Acceptable use policy

Acceptable use policy

Introduction

The developments of new technologies offer transformations in the accessibility, communication, and transfer of information. These developments provide accurate opportunity to promote learning activities and interaction with students with the purpose of enhancing their grasp of crucial information. The institution offers access to numerous computerized information resources with reference to the computer systems of the organization. These systems include availability of computer networks, hardware, software, and electronic communications. Students have the opportunity to access electronic mail and other appropriate internet sites during their study to enhance their development. Interaction of the students and the institution with reference to the computer systems and other technologies follow extensively the rules explained below in this acceptable use policy.

Purpose

The purpose of this acceptable use policy is to define guidelines and directives for students, visitors, and staff members in relation to the use of modern technologies in the form of computer systems. Accurate and efficient implementation of this policy would provide the vital security and protection to the students and the institution in the process of enhancing the knowledge of the main stakeholders.

Rules for password management

In order to provide extensive protection to the security systems and confidential information that relates to the students, visitors, and staff, it is advisable to follow the following guidelines as a crucial part of the acceptable use policy.

1. Students, visitors, and staff members should adopt a strong password in order to limit invasion from external or unauthorized sources. A strong password should contain at least eight elements, both lower and upper cases of the alphabetic characters. The password should also contain at least one numerical element.
2. Students, visitors, and staff members should not share their passwords with any other stakeholder within or outside the institution.
3. It is also recommended that students, visitors, and staff members to change their passwords periodically. The advised period for periodical change of the password is approximately three months.
4. Students, staff members, and other relevant visitors should not use automatic login functionality in the process of offering protection to their confidential information.
5. It is also appropriate to adopt unique passwords for different accounts within the technological systems in the institution.
6. It is effective to use passphrase rather than passwords since attackers and other outside threats would find it difficult to break into the system.
7. Students, staff, and visitors should not write down their passwords in unsecure manner that would provide an easy way for the attackers.

Use of the Web

In the process of using the internet within the institution, students, staff members, and visitors would need to follow the following rules:

1. Students, visitors, and staff would only download work related to the institution such as letters and assignments.
2. Students, staff, and visitors are forbidden from providing their contact details online to enhance their protection.
3. Students should not use chat rooms within the school unless under directives from lecturers. Students would also be aware of the implications of meeting individuals they have met through the chat room.
4. Students, staff, and other visitors should not download music, movies, games, and screensavers in order to minimize attack from viruses or computer related worms.
5. Students should be aware of the use of replicas of genuine websites (phishing attacks) to ensure that they are on the right websites for their interaction and learning process.
6. Students, staff, and visitors should not visit sites that contain offensive materials.

Use of school e-mail accounts

When using the school e-mail accounts, students, staff, and visitors would have to follow the guidelines below in order to achieve efficiency in the internet and other technological services.

1. Students, staff, and visitors will adopt e-mail addresses bearing the same account name. This would reflect on the combination of the first initial, middle, and surname to facilitate achievement of unique account.
2. Users should not use the school e-mail accounts to initiate or promote propaganda.
3. Users have the opportunity to satisfy their personal communication needs through the school e-mail accounts.

FERPA and protecting private data

The institution would follow guidelines below to offer protection to the confidential information in relation to students’ records and FERPA (Kovalchick & Dawson, 2004).

1. The institution supports the FERPA proposal of transferring the right to confidential information from the family to the students after joining the institution. This would entail supporting eligibility of the student.
2. The school would provide information in relation to personal records to the student within a period of 45 days upon request.
3. The institution is under no obligation to provide information in relation to the academic calendars, events, course syllabus, and extra-curriculum activities.
4. The institution will only provide academic information that already exists in the form of education record according to the clause of FERPA.
5. Students have the opportunity to request for the amendment of inaccurate information with reference to education record.

Use of “junk drives” to transfer files to and from computers

The institution would apply the following guidelines in the event of transferring information or files from one computer to another.

1. The institution only permits the use of CD’s in the process of downloading and transferring information. This would help eliminate the problem of viruses associated with the modern technology.
2. The institution prohibits connection of personal hardware or software to any of its networking systems. Students are discouraged from carrying such hardware or software into the school compound.

Use of antivirus software as well as signs that a virus may have infected a system

It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that the programs are safe from any viral nature in the computer systems. The institution will hold the users accountable for deliberate installation of a computer virus in the network system. Students are encouraged to report any suspicion of virus.

Rules for opening documents received via e-mail

Students, staff, and visitors would have to scan documents received through e-mail before deciding on downloading the content or attachment. This would enable the system to stay safe from external attacks such as hackers and viruses. Institution would install software that would facilitate scanning of the received files for infection by viruses and other computer worms. The system would automatically block opening of the received files that could harm the networking system of the institution (Baule & Lewis, 2012).

Overview of SPAM and phishing

Students, staff, and visitors would avoid the case of phishing during the learning process by ensuring that they visit genuine websites. The institution would limit access to fake websites in order to ensure that students, staff, and visitors obtain valid and reliable information from accurate sources.

Rules for shutting down systems

1. The school will shut down a system whenever there is realization that the user does not adhere to the rules put forward.
2. The users should ensure that they shut down their computer whenever they are not near them in order to prevent access by a third party.
3. The user will shut down the system whenever it is susceptible of a hack up. This removal of the system from the school ensures that there is localization of the hack up effects while also preventing any further spread.

Rules for installing software on a school computer

1. Only the administrative District Computer personnel have authority of installing any software provided it is safe for the whole school system.
2. In the event of any new program that may prove useful to the District, users will have to fill a request form always contained in the RP common folder to the involved coordinator of technology.
3. The system is set in a way that it will not allow downloading or uploading of software that the School District does not permit or even recognize their source, making the users countercheck their options against the list by the licensed software.
4. The user must get permission from the school administrative whenever there is a need to exchange software with other users to prevent any unnecessary security threats.
5. The users within the school system will have to follow strictly the procedures provided by the school concerning the virus protection for software.

Rules for using school-owned software

1. No software, under the ownership of school, would be loaded across the network to other users unless the school grants permission.
2. The users must not exhibit any efforts showing their intent to pirate copies of the software under the school ownership.
3. The need for adjustment, removal or relocation of any software will require permission from the authorized computer personnel recognized by the District.
4. The purchase of the software is a sole responsibility of the faculties and the school administrators.
5. The system only uses the school-owned software strictly for the courses; otherwise, the students are not to use them for any purpose outside the school provision.

General rules regarding copyrights

1. Users will not be able to load any software that is under the protection of the copyright laws from one network to another unless there is permission from the copyright holder.
2. Users will follow the rules related to copyrighted materials without plagiarizing any information unless there is permission from the copyright owner. Plagiarism refers to the action whereby the user include the work of the third party as if they were his or hers.
3. The school district would have to seek permission from the parents or the guardians before making a step of publishing the work picture or name of the students. This protects the property of the student from publication in the web pages owned by the District.

Recommendation for file and folder names

1. It is not acceptable for the user to access files or folders that do not belong to them making the users’ files be secure
2. The users should set password for any file or folder containing sensitive information to avoid easy access by the third party. This will ensure that the school system beef up security in regard to the files.
3. The users should set unique names for files or folder that contain sensitive names while also avoiding the use of names that give direction to the third party.

Recommendations for file backups

1. Users should consider possessing alternative copies of files containing sensitive information to ensure availability of the information in the event of third party’s interruption. The school normally prefers three copies for the files since the user normally have the alternative of saving in the local hard disk, removable Zip disk or LS120 disk (Agosto, 2011).
2. The school system recommends for all the server administrators to provide strong back up for their servers on night basis.
3. It is recommendable for users to administer a start-up via through log in the ICT Service in order to detect and avoid any security threats.
4. The school also recommends the use of IMAP mail for the users rather than POP mail because the former always have the advantages related to default storage of folders by the server in addition to the automatic back up.
5. There is a need for a CD image for those complex systems that do not contain standard software configuration. The CD images have from the portion of the hard disk drive and are used whenever there is a significant change occurring to the system.

Rules and recommendations for use of social-media sites such as Facebook

The school always views social media as a source of sensitive information that may influence the habits of the students negatively. This has made the school restrict any access to such sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter (Agosto, 2011). The students can only access the site while out of school.

Overview of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

The school adopted policies that relates to safety use of internet because of the sensitivity of the internet to the habit of the minor. These include:

1. The school has adopted a policy to address the inappropriate access to the internet by the minor.
2. The school keeps tracks of the minor’s safety and security in the course of them using the electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications (Barron, 2002).
3. The school keeps track of any unlawful activities or unauthorized access by the minor who can access the internet.
4. The school has put forward policies that address the disclosure of personal information related to the minors, who are online. Further, the school system is responsible for the dissemination of information that may regard the minors.
5. The school has also put policies that limit the minor student from accessing the sites that might possess negative influences on them.

Rules for cyberbullying

The school expects students to follow the follow and accept the rules that relates to network etiquette (Kovalchick & Dawson, 2004). They (students) shall abide to the following rules:

1. The system does not allow students to use the network with the aim of interrupting the use the same by other users.
2. The students should not make known their personal data like addresses, to the other students in the event of preventing cyber bullying.
3. The student should never provide a response to any unnecessary messages that may be inappropriate. Instead, the student should expose to the teachers or the administrator in charge immediately for proper investigation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Barron, A. E. (2002). Technologies for education: A practical guide. Greenwood Village (Co.:         Libraries Unlimited.

Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2011). Teens, libraries, and social networking: What librarians need   to know. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited.

Baule, S. M., & Lewis, J. E. (2012). Social networking for schools. Santa Barbara, California:           Linworth.

Kovalchick, A., & Dawson, K. (2004). Education and technology: An encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.