Terms and conditions for Using Culture Advantage Website
Welcome to our website. If you visit or continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Culture Advantage's relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website. This information is subject to change without notice.
This is the current page for the Course Policies and Terms of Service.
If you are registering for a course, please read the COURSE POLICIES for Continuing Education below.
The term 'Culture Advantage' or 'us' or 'we' refers to the owner of the websites under the domain names CultureAdvantage.org, cultureadvantage.org, culture-advantage.com. The term 'you' refers to the user or viewer of our website. The term 'student' or 'participant' refers to any user who has registered, or has been registered by Culture Advantage to access the courses or lessons at the Elearn Portals, regardless if they a fee for access or if the access is free.
The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:
* The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is not meant for medical or legal advice. It is subject to change without notice.
* Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
* Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
* This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited unless written permission is granted, other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
* All trade marks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website. Please contact us if you find any unacknowledged content so we can correct the information.
* Unauthorized use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offense.
* Any content, materials or information, which may include Personal Information that You upload or post to, or transmit, display, perform or distribute by means of, the Website or through our email server at culture-advantage.com, or cultureadvantage.org whether in connection with Your use of Services or otherwise, become the property of Culture Advantage LC. YOU HEREBY GRANT Culture Advantage A PERPETUAL, FULLY PAID-UP, WORLDWIDE, SUBLICENSABLE, IRREVOCABLE, ASSIGNABLE LICENSE TO COPY, DISTRIBUTE, TRANSMIT, PUBLICLY DISPLAY OR PERFORM, EDIT, TRANSLATE, REFORMAT AND OTHERWISE USE USER CONTENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE OPERATION OF THE WEBSITE, SERVICES OR ANY OTHER SIMILAR OR RELATED BUSINESS, IN ANY MEDIUM NOW EXISTING OR LATER DEVISED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLICITY. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT Culture Advantage MAY PUBLISH OR OTHERWISE DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IN CONNECTION WITH THEIR EXERCISE OF THE LICENSE GRANTED UNDER THIS SECTION. YOU AGREE TO WAIVE, AND HEREBY WAIVE, ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE EXERCISE BY Culture Advantage OF THE RIGHTS GRANTED UNDER THIS SECTION, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY CLAIMS RELATING TO YOUR RIGHTS OF PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLICITY. YOU WILL NOT BE COMPENSATED FOR ANY EXERCISE OF THE LICENSE GRANTED UNDER THIS SECTION. You hereby represent and warrant that You own all rights, title and interest in and to User Content or are otherwise authorized to grant the rights provided Culture Advantage under this section. You further represent and warrant that all User Content fully complies with Culture Advantage's Community Guidelines.
* From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
* Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of Kansas, USA.
Copyright Notice
This website and its content is copyright of Culture Advantage - © Culture Advantage 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved.
Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:
* You may print or download one copy of an article or material authored by Culture Advantage/Marlene Obermeyer only for your personal and non-commercial use only. You do not have permission to print or download any other article or material posted on the website from any other source.
* You may not copy the content and redistribute to third parties without permission.
The course format, including the Mentoring and Coaching process, Curriculum, Lessons, Course layout, Discussions, Forum Posts, Assignments and Exercises, and design of the website and of the elearning portals are copyrighted property of Culture Advantage and may not be reproduced or printed. Only the materials labeled as downloadable pdf files authored by Culture Advantage may be printed or saved by registered students only.
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit, sell, or resell the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.
Course Policies for Continuing Education are located at: http://www.culture-advantage.com/WEBSITE/COURSEPOLICIES.pdf. Please scroll down to the last section to read the information.
REFUND POLICY
Completing the payment processing means that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy. REFUND POLICIES Trial Plan and Weekly Plan: If you have signed up for a Trial Plan, Trial Plan fees are not refundable. The first week fee for the Weekly Payment Plan is not refundable. There is no refund for the specific section of the course that the user has been able to access. Single Course Fees: You may receive a refund if you are unable to access the course within 24 hours of registration. You must notify me within 24 hours if you have problems logging in to the course. If you are able to access the course, there is no refund. There is no refund after 24 hours. Conference Call Fees: You may request a refund up to 24 hours before the conference call. There is no refund for registration cancellations less than 24 hours of the conference call time. There is no refund on or after the conference call. If you are unable to attend, you may choose to take an equivalent course if one is offered, within 3 months of registering for the course. A qualified substitute may attend the scheduled course if approved by Culture Advantage staff in advance, and with payment of a $25.00 fee for processing. Substitution approvals may take up to 24 hours to review so plan early. If Culture Advantage or course instructor cancels the conference call, you may choose an equivalent course to be completed within 3 months of the original course date. PROGRAM PLAN PACKAGE FEES: Course fee may be refunded if you are not able to log in to the Orientation Course or unable to complete the Orientation Course due to technical issues within 24 hours of registration. A $50.00 cancellation charge will be deducted for cancellation request within 24 hours of completion of Orientation provided the lessons were not accessed. If the course was accessed, there is no refund for the lessons that were accessed, even if they were not completed. Refund requests may take up to 48 hours to process. No refunds will be issued after one week of registration. MONTHLY EXTENSION FEE: If you are unable to complete the program within your Program Plan time frame, you may sign up for weekly or monthly extension. Up to one month extension may be granted. Students are responsible for keeping track of their Start Dates and End Dates and for paying the extension fees when due. Course access may be terminated at any time after the End Date has passed if the extension fee is not paid. ACTIVE STATUS: Active Status: A student is submitting assignments, tests, quizzes and other requirements in the last 3-week period. Inactive Status: A student who has not completed one lesson in a 3-week period unless student has been approved for Leave of Absence due to extenuating circumstances. A Leave of Absence may be approved for up to one month with advanced request. ACADEMIC SUSPENSION: You may be placed in Academic Suspension for any of the following conditions: 1. Inactive for over 3 weeks. 2. Inability to complete or pass all course requirements within the Program Plan period. Student must sign up for one month extension to complete the remaining course requirements. 3. Failing grade in at least three assignments or activities. Failing grades and activities must be remediated within the following 30 days. The student may need to sign up for monthly extension as needed. Student may not progress to the next lesson or activity if the activities for the previous lessons are not satisfactory. Failing grades or unsatisfactory assignments may cause a delay in the student's progress and may require signing up for monthly extension. 4. Failure to meet the remediation requirements to improve knowledge and skills. Student must comply with recommendations for improvement which may include referrals for one-on-one coaching, language coaching, formal language assessment, signing up for tutoring, referral to another mentor, and or other program services that may require additional fees or referral to third party service providers. Student's program will be placed on hold until the grades are satisfactory and student would not be able to continue to the next section. The student may need to sign up for extension if needed. If unable to demonstrate improved performance within 30 days, the student may be terminated from the program if past the End Date. TERMINATION An student who is inactive for 4 weeks may be terminated. A student may be terminated from the program for failure to progress after 30 days of remediation. A student may be terminated from the program for declining to participate in required learning activities. A student may be terminated from the program for declining referrals to services deemed to improve their performance in order to complete requirements successfully. A student may be terminated from the program for violating any of our Terms of Service, Program Policies, and other course-specific policies. A student may be terminated for not complying with email, website, and navigation protocols. A student may be terminated from the program for failure to pass the Final Oral Skills Evaluation after 30 days of the End Date. A student may be terminated for non-payment of fees. WITHDRAWAL A student must provide written notice of withdrawal within one week of leaving the program. Students who do not provide written notice will be terminated and no records of their participation will be kept. Students who provide written notice of withdrawal my request a letter to verify their attendance in the program provided they have completed at least Part 1 with satisfactory performance. No verification letter will be issued after one year of withdrawal. Please refer to the Miscellaneous Fees page for verification fees. A student who provides a written notice of withdrawal may reapply to the program with payment of Reinstatement Fee, provided it had not been over 6 months since date of withdrawal. Student must pass retesting or re-evaluation before he/she is allowed to resume the program. The Reinstatement Fee will not be refunded if the student does not pass the retest/re-evaluation. PROGRAM COMPLETION All requirements including assignments, quizzes, and exams must be completed with satisfactory grades in order to progress from one section to the next. All activities from the required sections must be completed and passed with satisfactory grades before taking the Final Oral Skills Evaluation. The Final Exam includes: Comprehensive written exam, oral medical terminology exam, oral consecutive interpreting exam, and Final Oral Skills Evaluation (live simulation) with two mentors. The passing grade is 90% for the written and oral final exams and not more than 4 interpreting or protocol errors for the Final Oral Skills Evaluation. Refer to the Professional Curriculum for details on Program Plans and course expectations. Documentation for the admission requirements must be received before the Final Oral Skills Evaluation can be scheduled. All fees must be paid before the Final Oral Skills Evaluation can be scheduled. Reservation for the Final Exam must be requested 7-10 days in advance. The available days for testing are posted at the scheduling page. It is the student's responsibility to reserve the Final Exam date before their End Date. Limited weekly extensions are available if unable to complete the program within the Program Plan End Date. If unable to pass the Final Exam, and depending on the section that was not passed, referral to private coaching, practice sessions, or online review sessions may be required before the student can retest. Only the section that was not passed will be retested. Remedial services require additional fees. All retesting appointments require additional fees. Cancellation of exam appointments and no-shows require additional fees. All Final Exam retakes must be completed within 30 days of the original Final Exam date. If the student is not able to complete the program, or unable to pass the requirements, or the Final Exam, by the End Date, a letter of attendance (not a certificate) may be issued if requested to verify attendance, and will state that the requirements for graduation were not completed. No verification letter will be issued after one year of the End Date. Please refer to the Miscellaneous Fees page for verification fees. MENTORS: Mentors/Instructors are independent contractors and are not employees of Culture Advantage. Mentors/Instructors may have their own business hours and policies/expectations regarding working with students. Students are expected to communicate with their mentor and follow required and recommended activities to improve their performance. GRIEVANCE NOTICE: Submit any questions, concerns, complaints about the program in writing to the director@cultureadvantage.org within one to two weeks of the issue or concern and while the student is enrolled in the program. If the question relates to a mentor, it is expected that students communicate and resolve the issue with the mentor. If the issue is not resolved, the student and/or mentor may request review by the program director. The director's decision will be final. POLICIES AND CONTENT Course content is not static and therefore subject to change at any time. Students are advised to log in and complete learning activities at the website. Students are required to complete the most current lessons and requirements. Students are subject to changes in policies and content. SUBSTITUTION is allowed. You may allow someone else to take your place in the program if you are unable to complete the program. You must request this service within 2 weeks of registration. The other person will have to apply and meet the requirements before they can take your place. They will have to take the course from the beginning. There is a $50.00 Processing Fee (nonrefundable) for this service. Please let me know if this is an option for you.Please use the Contact Us form to request further information about the use of Culture Advantage website. Thank you.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Course Policies for cultureadvantage.org and culture-advantage.com Websites.
For Continuing Education for Nurses: Please refer to Section 1 and Section 2
For all other users and participants to the Medical Interpreter Programs: Please refer to Section 2.
Please read the terms/conditions/policies before you take our courses. Individual course policies and Special Agreements supersede the General Policies. Please do not use this website if you do not agree with our general Terms and Conditions. If you have registered to take a course or program, you also need to read and agree to our Refund Policy. All Course Policies are subject to change without notice.
Your use of the website indicates agreement with the following:
Section 1:
Information for Nurses taking the courses for continuing education. Courses that are marked for continuing nursing education are pre-approved by the California Board of Nursing. Culture Advantage is an approved Continuing Education Provider 15854 for California Board of Nursing effective September 22, 2011 to September 30, 2015.
For nurses registered in the State of California, you must follow all applicable CA Board of Nursing regulations for receiving continuing education.
For nurses from other states, please refer to your respective state’s Board of Nursing for approval for continuing education received from other states. Additional fees for verification of course completion to your Board of Nursing or any other entity. Request for verification must be received within 2 years of course completion.Section 2:
Applicable to anyone who uses the Culture Advantage websites to access individual courses or programs.
1. Culture Advantage partners with PayPal Subscriptions service for automated course payments, subscriptions, cancellations and renewals. All questions regarding these transactions should be addressed to PayPal. Your membership or registration will be referred to as "Subscription." It is the user's responsibility to log in to their PayPal account to cancel payments or subscriptions.
2. Culture Advantage may create system-generated or system-issued log in names and passwords for registered subscribers. Users may change their passwords at any time. However, Culture Advantage may not be able to provide technical support services if a user does not use a system-generated/issued password. You are solely responsible for maintaining the security of your password. Culture Advantage is not liable for any unauthorized or fraudulent use of the website or services.
3. You are responsible for providing true, accurate, current and complete information during the registration process. You agree to maintain and update the registration information to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. We verify your identity through your registration information and through your PayPal account, or information on your check if you have paid by check. We may ask for additional verification of your identity at any time.
For programs with admission requirements, documentation of requirements will be required before a Certificate of Completion will be issued.
Certificates of Completion or attendance will be made out to the name of the registered student at the time of registration. No changes will be made to the registered name unless a notarized document attesting to the identity of the student is received.
Confirmation of registration will be sent to the email addressed identified in your PayPal Account or from your check. You must request in writing any changes in the email address from the original registration or payment information.
4. We do not guarantee delivery of messages, or access to your account, if any of your account information is invalid or incorrect. Please ensure that your personal information is accurate when you register for a course or program.
5. You may not be able to access your account if you do not verify or confirm your “Subscription” or “Request for Information” by email. It is your responsibility to confirm all such requests for additional verification or additional permission in order to continue receiving access to courses or lessons.
6. Discussion Forums: It is your responsibility to maintain your online privacy by not providing personal information other than your first name or log in name and general location when posting in the forums. Please do not make references to specific people or places/locations that could be identifiable by other participants. Culture Advantage reserves the right to edit/delete specific references in the discussion forums. Only the participant who makes the posts would be responsible for their postings.
7. You may select and use a screen name or log in name that is not your real name, or you may change the screen name assigned to you, provided that you use your real name when registering for participation in the Forums or other interactive areas. Participants in interactive areas shall not misrepresent their identity or their affiliation with any person or entity.
8. Culture Advantage has no obligation to monitor or screen Postings and is not responsible for the content in such Postings or any content linked to or from such Postings. Culture Advantage however reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to monitor Interactive Areas, screen Postings, edit Postings, cause Postings not to be posted, published, uploaded or distributed, and remove Postings, at any time and for any reason or no reason.
9. We reserve the right to change or modify the courses, fees, and course requirements at any time without notice. Always check to see if the course or program has changed since your last visit.
10. All courses and programs are time-limited and must be completed within the time-limit specified in your program plan.
11. Culture Advantage may deny or terminate service upon the failure of the subscriber to pay the charges when due. Such termination or denial will not relieve the subscriber of responsibility for the payment of all accrued charges and any collection fees if applicable. Re-instatements and program extensions may be requested by going to the Payment Page and paying the current fees for those services.
12. You are expected to keep a copy of your course work and/or completed assignments and certificates for your own records. We may assess additional fees for request of review of your completed course work after the End Date of your Program Plan.
13. Upon completion of an independent online course (course that is not part of certificate program of study), your completion certificate may be downloaded or may be emailed to you if not available for download. Printed copies of certificates to be mailed to you may require additional fees.
We may assess additional fees for request of certificates to be emailed to you after one week of course completion.
14. Verification of course completion. Culture Advantage may verify course completion to the third party named in your PayPal Account or named in the payment check received. Verification of course progress or course completion to a third party may only be requested in writing with permission for Culture Advantage to release information to the specified party.
15. We are not obligated to delete your registration information at your request. You may not request to delete your registration information. If you do not agree to our terms and policies, simply refrain from using the website.
16. We reserve the right to delete inactive accounts at any time. Any information regarding your account would no longer be available. In order to continue using the website, users would need to re-register.
17. Courses and lessons are available from the website at any time. However, since availability of the website depends on numerous conditions related to the nature of the Internet, such as connections, bandwidths, servers, etc, we do not warranty the service will be uninterrupted or error free. Under no circumstances shall Culture Advantage, its owners, affiliates, licensees, advertisers, agents or partners be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damage that may result from the use or inability to use the service; or that result from mistakes, errors, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, defects, delays in operation, faulty transmission, or any failure of performance, whether resulting from computer viruses, communications failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access to Culture Advantage records, programs or services, or changes in program availability. We do not warranty the service will be uninterrupted or error free.
18. Links or pointers to other websites and references to products and services offered by third parties are provided to you for your convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement or approval by Culture Advantage of (a) the organizations that operate such websites; (b) the content, privacy policies or other terms of use on such websites; or (c) such third party products and services. Since we have no control or responsibility over websites or content maintained by other organizations, or for products and services offered by third parties, we do not assume any liability for your use of any of the foregoing, which use you agree shall be at your own risk.
19. We may recommend links to other websites that we have found to be of benefit to our users. You are expected to comply with recommended website’s Terms of Service and agree to their terms and policies. We do not assume any liability for your use of any of the foregoing, which use you agree shall be at your own risk.
20. The transmission of data or information (including communications by e-mail) over the internet or other publicly accessible networks is not secure, and is subject to possible loss, interception or alteration while in transit. Accordingly we do not assume any liability for any damage you may experience or costs you may incur as a result of transmissions over the internet or other publicly accessible networks.
21. If you are dissatisfied with the Culture Advantage website or with any terms, conditions, policies, guideline or practices, discontinue using the website. The Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of Kansas.
22. If you have registered for a course or program, review the additional policies under Refund Policy. You may have specific policies and agreements under your Program Plan.
23. Culture Advantage reserves the right not to admit individuals to the courses/programs who do not meet our requirements.
24. Culture Advantage reserves the right to dismiss a student or participant from the program due to violation of policies.
25. Additionally, the user, "you" confirm that you agree to the following:
I do hereby consent and agree that Culture Advantage, its employees, or agents have the right to use any media, written, or audio/video recordings done by me as part of my Culture Advantage training.Culture Advantage can use these recordings in any and all media, now or hereafter known, and exclusively for the purpose of creating online and onsite courses and training.
I do hereby release to Culture Advantage and its agents, and employees all rights to exhibit any of my work publicly or privately, to incorporate the submissions/audio/video recording into derivative works, and to market and sell copies in any form. I waive any rights, claims, or interest I may have in whatever media is used.
26. I understand that there will be no financial or other remuneration for my submissions, either for initial or subsequent transmission or playback.
27. I also understand that Culture Advantage is not responsible for any expense or liability incurred as a result of my participation in online activities or submission of materials, including medical expenses due to any sickness or injury incurred as a result.
28. I represent that I am at least 18 years of age, have read and understand the foregoing statement, and am competent to execute this agreement. I understand that if I am not at least 18 years of age, I will need an adult guardian to enroll me in any Culture Advantage course or program.
29. Other course-specific policies may not be included on this page but may be included in the information related to the specific courses or programs.
Clicking on ADD TO CART and completion of payment processing indicates that you have read and agreed to all of Culture Advantage Terms and Conditions.