INDES Policies

Introduction

Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice explains how we collect and handle personal data from users who access this site. For the purposes of this notice, personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable living individual. This notice may change, so please review the posted notice from time to time. 

This notice applies to personal data, not aggregate data or data that does not identify you. This notice does not apply to third-party websites. Please note this site is also subject to the terms of use. The use of certain features of the site requires your registration, establishment of a user identification and acceptance of specific provisions contained in the terms of use.

The Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES) is a website of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The IDB is an international organization established by treaty and is subject to its own policies and procedures, such as the Personal Data Privacy Policy.

Data We Collect About You

The personal data we collect about you may fall into one or more of the following categories:

Information You Provide to Us. Any information that you voluntarily provide to us, such as the information you voluntarily provide to us upon registration, information you share in other manners such as uploading documents (e.g., completing quizzes, exams, and questionnaires), or through chats, forum posts, or messages when you contact us. This may include your name, email address, phone, country, picture, institution, date of birth, among others. Please be aware that some communication exchanges on the site are public (not private) communications and, therefore, any message that you post on the site could be considered and treated as available for public use and distribution. As explained in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use, with the exception of the information a site user provides solely for registration purposes or the name and e-mail, personal data voluntarily provided may be accessed by other site users.

Information We Collect by Automated Means. We obtain certain information by automated means when you visit the site. The information we collect using these technologies may include IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet, browser type and language, and the pages accessed. By collecting this information, we learn how to best tailor the site to our visitors. This information may be obtained through cookies, web beacons, third party analytics (such as website analytics providers), and other tracking technologies (such as marketing partners, third party sites, and social media platforms). To learn more about cookies, click on the All About Cookies page.

Reasons for which we use your personal data

We will use your personal data for the specific reason(s) for which it was provided. We may use your personal data for the following additional reasons, as applicable:

• to allow you to interact and participate in certain features of our site, such as to manage your account, to have your academic registry, to allow you to interact during the course with professors, to send you reminders related to the course and/or to issue certificates or digital badges, and to respond to your inquiries and feedback;
• to provide you with information, products or services you have requested or to communicate with you regarding this site and the learning products included herein when you enable specific settings to authorize us to communicate with you via e-mail or when you contact us through the links provided in this site;
• to operate and improve our site, products and services, including to undertake data analytics to help us understand visitor experience;
• to carry out our obligations, including those arising from any contracts that you have entered into with us;
• to protect and defend our rights and interests; and
• to detect and prevent misuse or abuse of our site, products and services.

We may also use your personal data for other reasons, provided we inform you of those reasons and that we have a legitimate purpose.

Image Usage - Synchronous Sessions

Courses that include synchronous sessions through Zoom integration may be recorded. At the end of each session, the link to the recording is automatically added to the virtual classroom for participants to review.

If you participate in these sessions, your name, image, and audio may be recorded as part of the session.

Recordings will be available exclusively to the course participants for a maximum period of six months from the session date. It is strictly prohibited to download these videos and/or share their links by any means.

Once this period has passed, the recordings will be permanently deleted.

With whom do we share your personal data

We may share the personal data we collect within the IDB Group, and with IDB partners or service providers who perform services to us. These partners and service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the personal data, except as necessary to perform specific services for the IDB. We require our partners and service providers to appropriately safeguard the privacy and security of personal data they process on our behalf. Where appropriate, we enter into data protection agreements with such third parties. We do not sell personal data.

Business Transfers

In the event we decide to assign this site to a thirty party, we may transfer your personal data as part of the transaction. We will use reasonable efforts to assure that your personal data will remain subject to the same types of protection as it was prior to the transfer. However, once your personal data is transferred in such a transaction, it will no longer be subject to this notice, and you will need to review the policies and practices of the party receiving the information to learn about the protection then accorded to the personal data.

How we protect your personal data

We have appropriate technical, operational and organizational safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized processing and accidental loss, damage, or destruction of personal data. These safeguards take into account the sensitivity of the data, as well as the current state of technology. We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data breach and we’ll notify you accordingly when appropriate.

International Data Transfers

When you submit information to us through the site or otherwise, including any personal data such information is processed in the United States and member countries of the IDB. There are cases in which personal data may also be processed in non-member countries, in the context of certain agreements signed by the IDB. The data protection and other privacy laws of these countries may not afford the same level of protection as the laws of certain other countries. By providing personal data to the IDB, whether directly or indirectly through the site or otherwise, you are in acceptance of the transfer of your information in accordance with the measures of protection described in this notice.

How long we keep your personal data

Your personal data will be kept only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this notice and in accordance with the IDB’s applicable records retention periods. The specific length of time will depend on the type of personal data, the reasons for which it is processed, and other obligations under IDB's policies and procedures.

Your rights in relation to your personal data

Our privacy policy gives you certain rights when it comes to your personal data, subject to limitations. For more information about your rights and how to exercise them, please click on the Data Subject Request page.

External links and third parties

This site may contain links to third-party sites or applications. For example, if you enroll in a paid course and provide your credit card information, this transaction is processed by Stripe, not IDB.  Our provision of a link to any of these is for your convenience and does not signify our endorsement of such sites or applications or their contents. We do not control sites, applications, or other services operated by third parties, and we are not responsible for their data protection and privacy practices, so we recommend that you review their privacy policies and practices.

Privileges and Immunities

Nothing contained in the site or in this notice shall operate or be regarded as a waiver, renunciation or modification of any right, privilege or immunity of the IDB pursuant to the Agreement Establishing the Inter-American Development Bank, international conventions or any other applicable laws.

Language

Any version of this notice in a language other than English is provided for convenience and you understand and agree that the English language version will control if there is any conflict.

Contact us

If you have any questions about our privacy practices or the use of your personal data, contact us via email at dataprivacy@iadb.org. If you have general questions you may contact us by completing the INDES-Help Form.

These Terms and Conditions of Use (the “Terms”) are a binding legal agreement between you (“you”) and the Inter-American Development Bank (“IDB”) or “us”) and apply to your use of and access to the IDB’s Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development Website, through BIDAcademy, and associated sites (as they may be modified from time to time, collectively, the “Site”), whether through the Web or a mobile app.  

This Site promotes knowledge and offers learning products related to economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

These Terms explain how you may use the Site and the legal terms that apply to such use.  Additional legal notices and terms may apply to specific services, materials, features and content referenced or made available in the Site.  We recommend that you keep a copy of these Terms for future reference and visit the Site periodically for updates.  

By accessing and using this Site or by clicking “I AGREE” or “I ACCEPT” as part of the process to become a Registered User, as defined below, you agree to abide by and be legally bound to these Terms, as they may be modified by the IDB from time-to-time and posted on this Site.  If you do not agree with these Terms, you do not have permission to use the Site, and must immediately cease permanently all use of and access to the Site. 

The Site is owned, controlled, operated, and administered by the IDB from the United States of America.  The IDB makes no representation that functionalities at the Site are appropriate or available for use in any locations.  Access to the Site from any location where such content or access may be illegal is prohibited. When you access the Site, you are solely responsible for compliance with local laws. 

These Terms contain arbitration provisions that waive your right to a court hearing and jury trial when making claims under these terms.  Arbitration is the mandatory and exclusive process for all disputes arising under these Terms.  Please review Section 16 carefully for more details about arbitration and dispute resolution procedures.

"Web accessibility" refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to websites, by people with disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users have equal access to information and functionality (Salisbury University, n.d.).

The purpose of this page is to provide information about the practices related to accessibility which are followed by INDES, through BIDAcademy, in the development of its online courses with the aim of offering online courses that are accessible to all.

Accessibility good practices in our courses

At INDES we aim to achieve high levels of accessibility, and for this reason, we have begun to implement a set of best practices as part of the development of our courses. We have also embarked in a continuous process of fixing accessibility issues that might remain in our existing courses.

The development of our courses is guided by the WCAG 2.1 criteria. WCAG 2.1 was published in December 2008 by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community of experts working together to develop web accessibility standards. Among other criteria, we focus on implementing the following standards: providing text alternatives for any non-text component (including captions or transcripts for audio and video), ensure adequate color contrast, navigation via keyboard only, adequate for screen reader use, adequate document structure through headings, adequate readability, and input assistance, (WebAIM checklist)

We manage accessibility matters by checking existing content, prioritizing content revision according to accessibility standards and providing direct support to users. Requests for technical support can be made by completing the following form: INDES-HELP.

We use applications from other providers on our platform. Below you will find the link to their accessibility policies: H5P, Stripe, Open Badge Factory, Adobe, Youtube, Genially and Microsoft.

The following document covers the following:

About Academic Integrity
Academic Dishonesty
Procedures to follow when there is suspicion of violation of academic integrity (academic dishonesty)
Disciplinary actions in case of proven academic dishonesty
Appeal Process
Tools for preventing academic dishonesty

Introduction

The Inter-American Development Bank – IADB, as a leader in training professionals on issues related to development in Latin America and the Caribbean, offers courses with high quality standards that satisfy the learning needs of all participants.

To ensure that standards of academic integrity are kept at its highest levels, we invite you to review this policy in order to understand the fundamentals of academic integrity and to be aware of the actions that will be taken when academic dishonesty and plagiarism have been detected.

The following policy describes integrity from an academic perspective and the procedures that will be followed when finding specific evidences of academic dishonesty or plagiarism.

I. About Academic Integrity

IDB defines integrity as a set of values that portray honest, respectful, responsible and assertive actions. It is a desire in our learning environments that the actions from our participants express:

• Honesty: to show knowledge about each and every decision or action taken during any learning activity, acknowledging ideas and words used by others by referencing the proper sources.
• Respect: to foster an environment that promotes honesty and open communication, acknowledging the work of others.
• Responsibility: to make decisions and take actions during all activities, bearing in mind that academic dishonesty and plagiarism are not actions accepted within any of our courses.
• Assertiveness: to act according to the rules, identifying the acceptable criteria for an appropriate relationship between participants and IADB.

The following information describes the policy related to identifying, communication and dealing with academic dishonesty. It includes processes and procedures, and defines the roles both IDB staff and participants will take in such situations.

II. Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is defined as the inability of maintaining academic integrity within a learning environment. It includes but is not limited to the following situations:

• Plagiarism: iIt is comprised of, but not limited to, the following actions, which may or may not be intentional:
  • Copy-and-paste text of any online document without using quotes and properly cite the source;
  • Copy text from any source (in print or digital format) without using quotes and proper citation;
  • Present any work done by someone else as your own;
  • Missing proper citation of sources of information and ideas;
  • Edit slightly texts (change of a few words or order of words) that come from an external source without providing proper citation;
  • Translate text without providing proper citation of actual source;
• Dishonesty: comprised but not limited to the following actions:
  • Offer bribes for the elaboration of tasks, and present them partially or fully as your own;
  • Buy or acquire exam answers and results;
  • Ask for certificates and diplomas assuming someone else’s identity
• Cheating: within an academic context, cheating is defined as an intentional behavior, where the subject seeks out personal benefit that goes against the ethical principles of the educational institution Falsifying documents: in an academic context, the falsification of documents is defined as an act of manipulation of information to fulfill registration and/or obtain diplomas, certificates from the educational institution without successfully complying with defined requirements.

III. Procedures in cases where there is suspicion of academic dishonesty

In INDES, we understand that learning processes are a necessary part of vocational training and life in general. Rather than wanting to implement punitive processes, we focus on using such situations as learning opportunities towards greater authenticity. With this in mind, we will comply to the following procedures listed below when there are any suspicions of academic dishonesty:

1. Reporting the suspicion of academic dishonesty: In case the instructor or tutor in an INDES courses has a suspicion that one or more participants are involved in any action of academic dishonesty, such suspicion must be reported with the appropriate evidence to the Coordinator of the course
2. Inform the participant of the suspicion: The Coordinator will notify the participant(s) within 3 working days of the received report about the suspicion of academic dishonesty. The participant will have an opportunity to present his/her justification within 3 working days following the notification of such suspicion. The participant will remain in the class during the next steps and should continue to be involved in the course as s/he waits for the resolution on his/her case.

IV. Assess the case of academic dishonesty

The coordinator will have 7 days (after the first notification) to process and decide on a given case. The coordinator will solicit documents as evidence to support the case to the tutor. If, after receiving the justification and looking into the provided documentation, the Coordinator determines that there hasn’t been any act of academic dishonesty, the case is immediately closed. If on the other hand, the Coordinator believes that the provided evidence supports the suspicion of academic dishonesty, and that the participant’s justification does not change this outcome, the coordinator will notify the participant within 7 working days (from the date of notification) with the decision of the outcome and the respective disciplinary action (see below).

V. Disciplinary actions in proved cases of academic dishonesty

In cases in which it has been proven that any academic dishonesty action has taken place, one or more of the following measures should be considered:

• Request submission of complete or partial new assignment/activity with specific short time frame. The new submission will be considered within a 100% of the original grade assigned to the activity, or within a reduced range.
• Immediate reduction of the grade for the assignment in question. The amount of the reduction will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the coordinator in consultation with the tutor.
• Grade of zero for the assignment/activity.
• Admonishment only, without any grade change. The assignment will be accepted and graded, and the participant will be cautioned about the seriousness of the incident, with a possible drastic measure of full dismissal in case such a situation reoccurs.
• Dismissal in cases where the situation is repeated. In such cases, the participant will not be allowed to take any future courses from INDES within a specific time frame.

Participants who have been dismissed from a course because of academic dishonesty will be ineligible for any INDES course for a full year starting on the date of the notification of the respective case.

V. Appeals process

In cases where the participant does not agree with the decision made by the coordinator, s/he can start an appeal process within three business days after the final decision. This will be done via email directly to the coordinator, through which the participant should state why his/her work should be re-considered.

VI. Tools to prevent academic dishonesty

With the goal of promoting a culture of academic integrity within all INDES courses, we provide below a list of tools and resources with further information on how to avoid academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

1. How to cite and create references in APA format?

http://bibliotecas.unam.mx/index.php/desarrollo-de-habilidades-informativas/como-hacer-citas-y-referencias-en-formato-apa

References for this document:

• Universidad Nacional Autònoma de Mèxico (s.f.)   ¿Cómo hacer citas y referencias en formato APA?, Recuperado de: http://bibliotecas.unam.mx/index.php/desarrollo-de-habilidades-informativas/como-hacer-citas-y-referencias-en-formato-apa
• Purdue University (w.d.) APA Style Introduction, retrieved from:  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
• Normas APA a Chegg Service (s.f.) ¿Como hacer referencias y bibliografía en normas APA?, recuperado de:http://normasapa.com/como-hacer-referencias-bibliografia-en-normas-apa/

2. Examples of citations in different formats

https://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/styles/

3. How to avoid plagiarism - http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-plagiarism/

Note: To correctly cite different bibliographical resources, there are a variety of formats and standards. The one adopted by INDES is called APA, in its 6th edition. The Internet has various sites with information on how to use the APA style appropriately.

References for this document:

• Medina, M. & Verdejo, A. (2011). Estrategias y recomendaciones para la prevención del plagio en el contexto universitario. Recuperado de http://cea.uprrp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/estrategias_y_recomendaciones_en_prevencion_del_plagio_finalseg.pdf
• National University (2015). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Recuperado de  https://www.nu.edu/studentservices/writingcenter/writingacrossthecurr/preventplagiarism/
• Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal. (2015). Cómo citar con diferentes formatos . Recuperado de http://www.redalyc.org/comocitar.oa?id=27012440002
• Tecnológico de Monterrey (s.f.). Programa de integridad académica. Recuperado de  https://biblioteca.tec.mx/c.php?g=994491&p=7266025
• The University of Sydney (2011). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy. Recuperado de http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/254&RendNum=0
• University of Maryland University College (2015). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Recuperado de  https://www.umgc.edu/administration/policies-and-reporting/policies/academic-affairs/academic-integrity  

• National University (2015). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Recuperado de  https://www.nu.edu/studentservices/writingcenter/writingacrossthecurr/preventplagiarism/
• Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal. (2015). Cómo citar con diferentes formatos . Recuperado de http://www.redalyc.org/comocitar.oa?id=27012440002
• Tecnológico de Monterrey (s.f.). Programa de integridad académica. Recuperado de  https://biblioteca.tec.mx/c.php?g=994491&p=7266025
• The University of Sydney (2011). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy. Recuperado de http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/254&RendNum=0
• University of Maryland University College (2015). Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Recuperado de  https://www.umgc.edu/administration/policies-and-reporting/policies/academic-affairs/academic-integrity

Context

INDES takes our communications seriously following ethical principles and maintaining respect. This Policy provides communication guidelines to all users taking part in any of our capacity building activities. These must be adhered to in the following situations:

1. Posting a message in a class forum (includes written, audio or video).

2. Writing or sharing messages in a group forum.

3. Contacting colleague/s from the course through the communication channels provided by the Virtual Classroom.

4. Communicating with the instructor, teacher or teacher assistant

5. Opening a ticket or sending messages to technical support.

6. Any communication during live sessions associated in any way to the course.

This list does not encompass all situations related to communication.

Communication Guidelines:

1. Think before writing. Avoid words that may be annoying or offensive. What is considered "offensive" can vary widely, remember that different cultures have different customs.

2. Consider that in the activity in which you participate there are always people with different educational and cultural background, age, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, etc

3. Avoid phrases that can/may be offensive from the point of view of religion, gender, race, politics, or sexuality.

4. In writing, it is not possible to give intonation. Often this could lead to misinterpretations. Write as clear and neutral as possible to avoid confusion.

5. Reprimanding attitudes are often unwelcome, especially if they are manifested in public. An observation expressed in a moderate tone is always better accepted.

6. Sarcasm or contempt due spelling or grammatical errors is unethical and inappropriate to express.

7. In synchronous sessions, if you are allowed and can use your microphone, first raise the “virtual hand” and wait to be called upon. It is inappropriate to interrupt a colleague who is speaking.

8. In chat, whether used in synchronous or asynchronous sessions, express your comments politely, with respect to the moderator and/or the presenter, avoiding confrontations of any kind.

9. It is not allowed to send internal messages to others or post messages in forums with any kind of solicitation, marketing or promotion of products of any kind.

We recommend reviewing the Netiquette Rules posted in the virtual classroom to learn how to best write emails and messages in forums.

Actions in case there is any breach of the stated guidelines:

INDES understands that communication is part of the learning processes we are engaged in during our courses. Our first intention is not to implement sanctions. We envision s space where users have meaningful opportunities of respectful expression. That said, here are possible actions that will be taken when the policy guidelines are breached. Decisions about the course of action will depend on each situation and/or the case:

• Deletion of any offensive and/or unethical post (written, audio or video) from the respective forums after notifying the participant in private.
• Mediação de um professor quando surja uma situação de comunicação ofensiva em um fórum de classe, seja em trabalho geral ou colaborativo.
• Muting microphone and/or removal from synchronous sessions when there are affronts or offenses towards others, be them moderators or other participants, either verbally or in writing.
• Removal and/or blocking participation in a chat when disrespectful and/or unethical comments are made.
• In the case of disrespectful private messages directed at the teacher or peer, the following might be considered as an appropriate course of action: in the case of a first offense, the user will be notified with a request of specific steps to be taken according to the situation; in the case of a repeated offense, at the discretion of INDES, the user might be removed from the course.

In any of the situations above, the aggrieved person should notify the teacher or facilitator of the respective course, workshop or event, who will review the case in coordination with INDES.

The communication of the situation can be carried out via:

• opening a ticket in INDES HELP or,
• using the internal messaging channel to contact the teacher of the course.

Copyright ©2024 Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution license CC BY 4.0:(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.en). The terms and conditions indicated in the URL link must be met and the respective recognition must be granted to the IDB.

Any and all disputes arising under this license that cannot be settled amicably shall be resolved in accordance with the following procedure. Pursuant to a notice of mediation communicated by reasonable means by either you or the licensor to the other, the dispute shall be submitted to non-binding mediation conducted in accordance with the WIPO Mediation Rules. Any dispute that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) rules. The use of the IDB name for any purpose other than the respective recognition and the use of the IDB logo are not authorized by this license and require an additional license agreement. Note that the URL link includes terms and conditions that are an integral part of this license. The opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.