2024 Acceptable Use of IT Services and Equipment Logo

  • About This Agreement

    Villanova College maintains computing and network resources to support effective pedagogy involving technology. These resources include technology on campus, student-owned computers and devices, and College-owned computers that may be taken off campus with permission from the College.

    The College has specific guidelines relating to the use of College-owned computers and student owned computers and devices used at the College. These guidelines serve to inform all users of their rights, responsibilities and obligations when using computer and network resourcesto ensure these resources are used in an ethical, legal and responsible manner.

    This guide and agreement is also an important opportunity for students to stop, think about and review how well you protect your own private, personal information. 

  • Understanding Responsible Use

    Students demonstrate our Gateway Value of Community by acting responsibly, respecting the privacy and rights of others, and upholding the integrity of the resources provided.

    Responsible and respectful use is shown when we:

    • respect software licensing agreements
    • attribute and acknowledge ownership of internet-based sources of information (e.g. images, text and videos)
    • respect the equipment in shared technology spaces
    • show patience and good manners when working with IT services staff and volunteers
    • treat our own and others’ technology equipment carefully and safely.
  • Responsible Use and Communication

    We protect, value and grow our relationships when we:

    • Value and protect everyone's rights to privacy in an increasingly online, connected and digital society
    • Always use kind, helpful, accurate and appropriate language in emails, Teams chat/posts and forum posts
    • Reject posts and messages that offend and harm others
    • Understand that everything we send over any platform is stored, retrievable and never anonymous - even when it is deleted
    • Report offensive and harmful messages to teachers, where appropriate.
  • What is NOT Acceptable?

    The following examples are not exhaustive, but they do demonstrate common examples where one's actions compromise access to safe, secure and age-appropriate resources, are inethical, or worse, illegal. 

    Students may NOT:

    • buy or sell items or services over the Internet (using school email accounts)
    • use chat platforms without the expressed consent and supervision by a teacher
    • access or post inappropriate content, especially content that is illegal, dangerous, obscene or offensive
    • deliberately install computer viruses or other malicious programs
    • attempt to gain unauthorised access to any system by any means
    • use technology resources to attack or compromise systems or networks
    • use "access unblocking tools" such as VPN (Virtual Private Network) services, "hotspotting" from personal devices at school (tethering), and tunnelling
    • intercept emails sent to other persons.
  • Privacy Matters Most

    As you begin a new school year, take a moment to review these guidelines for protecting your own and others privacy.

    Your digital footprint is always growing. Anything you share - pictures, posts, shorts, videos, reactions, replies - aall contribute to the digital, public and social version of you. Family, friends and employers can and do access that material. Once information is on the Internet, it may not be possible to remove it.

    Share wisely. Keep your personal details like street addresses, user accounts and phone numbers private, and respect the privacy of others too. Never assume it is ok to share other people's private information too.

    Beware of scams and unsecure sites!  'Free' online services, apps and services may cost your privacy. Always check for secure site symbols (HTTPS padlocks) before trusting websites at all you visit.

    You don't really know them. Online friends may not be who they seem at all. Chatbots and articifical intelligence is very advanced at taking on personalities and personas. Never agree to meet someone in person that you've only interacted with online.

    Use powerful passphrases. Choose a unique series of words that only makes sense to you, change them often, and avoid easily guessable data. Use multi-factor authentication to fortify your account security, and consider using biometric sign-ins like Windows Hello for even better protection.

    Log out and lock. Remember to log out, especially when using shared computers, to prevent others from accessing your accounts and impersonating you.

  • A Note about Phishing

    Did you know that over 3 billion phishing emails are sent daily. Phishing is the name used for email scams. There's a good chance you'll be contacted by a scammer some time, if you haven't been already. Websites like www.scamwatch.com.au help identify and block scammers, but phishing emails will continue to worm their way into your inbox.

    So how do you spot them? Look for these common red flags.

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  • Take your time and check every email. Hover over links and amail addresses to see exactly "who" the email is from. Look out for fake (but familiar) website addresses.

    When you spot a scam, either delete it or go further and report it. Reporting scam emails is easy in Outlook. Just use the Report > Report phishing button in the top ribbon. It's just next to the Reply and Forward buttons at the top.

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  • My Agreement for 2024

    Having read the above information about responsible and ethical use of technology resources and equipment, it's time to sign your agreement for this year.
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  • Years 9-12: Responsible and Ethical Use of AI

    In most College classrooms the following VOW poster is displayed. This serves as a reminder of what is appropriate regarding ethical, responsible use of AI tools in your academic work. Let's review what VOW stands for.

  • Your VOW of Responsible Use

    V is for Value Integrity
    Don't use AI to cheat, copy and paste text pretending it is your own, or writing beyond your knowledge and skill.

    B is for Being Objective
    AI simply generates text from prompts, it never checks facts. It hallucinates and gets things wrong. Just because generated text looks authoritative doesn't mean it is. Fact check and cross check everything that AI generates.

    W is for Withholding Private Info
    OpenAI and other AI platforms consume massive amounts of data, including your own personal information if entered into a prompt. You have no control of where or how this info will be used in the future. Never enter real names, addresses, or info that identifies you or others.

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  • Finally, take a minute to watch this Google video about Generative AI. It will give you five short, sharp reminders about what AI can and cannot do.

  • Thank you for completing your agreement with a parent or caregiver present.

    To finish, write your name or sign your initials into the signature space below.

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