Bibliotheca Alexandrina E-Learning Services Policy

E-Learning Mission Statement

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina aims to be a center of excellence in the production and dissemination of knowledge and to be a place of dialogue, learning and understanding between cultures and peoples. From this point, the E-Learning Services Unit announces this new platform: Moodle. The platform provides a wide range of features that include content delivery and collaboration between tutors and learners, such as content creation or upload up-to-date E-Materials, discussion forums, assignments and quizzes, monitoring of users’ online activity, and much more.

What is E-Learning?

E-learning includes classes that utilize a Learning (course) Management System (LMS) to assist with instruction or present classes fully online. E-Learning also supports the integration of technology in the learning environment, online use of the Internet as a resource in the classroom, E-mail, compressed/stream video, and other instructional technologies.

Goals of E-Learning

  • To allow an alternative education delivery system for greater access by our students;
  • To provide flexibility of time and location;
  • To promote the use of technology in the learning environment;
  • To boost globalization of education through electronic access to information.

    • Purpose

    The purpose of BibAlex E-Learning Services Policy is to specify user responsibilities and to promote the appropriate use of the BibAlex E-Learning platform by users, and administrators.

    E-Learning Course Polices and Guideline

    1.Component Course Sites

    Online courses allow students to take courses on the Internet providing greater flexibility and convenience. Students can access the course from a computer with an Internet connection 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) from home, work, or library facility. Course design must meet the current Bibliotheca Alexandrina standards (E-Learning unit will apply the design) and content must clearly demonstrate instructional benefits. Providing handouts, links to resources, practice assessments, video or combination of three or more instructional components.

    Courses Policy

  • Enrollment in any courses is available either free-of-charge or paid, depending on the course.
  • Courses enrollment is for a limited period, which is mentioned for each course.
  • Each course includes several topics, depending on the course itself.
  • Topics content in each course may vary in index, subjects, assignments, quizzes, links, and more.
  • Surveys are included in the courses and topics for BibAlex E-Learning Services researching and improvement processes.
  • Duration of any course is mentioned with the course itself.
  • Forums in any course are available for any enrolled user.

    • 2.CoursesGuidelines

  • Instructors should post the course syllabus on the course site, and include any additional rules/policies statements.
  • Instructors should advise students to visit the course site once a day, to view new announcements related to the course.
  • Concerning course assignments sent by E-mails or CDs, students are responsible to ensure that these E-mails are virus free.
  • Any unawareness of these course guidelines will lead to penalties, each according to the situation.

    • 3.E-mail Policies

  • Each course should set its own E-mail policy regarding sending reports, questions or assignments.
  • Instructors should set E-mail policies in order to minimize workload; also instructors should announce that he/she will not respond to E-mails about test dates, how grades will be determined, or any other information already posted as general course information on the course site or course policy.
  • E-mail policy should be published within the course syllabus.
  • Instructors availability to post announcements on the course site to respond to several E-mails on the same topics.
  • Instructor should establish an E-mail response deadline so that patrons will know when they can expect to receive E-mails.
  • Instructors have the authority to set the appropriate time to receive/send E-mails, for example, within 24 hours of the time patrons send, or within five working days.

    • 4.Discussion Policy

    E-Learning Unit may have a specific discussion policy

  • Guidelines governing patron participation in chats and forums. Also the degree of librarian participation.
  • Setting a specific time for instructor to participate.
  • Patrons are expected to focus on the given discussion as assigned. The introduction of irrelevant subjects will not be permitted.
  • All patrons have the right to express their own opinions in discussions.

    • 5.Software Standards Policies

  • Patrons should agree on using software types to open files, assignments or courses.
  • Software types required should be announced on the course site.

    • 6.Assignment Policies

  • Instructors should establish guidelines about how patrons will submit assignments: via course site.
  • All assignment due dates to midnight. Late assignment will not be accepted.
  • In order not to abuse the assignment policy by claiming technical difficulties when they do not exist. Instructor should state that patrons should have regular access to a reliable computer with Internet access connection to enroll in the course.

    • 7.Feedback Policies

  • In seeking to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning, various criteria may be adopted. These include, for example, appropriateness, inclusiveness, effectiveness and efficiency. The purposes and criteria will in turn play a key role in identifying the particular evaluation questions to be addressed.
  • Instructor should post, in the course syllabus policy, guidelines on the type of feedback that the patrons can expect.
  • Establish procedures for how patrons can discuss graded work, either personally or to be available online, in a specific time to discuss these grades.

    • Student Support Services

    User Responsibilities

    Users of Bibliotheca Alexandrina E-Learning Services must agree:

    1. Not to use BibAlex E-Learning platform for anything else other than for the purpose of learning, and research. However, incidental personal use, for example via the E-learning Services forums, is acceptable.
    2. Not to use BibAlex E-Learning Services for personal, commercial or marketing use.
    3. Be responsible for moderating discussion forums which may be created.
    4. No disruptive, offensive, or abusive behaviors while contributing with BibAlex E-Learning platform.
    5. Must not violate, plagiarize, or infringe the rights of third parties including copyright, trademark, trade secrets, privacy, and publicity, personal or proprietary rights.

    By agreeing to the Policy of Bibliotheca Alexandrina E-Learning Services, you are giving your permission to BibAlex E-Learning Services to process your personal data via E-Learning Unit for the purpose of learning and research. The BibAlex E-Learning platform is hosted on a secure server with dedicated administrators.

    Required Personal Information

    BibAlex E-Learning platform collects the following personal details so that patrons are able to use, interact, or obtain benefits from BibAlex:

  • User Name
  • E-mail address (Personal/Business)
  • Location
  • Enrolled courses.

    • Personal information might be collected randomly from BibAlex E-Learning platform user, for improvement and researching purposes, such as surveys.

    Registration

  • All users must register to use BibAlex E-Learning Services platform.
  • All registered users must agree to the policy of using BibAlex E-Learning Services. This policy covers the entire period that the user is a member of BibAlex E-Learning Services platform.

    • Student Privacy

    In order to protect patron privacy:

  • Restrict access to the course site
  • Restrict access to student information “whether participating in such a course; patrons discussion with the instructor”
  • Any activities, such as posting photographs or any personal information are not required (in blogs or any type of social networks related to the online courses)
  • All personalreferences, such as age, gender, should not be published online.
  • Any student information or assignment or comments or electronic discussion that the Instructor wants to publish online (Instructor should inform the patron, his intention and obtain the patron permission).

    • Interaction with Students and Office Hours

    Communication between students and this new platform is vital for student success in online learning. Specific requirements for frequent use of E-mail, chat or discussion boards are in course materials. We will announce specific feedback timeframes in each course syllabus.


    It is highly recommended that E-Learning unit team check and respond to E-mail and discussion postings daily,Sunday through Thursday for online courses.

    Observance of Major Holidays/Due Dates

    While online courses are generally instructed in an “asynchronous” method and students are provided a certain amount of time/days to complete and turn in assigned activities, general observance of major holidays must be observed. Due dates should not be set for any major holiday, and student activity load needs to take into account all major and official holidays.