payment to cover the credit card use.

• SWIFT (ordinary bank transfers) payments have to be made by students giving their bank an instruction to pay the relevant sum into EWA’s bank account (see details on the Registration Form) using EWA’s IBAN and BIC international bank codes, as this is not only more time efficient but could save some bank costs.

• Students should make sure their payment contains a reference to their name and course and it is paid into the bank account of EWA (as shown on the latest Registration Form on the website).

• All bank and credit card costs have to be paid by the student, so that EWA receives the full payment, without the deduction of bank or transfer costs. Therefore it is advisable that students first enquire from their bank as to the amount of such bank costs in advance, and add that on to the course fee and registrations costs.

Trade Marks

The name of the EWA, its logo, and its domain
name, as reflected on this website, are the property of the EWA. These marks may not be used in any way without the prior written permission of the EWA.

Acceptance of Students

Students under the age of 18 years may be considered for registration provided they have had a good, general education, and have the additional support and guidance of an adult at home or at school.

The EWA reserves the right to decline the application of any student, regardless of age.

Course Duration

Students following courses are expected to complete their courses within the stipulated time frame.

However, should students find that they are unable to complete the course within this time limit and provided they contact the EWA to request an extension, the EWA shall then decide whether to grant such an extension, and this may also depend on the reasons advanced by the student for such a request. The decision of the EWA regarding the extension of such time shall be final and binding. In the event of a positive decision tutor, support will be made available for up to six extra months.

Termination

If any student fails to comply with any of these Policies, or to hand in or complete any assignment, essay or other project set by a tutor, within the time frame stipulated by such tutor, and continue to neglect to do so after at least two emailed requests to do so by such tutor or the EWA, such student’s registration may be cancelled.

The EWA reserves the right to cancel a student’s registration if he/she has made no contact with the EWA for 3 months or longer and has not responded to at least 2 emailed requests for information sent to the e-mail address the EWA have on record for such student.

Jurisdiction

This agreement shall be governed and interpreted in all respects in accordance with the laws of Belgium and the EU.

 

 

Student Privacy Policy

 

About this document:

This privacy notice explains how European Wine Academy (“EWA”, “we”, “our”, “us”) collects, uses and shares your personal data, and your rights in relation to the personal data we hold. This privacy notice concerns our processing of personal data of past, present and prospective students of European Wine Academy (“you”, “your”).

EWA is the data controller of your personal data and is subject to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”).

 

How we collect your information:

We may collect your personal data, from our website and our e-learning platform (www.ewaplatfrom.org) in a number of ways, for example:

• from the information you provide to us when you interact with us before joining, for example when you express your interest in studying at EWA;
• when you communicate with us by Skype, telephone, email or via our website, for example in order to make enquiries or raise concerns;
• in various other ways as you interact with us during your time as a student of EWA, for the various purposes set out below;

 

The types of information we collect:

We may collect the following types of personal data about you:

• your name, and contact information such as address, email address and telephone number. We will also allocate you a unique student number.

 

How we use information about our students:

• As a small educational institution, we do not, will not, nor have we ever, used any student’s personal data for any commercial purpose than to communicate with that student.
• We do not even allow other students to access a student’s personal data or email address.
• Such data is only visible to authorised staff of EWA.
• We have certainly never, nor will we, sell or hand over any student’s personal data to any third party for any purpose whatsoever.

 

The purposes for which we may use personal data (including sensitive personal data) we collect during a student’s association with us include:

• registration and admissions;
• academic matters, including:
  • the provision of our core teaching, learning and research services (e.g. registration, assessment, attendance, managing progress, academic misconduct investigations, certification, graduation);
  • maintaining student records;
• providing IT and information services;
• other administrative purposes, including:
• carrying out research and statistical analysis;
• carrying out audits (e.g. to ensure compliance with our regulatory and legal obligations);
• providing operational information (e.g. providing IT support, information about building closures or access restrictions on campus, or safety advice);
• promoting our services (e.g. providing information about summer schools, student exchanges, or other events happening on and off campus);
• preventing and detecting crime;
• dealing with grievances and disciplinary actions;
• dealing with complaints and enquiries.

 

Graduation and degree information:

Personal data (including award and classification) will be not be made publicly and will only be made public, for instance to a potential employer, with your specific consent.

 

The basis for processing your information and how we use it:

We may process your personal data because it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract. In this respect, we use your personal data for the following:

• to interact with you before you are enrolled as a student, as part of the admissions process (e.g. to send you a prospectus or answer enquiries about our courses);
• once you have enrolled, to provide you with the services as set out in our Student Handbook and related documentation;
• to deal with any concerns or feedback you may have;
• for any other purpose for which you provide us with your personal data.

 

We may also process your personal data for our compliance with our legal obligations. In this respect, we may use your personal data for the following:

• to meet our compliance and regulatory obligations, such as compliance with anti-money laundering laws and safeguarding requirements;
• for the prevention and detection of crime;
• in order to assist with investigations (including criminal investigations) carried out by the police and other competent authorities.

 

We may also process your personal data where:

• it is necessary for medical purposes (e.g. medical diagnosis, provision of health or social care or treatment, or a contract with a health professional);
• it is necessary to protect your or another person’s vital interests; or
• we have your specific or, where necessary, explicit consent to do so.

 

Sharing information with others:

 

Taking our above statement regarding selling your personal data, for the purposes referred to in this privacy notice and relying on the bases for processing as set out above, we may share your personal data with certain third parties. You are given the opportunity to opt out of some of these data sharing arrangements, for example when you register with us, but you should carefully consider the possible impact of doing this. Unless an opt-out is in place, we may disclose limited personal data to a variety of recipients including:

• our employees, agents and contractors where there is a legitimate reason for their receiving the information, including:
  • third parties who work with us to provide student accommodation;
  • third parties who work with us to provide student support services (e.g. counselling);
  • third parties who are contracted to provide out-of-hours IT services for us;
  • internal and external auditors.
• professional and regulatory bodies in relation to the confirmation of qualifications, professional registration and conduct and the accreditation of courses;
• government departments and agencies where we have a statutory obligation to provide information;
• crime prevention or detection agencies
• parents, guardians, and next-of-kin (where there is a legitimate reason for disclosure)

 

Changes to your personal data:

Please tell us promptly about any changes to the information we hold about you. This is particularly important for your contact details. You can do this by sending an email to us at info@europeanwineacademy.org

How long your information is kept:

Subject to any other notices that we may provide to you, we may retain your personal data for a period of five years after your association with us has come to an end. However, some information may be retained indefinitely by us in order to maintain your academic record for archiving purposes.

Your rights:

You have the following rights:

• to require that we cease processing your personal data if the processing is causing you damage or distress;
• to require us not to send you marketing communications.

• to require us to correct the personal data we hold about you if it is incorrect;
• to require us to erase your personal data;
• to require us to restrict our data processing activities (and, where our processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent, without affecting the lawfulness of our processing based on consent before its withdrawal);
• to receive from us the personal data we hold about you which you have provided to us, in a reasonable format specified by you, including for the purpose of you transmitting that personal data to another data controller;
• to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to any of our particular processing activities where you feel this has a disproportionate impact on your rights.

Please note that the above rights are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse requests where exceptions apply.

If you have given your consent and you wish to withdraw it, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the contact details set out below. Please note that where our processing of your personal data relies on your consent and where you then withdraw that consent, we may not be able to provide all or some aspects of our services to you and/or it may affect the provision of those services.

Contact us

If you have any queries about this privacy notice or how we process your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by email: dataprotection@europeanwineacademy.org

To request access to the personal data that we hold about you, you may contact our Data Protection Office by email: dataprotection@europeanwineacademy.org