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Online Course Use Policy

These terms of use (together with the documents referred to in them) tell you the terms of use on which you may access and undertake an online / e-Learning course provided through VIRSEC and available via our website.

Access to the Online / e-Learning Course

Access is granted to a course once the course has been (a) purchased through the VIRSEC website, or (i) affiliate, or (ii) Strategic Partner, or (b) via other agreed means. A course may only be accessed by the person undertaking it, and as per the personal details assigned to that particular access licence. Courses may not be used to provide instruction to anyone other than the registered Learner.

Completion of Online / e-Learning Course

Once a course has been completed successfully, and if within the six (6) month access limit, the Learner will be removed from the LMS. Should a Learner be enrolled onto more than one course, then the completed course will be removed from the Learners cPanel area, as the course is deemed as completed.

Expiry of Course Access

Course access is granted for a period of six (6) months from the date of purchase, not the date first accessed. Should a course remain un-started, or not completed, it will automatically expire after the six (6) month period. Please note that any progress made through that course will be lost.

VIRSEC accept no responsibility to notify you of courses due to expire, and do not take any responsibility for Learners allowing this to happen. Each course has an expiry date on it within the Learner’s cPanel area for added information.

Chargeable Course Access Licence Extension

Should a User allow time the purchased access (six months from date of purchase) to elapse, VIRSEC will allow the User to purchase additional access to their course(s) to complete them rather than have to re-purchase at the full price. The cost of a Course Access Licence Extension is based on the length of time of the extension requested (30 days, 60 days, or 90 days). The following is a guide to allow you to work out what that cost would be as each course price varies.

  • 30 days would be 30% of the listed price
  • 60 days would be 40% of the listed price
  • 90 days would be 50% of the listed price

Course Assessments

Many of the courses incorporate an Assessment, or multiple Assessments. Many of these are required to be undertaken and passed to allow an Official Certification provided through an Awarding Body (such as the UK DfT Maritime & Coastguard Agency).

Courses containing Assessments are to be completed by the Learner directly enrolled on the course. No third-party assistance is to be allowed and these Assessments must be taken under exam conditions. Learners are permitted to use any Course Notes downloaded from the course, or any notes made by the Learner during their course learning.

Learners suspected of allowing a third-party to take their Assessment(s) or cheating in any form will be refused certification until such a time that this issue is addressed, and satisfactory conclusion met by the Chief Assessor at VIRSEC.

Should a Learner be required to retake the Assessment(s), this will then be taken during a Remote Invigilation Session [RIS] (covered below in these Terms & Conditions) without exception. Learners refusing to retake an Assessment(s) under these conditions will be refused certification and removed from the course. The Learner (or Company) will not be entitled to any reimbursement of any funds.

Learner Verification Requirements

On certain courses such as UK DfT, Maritime & Coastguard Agency [MCA] Courses, there is a requirement placed on VIRSEC by the Official Awarding Body for the Learner to provide official, photo Identification in the form of an in-date (a) passport, (b) driving licence, or (c) other form of photo ID.

Learners who do not provide this Identification at the time required (as detailed on the course) may be refused certification depending on the individual situation. Should a Learner fail or refuse to provide this document, VIRSEC will withhold certification, and the Learner will not be entitled to any refund of course fees.

Learners struggling to submit this form of ID via the online platform may submit it via email to: training@virsec.org.

Invigilator Verification Requirements

In certain courses such as UK DfT, Maritime & Coastguard Agency [MCA] Courses, there is a requirement placed on VIRSEC by the Official Awarding Body for the Learner to have an Invigilator provide invigilation during their Course Assessment(s).

The person acting as an Invigilator must meet the requirements as detailed within that particular course, and they must provide official, photo Identification in the form of (a) passport, (b) driving licence, or (c) other form of photo ID.

Learners who do not have their Invigilator provide this Identification at the time required (as detailed on the course) may be refused certification depending on the individual situation. Should a Learner fail or refuse to provide this document (via an Invigilator), VIRSEC will withhold certification, and the Learner will not be entitled to any refund of course fees.

Invigilators struggling to submit this form of ID via the online platform may submit it via email to: training@virsec.org. They must include the name of the person(s) they are invigilating for, and that person(s) email address.

Please Note: Should the Learner not have access to an Invigilator, then they should action the RIS requirement as detailed on the course, or as in the information provided in the following point.

Remote Invigilation Session [RIS]

Learners who do not have access to an Invigilator as described in the course they are taking must request a Remote Invigilation Session [RIS] via VIRSEC. This must be arranged prior to taking the Assessment(s) as a time slot must be provided where available.

Remote Invigilation Sessions are held strictly from 1400 to 1600 hrs BST/GMT (Monday to Thursday). 1000 to 1200 hrs BST/GMT (Friday). The cut-off times for completion by the Learner of an Assessment held during an RIS are strictly 1700 hrs BST/GMT (Monday to Thursday) and 1400 hrs BST/GMT (Friday).

Learners who do not complete their RIS within the timings provided will be required to re-take the assessment on another day or complete the current RIS in agreement with the Invigilator.

Please Note: There are no sessions held during (a) Bank Holidays, or (b) at weekends.

Course Certificates (Electronic)

Upon completion of the course, the Learner may download their completion certificate. These can be found in the certificates tab in their cPanel.

Certain courses such as MCA Approved [STCW ISPS] Courses require a certificate to be awarded by VIRSEC and these are usually emailed to the Learner within 24 to 48 hours of completing the course successfully.

Please Note: Learners completing their course on Friday will usually be awarded their certificate the following working day, excluding Bank Holidays.

Course Certificates (Hard Copy)

Some courses offer the option of receiving a hard-copy certificate (such as UK DfT Maritime & Coastguard Agency courses). There is a standard cost associated with providing a hard-copy certificate of £36 GBP (Inclusive of VAT).

Please note that this is not a mandatory requirement, and any electronic version of the certificate is accepted under the relevant Awarding Body. If you choose to receive a hard-copy, then you have accepted the additional cost associated.

Hard-copy certificates are processed twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) and posted via Royal Mail. Once we have placed them in the care of Royal Mail, we are no longer responsible for them. However, we can provide a tracking number if requested. Hard-copy certificates returned to VIRSEC by Royal Mail that cannot be delivered are destroyed.

Information Provided

VIRSEC make all efforts to ensure that the information provided within our online courses is up-to-date, accurate and within the legal boundaries of any related country. There may be times when regulations change, or specifics are updated, and we are not made aware of these changes. VIRSEC do not accept any responsibility for any of these. VIRSEC does not accept responsibility for any information that is used in an incorrect manner by any party.

Intellectual Property

All content within our courses is the intellectual property (IP) of VIRSEC Ltd. This includes all imagery, text, and *Course Notes downloads (where offered). You are not permitted to save or reproduce the course, in part or in whole, in any format to your device, or any other means of recording or copying. *Course Note Downloads may of course be saved and used for personal reference, revision, or similar requirement.

Should any Learner, Client, Customer, or third party be found to be infringing on our IP, VIRSEC will sue for damages in excess of £1,000,000 GBP per incident, and request full criminal proceedings against the person(s) in question.