Virtual Campus Regulations

The Educational Portal of the Americas is an initiative of the Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), through the Department of Human Development, Education and Employment (DHDEE), which facilitates access to quality digital education.
It leverages information and communication technologies (ICTs) to offer continuing education programs that help citizens across the hemisphere develop skills, deepen their knowledge, and strengthen their civic and democratic values.

In our virtual environments, we promote communication and interaction based on the principles of honesty, equality, respect, and responsibility, fostering a culture of integrity and appreciation for diversity.

To establish guidelines for healthy digital coexistence and the social appropriation of knowledge, the Educational Portal of the Americas has established the following rules for participants in our Virtual Campus:

Participant Responsibilities

Access the virtual classroom under their own name. Under no circumstances will participation by another person or the sharing of access credentials be permitted. Such practices will result in suspension of the educational license.
Commit to their learning process.
Contribute to a safe and trustworthy learning environment by treating others with respect.
Avoid any behavior involving harassment, intimidation, or discrimination.
Follow the course schedule and deadlines.
Log into the virtual classroom regularly to stay informed about course activities such as readings, exercises, assignments, and live sessions.
Submit all learning activities, assignments, and forum contributions on time and in the required format. Failure to do so may result in not passing the course.
Note that all deadlines correspond to Eastern Standard Time (EST), UTC-5.
Use the communication channels available in the virtual classroom to exchange knowledge with peers.
Notify the tutor in writing—through the classroom messaging system—if any special circumstances prevent continued participation in the course. In addition, send an email to portal@oas.org explaining the situation. This message must be sent from the same email address used for course registration.
Download the course diploma after meeting the certification criteria, which may vary by course.

Responsibilities Regarding Course Evaluations

All assignments submitted as part of the course must be original and the participant’s own intellectual property. All sources consulted must be properly cited, including when using artificial intelligence tools, following the latest edition of the APA Guidelines.
If a participant uses someone else’s work or commits plagiarism, their educational license may be revoked, and the Educational Portal of the Americas may deny enrollment in future courses.
The final assignment must follow the tutor’s instructions. If the activity is designed as a group project and the participant is unable to participate in this format, they must explain the situation to the tutor, who has the discretion to approve or deny an individual submission.
Participants must log into the virtual classroom at least twice per week.
Some live (synchronous) sessions may count toward the final grade. Attendance points will be recorded only if the participant joins within the first 10 minutes of the session. After this time, attendance and participation will not be registered.
Do not share or reproduce information exchanged in forums, nor attribute comments made by other participants in public, physical, or digital settings.
Follow Netiquette principles in all classroom communications.

Tutor Responsibilities

Provide ongoing support and guidance to each participant throughout the course, through orientation, design, and evaluation of learning activities; encourage constructive interaction within the virtual classroom; and provide techno-pedagogical assistance as needed.
Send periodic messages that encourage participation in the classroom.
Provide timely feedback and clarifications on individual and group assignments.
Offer asynchronous or synchronous spaces for individual or group feedback.
Notify participants if they are at risk of failing the course (for example, after two consecutive weeks without participation, or if submitted work does not meet requirements).
Inform the Pedagogical Coordination team of the Educational Portal of the Americas of any continued absenteeism or lack of participation.
At the end of the course, inform each participant in writing of their final academic result.

Responsibilities of the Pedagogical Coordination Team

Monitor the development of academic activities to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the educational service.
Continuously update and improve the course by incorporating enhancements to its content, format, or methodology.
Respond promptly to participants’ inquiries related to pedagogical or administrative processes in the virtual classrooms.

Educational withdrawal policies

No refunds will be issued in cases of withdrawal or failure. If a course does not reach the minimum number of participants to be offered, the participant’s spot will be reserved for the next edition of the same course, or they may choose another course from the Educational Portal of the Americas catalog.
The educational license will be revoked if the participant does not complete academic activities or communicate with the tutor for two consecutive weeks.
If, due to special circumstances (e.g., health-related reasons), a participant cannot continue their course, they must promptly inform both the tutor and the Portal’s coordination team. These teams will evaluate the situation and inform the participant whether their enrollment can be deferred to a future edition. If approved, no academic progress will be retained, and the participant must complete all activities again.
The Educational Portal of the Americas reserves the right to charge a difference in course fees when a participant is transferred to a later edition. The Portal may also transfer the participant to a similar course if the originally enrolled course is not offered again.
It is the participant’s responsibility to send an email to portal@oas.org to request a course reservation, using the same email address registered in the Portal.
The maximum response time for these requests is 15 business days, starting from the day after receipt.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

The information contained in participant and tutor profiles—such as email addresses and personal data—is for exclusive use in the educational activities of the Educational Portal of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS). Sharing this information with third parties or using it for purposes other than academic activities is strictly prohibited.
The ideas, statements, and opinions expressed in the course content do not necessarily reflect those of the OAS or its Member States. Responsibility for such content lies solely with the authors. Some course materials may include references or links to external websites for supplementary information; the OAS is not responsible for the content of such external sites.
The OAS retains all copyright and intellectual property rights over the course content, instructional design, and the virtual classroom platform.
Reproduction, distribution, or modification of OAS-authored course materials is permitted only for educational purposes and must comply with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Reproduction, in whole or in part, of comments posted in communication spaces (forums, chats) or of content submitted as part of course activities is prohibited without the express authorization of the authors.
“OAS-authored content” includes all information, graphics, audio and video files, photographs, data processing materials, and any other type of content created by the Educational Portal of the Americas.
Use of such content is expressly limited to educational purposes within the course.
Participants may store materials on personal computers solely for learning, study, research, or reference purposes, with proper citation of the source.
It is strictly prohibited to store or use content for commercial purposes or to share it with other individuals, media, or institutions.
The reproduction or mass distribution of content requires explicit written authorization from the OAS.

Contact us

If you have any questions or need assistance with our training programs or services, please don’t hesitate to contact us at portal@oas.org. We will respond within approximately 8 business days.