Institutional Policy
Privacy and Records Policy
Community Wellness Foundations Certificate — Older Adult Focus
Effective Date: Upon Institutional Certification
This policy is provided to every student before the program start date and is available in the Student Handbook and on the institutional Learning Management System (Tutor LMS).
1. Purpose
This policy sets out how Seaside Coast College collects, uses, discloses, stores, retains, and provides access to personal information, and how it maintains student and institutional records. The institution is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information in its care.
2. Governing Legislation
The institution collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal information in accordance with the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and maintains student records in accordance with the Private Training Act and the Private Training Regulation. Where this policy and applicable legislation differ, the legislation governs.
3. Scope
This policy applies to personal information and records that the institution collects or maintains about students, applicants, instructors, staff, contractors, and others involved in its activities — including admission and enrolment records, academic and assessment records, attendance and participation records, learning-platform activity, financial and tuition records, communications, and records of complaints, appeals, and dispute resolution.
4. Collection of Personal Information
The institution collects only the personal information reasonably required for admission and enrolment, identity verification, program delivery and academic administration, attendance and assessment, tuition administration, student support, dispute resolution, and compliance with its legal and regulatory obligations. Information collected may include a student’s name, contact details, date of birth, identification information, academic and attendance records, assessment submissions, payment information, and related communications.
5. Use of Personal Information
Personal information is used for the purposes for which it was collected — program and academic administration, instruction, monitoring of academic progress and attendance, assessment and grading, student support, tuition administration, recordkeeping, dispute resolution, and institutional compliance — and is not used for unrelated purposes without consent, except as permitted or required by law.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
The institution does not disclose personal information except with the individual’s consent or as permitted or required by law. In particular, the institution:
- collects and reports student data to the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) as required under the Private Training Act, and discloses information to the registrar or PTIRU as required for regulatory and oversight purposes;
- may disclose information to a third-party service provider (such as a payment processor or the institution’s learning-platform provider) only as needed to deliver the program, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards; and
- may disclose information where necessary to address a risk to health or safety, or where otherwise required by law.
7. Online Platforms and Synchronous Sessions
The program is delivered through synchronous distance education. Tutor LMS is the institution’s learning management system and system of record, hosting learning resources, submissions, grades, and activity logs; Microsoft Teams is used for live instruction and is not the institution’s learning management system. Live sessions may involve video, audio, chat, and screen sharing. Recording, sharing, or distributing instructional sessions, participant information, or institutional materials without the institution’s authorization is prohibited.
8. Protection of Personal Information
The institution stores its records in its Microsoft 365 environment: academic and learning records are maintained in Tutor LMS, the institution’s system of record, and official student files are held in a SharePoint location restricted to authorized personnel. The institution maintains reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure — including access limited to authorized personnel who require it, account authentication (including multi-factor authentication), encryption of data in transit and at rest provided by the Microsoft 365 platform, and secure storage of any physical records. Records are retained for the period set out in Section 9.
9. Records Retention
The institution retains student records for Class A programs securely for at least eight years from the date on which a student completes, is dismissed from, or withdraws from the program. Retained records include the student enrolment contract, admission records, academic and grade records, attendance records, refund calculations and evidence of payment, and records of complaints, grade appeals, and dispute resolution. Records are stored securely for the full retention period and are disposed of securely when the retention period ends, unless a longer period is required by law.
10. Student Access and Correction
A student may request access to the personal information the institution holds about them, and may request correction of information they believe is inaccurate. Requests are made to the Senior Educational Administrator through the institution’s communication channels. The institution may require reasonable information to verify the requester’s identity before releasing personal information, and responds within the time required by PIPA (generally 30 business days).
11. Privacy Questions and Complaints
Questions or complaints about how the institution handles personal information may be directed to the Senior Educational Administrator at lynth@seasidecoastcollege.com. A student who is not satisfied with the institution’s response may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC).
12. Confidentiality Expectations
Students, instructors, staff, contractors, and others participating in institutional activities are expected to keep confidential the student information, assessment records, communications, and personal information they access through institutional systems. Unauthorized sharing, recording, disclosure, or misuse of personal information or institutional records may result in institutional action.
13. Related Policies
This policy operates alongside the institution’s Academic Integrity Policy, Student Conduct Policy, Respectful and Fair Treatment of Students Policy, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and Dispute Resolution Policy, and supports the records and retention provisions referenced throughout the institution’s student policies.
14. Contact and Approval
Seaside Coast College · 3514 Fairmont Road, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2W9
Email: lynth@seasidecoastcollege.com · Website: seasidecoastcollege.com
Approved by: Senior Educational Administrator · Review cycle: Annual