Terms & Conditions
Updated October 15, 2024
Thank you for working with Flourishing in Ministry!
The Flourishing in Ministry products and services contained on this platform are provided by Biola University ("Biola", "we", or "our"). These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your use of our website, apps, and other products and services ("Services"). As some of our Services may be software that is downloaded to your computer, phone, tablet, or other device, you agree that we may automatically update this software, and that these Terms will apply to such updates. Please read these Terms carefully, and contact us if you have any questions. By using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms, including the policies referenced in these Terms (such as our Privacy Policy).
Using the Flourishing in Ministry platform
Who May Use our Services
You may use our Services only if you can form a binding contract with Biola, and only in compliance with these Terms and all applicable laws. When you create your account on this platform, and subsequently when you use certain features, you must provide us with accurate and complete information, and you agree to update your information to keep it accurate and complete. Any use or access by anyone under the age of 13 is prohibited, and certain courses may have additional requirements and/or restrictions.
Our License to You
Subject to these Terms and our policies (including the Acceptable Use Policy, Honor Code, and course-specific eligibility requirements and other terms), we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to use our Services. Where specified in the course, you may download content from our Services only for your personal, non-commercial use, unless you obtain Biola's written permission to otherwise use the content. You also agree that you will create, access, and/or use only one user account, and you will not share with any third party access to or access information for your account. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you access.
Our Courses
Course Modifications
While we take pride in our courses, unexpected events do occur. Biola reserves the right to cancel, interrupt, or reschedule any course or to modify any course content or the point value or weight of any assignment, quiz, or other assessment. Courses offered are subject to the Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability sections below.
No Academic Credit
Unless otherwise explicitly indicated, participation in or completion of a course does not confer any academic credit from Biola. Biola and the course instructors have no obligation to have a course recognized by any educational institution or accreditation organization.
Disclaimer of Student-University Relationship
Nothing in these Terms or otherwise with respect to your participation in any course: (a) establishes any relationship between you and Biola other than the relationship described herein; (b) enrolls or registers you at Biola, or in any credit course offered by Biola; or (c) entitles you to use the resources of Biola beyond participation in the course.
Your Content
User Content
Certain courses enable you to share your content, such as homework, quizzes, exams, projects, and other assignments you submit, posts you make in the forums, and the like ("User Content"), with Biola, instructors, and/or other users. You retain all intellectual property rights in, and are responsible for, the User Content you share.
How Biola May Use User Content
To the extent that you provide User Content, you grant Biola a fully-transferable, royalty-free, perpetual, sublicensable, non-exclusive, worldwide license to copy, distribute, modify, create derivative works based on, publicly perform, publicly display, and otherwise use the User Content. This license includes granting Biola the right to use User Content with other registered students and on-campus learners independent of the Services. Nothing in these Terms shall restrict other legal rights Biola may have to User Content, for example under other licenses. We reserve the right to remove or modify User Content for any reason, including User Content that we believe violates these Terms.
Feedback
We welcome your suggestions, ideas, comments, and other feedback regarding the Services ("Feedback"). By submitting any Feedback, you grant us the right to use the Feedback without any restriction or any compensation to you. By accepting your Feedback, Biola does not waive any rights to use similar or related Feedback previously known to Biola, developed by its employees or contractors, or obtained from other sources.
Security
We care about the security of our users. While we work to protect the security of your account and related information, Biola cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security measures. Please notify us immediately of any compromise or unauthorized use of your account by emailing [email protected].
Third Party Content
Through the Services, you will have the ability to access and/or use content provided by instructors, other users, and/or other third parties and links to websites and services maintained by third parties. Biola cannot guarantee that such third-party content, in the Services or elsewhere, will be free of material you may find objectionable or otherwise inappropriate or of malware or other contaminants that may harm your computer, mobile device, or any files therein. Biola disclaims any responsibility or liability related to your access or use of such third-party content.
Copyright and Trademark Infringement
Biola respects the intellectual property rights of our users and other third parties and expects our users to do the same when using the Services. In accordance with Title II of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), we have designated an agent to receive notifications of copyright infringement claims. For more information on reporting copyright infringement, please see https://www.biola.edu/copyright.
Education Research
Biola is committed to advancing the science of learning and teaching, and records of your participation in courses may be used for education research. In the interest of this research, you may be exposed to variations in the course content. Research findings will typically be reported at the aggregate level. Your personal identity will not be publicly disclosed in any research findings without your express consent.
Paid Services
Biola offers paid Services (e.g., courses and certificates) for a fee. Unless otherwise stated, all fees are quoted in U.S. Dollars. You are responsible for paying all fees and applicable taxes in a timely manner with a payment mechanism associated with the applicable paid Services. If your payment method fails or your account is past due, we may collect fees using other collection mechanisms. Fees may vary based on your location and other factors, and Biola reserves the right to change any fees at any time at its sole discretion. Any change, update, or modification will be effective immediately upon posting through the relevant Services. Refunds may be available for paid Services as described in our Refund Policy.
Additionally, if you purchase a paid service, you will be automatically subscribed to the Flourishing in Ministry email list. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in any emails you receive.
Modifying and Terminating our Services
We are constantly changing and improving our Services. We may add or remove functions, features, or requirements, and we may suspend or stop a Service altogether. Accordingly, Biola may terminate your use of any Service for any reason. If your use of a paid Service is terminated, a refund may be available under our Refund Policy. None of Biola, its instructors, its contributors, sponsors, and other business partners, and their trustees, officers, employees, contractors, and other agents and representatives (the "Biola Parties") shall have any liability to you for any such action. You can stop using our Services at any time, although we'll be sorry to see you go.
Disclaimers
THE SERVICES AND ALL INCLUDED CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. THE BIOLA PARTIES SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. THE BIOLA PARTIES FURTHER DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY RELATED TO YOUR ACCESS OR USE OF THE SERVICES OR ANY RELATED CONTENT. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ANY ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SERVICES OR SUCH CONTENT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE BIOLA PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM: (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY PARTY OTHER THAN THE APPLICABLE BIOLA PARTY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT; OR (C) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT OR INFORMATION. IN NO EVENT SHALL BIOLA'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATED TO THE SERVICES EXCEED TWENTY U.S. DOLLARS ($20) OR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FEES RECEIVED BY BIOLA FROM YOU FOR THE USE OF PAID SERVICES DURING THE PAST SIX (6) MONTHS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE DISCLAIMERS AND THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH IN THESE TERMS REFLECT A REASONABLE AND FAIR ALLOCATION OF RISK BETWEEN YOU AND THE BIOLA PARTIES, AND THAT THESE LIMITATIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL BASIS TO BIOLA'S ABILITY TO MAKE THE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO YOU ON AN ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE BASIS.
YOU AGREE THAT ANY CAUSE OF ACTION RELATED TO THE SERVICES MUST COMMENCE WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES. OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Biola Parties from any and all claims, demands, losses, costs, liabilities, expenses, and damages, including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, made by any third party related to: (a) your use or attempted use of the Services in violation of these Terms; (b) your violation of any law or rights of any third party; or (c) User Content, including without limitation any claim of infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property or other proprietary rights.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
The Services are managed by Biola, which is located in Los Angeles County, California. You agree that any dispute related to these Terms will be governed by the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflicts of law provisions. You further consent to the personal jurisdiction of and exclusive venue in the federal and state courts located in and serving Los Angeles County, California as the legal forum for any such dispute.
Excluding claims for injunctive or other equitable relief, for claims related to the Services where the total amount sought is less than ten thousand U.S. Dollars ($10,000.00 USD), either you or Biola may elect at any point during the dispute to resolve the claim through binding, non-appearance-based arbitration. The dispute will then be resolved using an established alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") provider, mutually agreed upon by you and Biola. The parties and the selected ADR provider shall not involve any personal appearance by the parties or witnesses, unless otherwise mutually agreed by the parties; rather, the arbitration shall be conducted, at the option of the party seeking relief, online, by telephone, or via written submissions alone. Any judgment rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
General Terms
Revisions to the Terms
We reserve the right to revise the Terms at our sole discretion at any time. Any revisions to the Terms will be effective immediately upon posting by us. For any material changes to the Terms, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of such changes. In all cases, your continued use of the Services after publication of such changes, with or without notification, constitutes your binding acceptance of the revised Terms.
Severability; Waiver
Each provision or term herein is intended to be severable from the others so that if any particular provision or term is or determined to be illegal or invalid for any reason whatsoever, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the legality or validity of the remaining provisions and terms. If you do not comply with these Terms, and we do not take any action, this does not indicate that we relinquish any rights that we may have (such as taking action in the future).
Notice for California Users
Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, California website users are entitled to the following specific consumer rights notice: The Consumer Information Division of the California Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite N-112, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.
Referenced Policies
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Refund Policy
- Honor Code
Effective as of September 5, 2017.
Acceptable Use Policy
Flourishing in Ministry seeks to foster the flourishing of Christian ministry leaders. As part of Biola University, we believe strongly in preserving free speech and expression for our learners as well as academic freedom for our instructors. We also want to make sure that all of our learners and instructors feel safe and comfortable while using our Services. We have drafted these guidelines to ensure that people understand and follow the rules when participating in our online community and otherwise using our Services.
Although we do not routinely screen or monitor content provided by users, we may remove or edit inappropriate content or activity reported to us or suspend, disable, or terminate a user's access to all or part of the Services.
You are prohibited from using our Services to share content that:
- Contains illegal content or promotes illegal activities with the intent to commit such activities. We do not allow content that is inappropriate for persons under 18 years of age.
- Contains credible threats or organizes acts of real-world violence. We don't allow content that creates a genuine risk of physical injury or property damage, credibly threatens people or public safety, or organizes or encourages harm.
- Harasses others. We encourage commentary about people and matters of public interest, but abusive or otherwise inappropriate content directed at private individuals is not allowed.
- Violates intellectual property, privacy, or other rights. Do not share content that you do not have the right to share, claim content that you did not create as your own, or otherwise infringe or misappropriate someone else's intellectual property or other rights. Always attribute materials used or quoted by you to the original copyright owner.
- Spams others. Do not share irrelevant or inappropriate advertising, promotional, or solicitation content.
- Otherwise violates the Terms of Use. Please note that specific courses may have additional rules and requirements.
You also aren't allowed to:
- Do anything that violates local, state, federal or international law or breaches any of your contractual obligations or fiduciary duties.
- Share your password, let anyone access your account, or do anything that might put your account at risk.
- Attempt to access any other user's account.
- Reproduce, transfer, sell, resell, or otherwise misuse any content from our Services, unless specifically authorized to do so.
- Access, tamper with, or use non-public areas of our systems, unless specifically authorized to do so.
- Break or circumvent our authentication or security measures or otherwise test the vulnerability of our systems or networks, unless specifically authorized to do so.
- Try to reverse engineer any portion of our Services.
- Try to interfere with any user, host, or network, for example by sending a virus, overloading, spamming, or mail-bombing.
- Use our Services to distribute malware.
- Impersonate or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
- Encourage or help anyone do any of the things on this list.
Effective as of October 15, 2024.
Flourishing in Ministry Refund Policy
For details on our refund deadlines and policies, please refer to the information below. Please also note that we treat violations of our Terms of Use and Honor Code very seriously, and we have no obligation to offer refunds to learners who are found to be in violation of the Terms of Use or Honor Code, even if their requests are made within the designated refund period. Similarly, we have no obligation to offer late refunds to learners who do not complete or pass a course or certificate.
To order a refund, please send your name, order number, and reason for the refund to [email protected].
For Course and Training Purchases
If you cancel your paid enrollment for a course or certificate, Biola will offer you a complete refund until 14 days after payment, or until you have completed the first lesson, whichever is earlier.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, shorter refund periods may apply to specific courses and certificates. In these cases, the shorter period will be stated as part of the sign-up process for the course or certificate.
For Other Paid Services
Except as described in this Refund Policy or as explicitly stated as part of the sign-up process for a Service, Biola has no obligation to provide refunds or credits for any other Services.
Third Party Marketplaces
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you purchase or subscribe for a course or certificate, or purchase any other paid Service, through a third party marketplace (e.g., in-app purchases through the Apple App Store or purchases made through certain alternative payment services), the refund policy applicable to that third party marketplace will apply, unless otherwise explicitly stated by Biola. Except as otherwise explicitly stated by Biola, the third party marketplace will be solely responsible for making refunds under its refund policy, and Biola will have no refund obligations. Biola disclaims any responsibility or liability related to any third party marketplace's refund policy or the third party's compliance or noncompliance with such policy.
Effective as of October 15, 2024.
Honor Code
All learners participating in a course or training must agree to abide by the following code of conduct:
- I will register for only one account.
- My answers to homework, quizzes, exams, projects, and other assignments will be my own work (except for assignments that explicitly permit collaboration).
- I will not make solutions to homework, quizzes, exams, projects, and other assignments available to anyone else (except to the extent an assignment explicitly permits sharing solutions). This includes both solutions written by me, as well as any solutions provided by the course staff or others.
- I will not engage in any other activities that will dishonestly improve my results or dishonestly improve or hurt the results of others.
Effective as of October 15, 2024.
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