Policies

Please note that while the policies outlined on this page generally apply to all types of courses we offer, there are exceptions. We have clearly indicated where these exceptions apply.

Some of our courses are designed to be fully self-paced, meaning that all course materials are typically accessible immediately. We refer to these as 'Asynchronous fully self-paced courses'. Other courses may involve live components, where learners are expected to engage synchronously with each other or with their instructor. These are referred to as 'Synchronous instructor-led courses.

Terms of purchase

For more information, please refer to our Terms of purchase

Age restrictions

Our courses are not generally aimed at under 18s unless otherwise advertised. If you are under 18, please ensure that you have the consent of your parent(s) or guardian(s) to undertake a Course designed for your age group. You may only apply for Courses on our website if you are over 18 years old whether for yourself or for another person. We cannot accept applications from those aged under 18. In buying a Course you must adhere to the age group that it is advertised for and gain any required consents for you, or the recipient of a gift booking.

Refunds

FOR SYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTOR-LED COURSES ONLY

You are entitled to a refund if:

• you are within 14 days of submitting the booking form and the course has not yet started. During this cancellation window, you have a legal right to change your mind. Contact us to inform us of your desire to break the contract and we will process a refund of course fees within 14 days

• you provide us with written notice of your desire to cancel your booking up to 28 days before the beginning of the course. We will process a refund of course fees as soon as possible. Please note that if your booking was placed on your behalf by someone else, we will require confirmation from the person who placed the order to make any changes

• we cancel the course for any reason (including lack of available teaching staff, insufficient demand that makes the course, in our estimation, not economically viable, we lose the ability to provide services as planned for a period of 4 weeks or more). You will be entitled to a full refund of course fees.

By requesting a refund, you agree to immediately cease use of the Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas).

FOR ASYNCHRONOUS FULLY SELF-PACED COURSES ONLY

For our fully self-Paced Courses, you will get immediate access to the digital course content. This means, however, that you will not have a 14-day withdrawal option. Make sure to contact us in advance of submitting your booking to clarify any queries you might have. Once your booking confirmed, you can start to go through the content at your own pace (until the expiration of your access, as per Course Specification).

Deferrals

FOR SYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTOR-LED COURSES ONLY

We understand that your circumstances and commitments may change and allow you to defer your course enrolment to a later date. If the course you are taking has not yet commenced, please contact us so we can transfer your booking subject to the availability of other courses.

After the published start date of the course, you have until the halfway point of the course to request a deferment to a future run of the same course. A deferral request must be submitted along with a specified reason and explanation. Deferrals may be made only once per enrolment and are subject to availability of other courses scheduled at our discretion. For more information, please refer to our Terms of purchase.

Course access

The length of course access varies depending on the type of course you are taking part in. The access period is detailed within the information sent to you when you enrol. You have access to course content as soon as your course begins.

GDPR/Data Protection and Privacy

Please refer to our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

Any data we hold through the VLE is subject to our Privacy and Data Protection policies.

For data held directly by the VLE, please refer to the Instructure’s Privacy Policy(Opens in a new window) and Acceptable Use Policy(Opens in a new window) for further information.

Participant Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Support

For the purpose of troubleshooting problems within the VLE, our technical support team may need to access your VLE (Canvas) account. We would only do this in the event you contact us requiring help and with your permission. All such access is recorded in the system logs.

Participant commitment

By enrolling in any University of Cambridge Online course, you confirm that you will:

• ensure that the course specification meets your requirements and abilities, including a sufficient proficiency in English (IELTS(Opens in a new window) score of 7 or equivalent is recommended)

• comply with the requirements of the course, as listed in the course specification

• login to the Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) as close as possible to the course start date

• attend course classes and access Canvas regularly

• behave professionally and courteously, including not causing disruption, offence or nuisance to learners or staff. Not uploading any material that is legally or socially unacceptable under the laws and societal norms of the United Kingdom or causing disruption to the course. Examples of unacceptable content include material that is sexist, racist, homophobic, obscene, defamatory, threatening, illegal or destructive

• provide equipment (including computing equipment meeting the minimum requirement listed in the Course Specification and sufficient internet connection to access Canvas) and materials outlined in the Course Information and/or this Site

• not provide Canvas access details to others

• not to adapt, distribute, record, or make available any course materials or use or download any course resources of any other purpose than your personal learning

• keep separate copies of the work or data you upload to Canvas.

We reserve the right to suspend a learner in breach of these commitments from the course

Code of Conduct

By enrolling in a University of Cambridge Online course, you agree that you will:

• exemplify the highest standards of behaviour and performance. Remain accountable for your actions; Foster a culture of openness and transparency, safeguarding any confidentiality you are exposed to and do not seek personal advantage from this information. Respect matters of faith, conscience and diversity in their widest sense

• take personal responsibility for your development; be engaged and actively participate in the course material, constructively participate in any group activities, and strive for excellence at all times

• respect your colleagues on the course. Treat other learners on an equitable basis, without discrimination; act reasonably and justifiably in identifying and resolving conflicts of values, including those of an ethical nature. Support other students in their studies where you are able. This includes respecting the views of others and where you do not agree, disagreeing politely and in the spirit of academic discourse.

• be responsible for the materials that you submit, ensuring the work you submit is only your own unique work, or that of your group. If you draw on the work of others, do so in line with academic guidelines on plagiarism, and ensure you attribute properly. Be accurate when stating facts so that your opinions are genuinely held and that your comments comply with UK law and the law of the country from which they are posted. If you use generative AI to assist you, ensure you are the primary author of your work, that you include a statement of your AI usage and that any generative AI output is accurate and truthful. See CAO’s generative AI usage policy below for more details.

• communicate clearly, effectively and openly with all the people you encounter during the course. Make sure that your contributions and posts do not contain any defamatory statements and ensure that you do not post material that is obscene, offensive, abusive, or hateful, or that promotes violence or unlawful activity.

If you fail to comply then depending upon the seriousness of the infraction, your posts may be removed, your access to the course may be temporarily suspended and/or we reserve the right to remove you from the course without a refund.

Plagiarism and academic misconduct

All participants will refrain from Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct, including the non-exhaustive list below.

• plagiarism - the use of material (including, but not limited to, data, ideas or words) produced by another person, without proper citation

• self-plagiarism - the use of material previously submitted for formal assessment by the participant without proper citation

• fabrication or falsification of data - the use, citation or production of data, documentation or other research elements that are fabricated or known by the participant to be inaccurate. This includes fabrication of, or amendment to, official academic documentation from any institution

• class disruption - the causing of disruption during live sessions, or otherwise on the Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas), to the learning of other course participants or the tutor’s ability to deliver course content

• unacceptable collaboration - the collaboration, with course participants or third-parties, in the production of work or projects without authorisation or acknowledgement

• impersonating or being impersonated - the submissions of assessed material on behalf of another learner, allowing the submission of assessed materials on your behalf or the submission of assessed materials produced by a third party

• illegal activity - the uploading to Canvas or submission of materials that infringe third-party rights.

Engaging in these behaviours may lead to suspension from the course or cancelling our contract with you as per clause 13.3 of Terms of Purchase.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) usage policy

1. AI (as defined below) must be declared and clearly explained in all assessed work submitted to University of Cambridge Online courses.

2. Any use of AI must not breach Cambridge’s plagiarism policy. Work must be your own and not present others’ ideas, data, words or other material without adequate citation and transparent referencing.

3. You are accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of your work, including for any use of AI.

4. No University of Cambridge Online course content should be submitted to generative AI tools without explicit permission from the intellectual property owner.

What is AI and generative AI?

AI is the use of computer systems that have some of the qualities of the human brain, such as the ability to interpret and produce language in a way that seems human, recognise or create images, solve problems and learn from data supplied to them. 

Generative AI is a system which uses these computer systems to produce content such as text or images.  (Adapted from Cambridge dictionary)

AI tools can support and enhance learning, and increase accessibility and inclusivity. However, there are potential risks. These include but are not limited to: 

• providing incorrect or misleading information

• infringing copyrighted materials

• creating offensive content 

• reinforcing biases, for example race and gender

• privacy and data risks. 

What is our position on the use of generative AI?

University of Cambridge Online is committed to preparing you to be a leader in an increasingly AI-enabled world, without compromising our educational or ethical standards. 

You are permitted to make appropriate use of AI tools to support your contributions to discussions, tasks and assessed project work, as well as for general research into the subject areas being studied (subject to the caveat that the output generated can be inaccurate). Any such actions must always be in compliance with our AI policy. However, overreliance on AI tools will reduce your opportunity to develop and apply key knowledge and skills. Such tools should not be used in a way which is detrimental to the intended educational experience. If you are not sure whether this is the case, please discuss it with your tutor before submission. 

You are ultimately responsible for any work you submit. Using any unacknowledged content generated by artificial intelligence in any course activity as though it is your own work constitutes academic misconduct, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment brief. 

How can I use AI appropriately?

You should ensure you check any output for evidence of the potential risks outlined above and ensure you always act in accordance with the AI policy. 

Some examples of appropriate use of AI include but are not limited to: 

• researching a topic in more detail (similarly to how you would use a search engine)

• rephrasing concepts in the course content you are struggling to understand, to explain it in a different way

• generating ideas for a task

• organising or summarising your study notes

• providing feedback on work at the draft stage

• allocating tasks in group projects

• editing and proofreading work. 

If you choose to use AI tools in your work, please also include a statement detailing how it was used. Here are two examples: 

1. “I used AI tools ChatGPT-4 and Perplexity.ai when completing this task on 1 August 2024 to do the following:
   • generate links to further reading resources to gain further insight into the topic
   • proofread my work
   • check I had covered all the main points in sufficient detail, as laid out in the instructions.”

2. “All of the project is my own work - none of the text was written by AI. I acknowledge that Chat GPT did highlight some grammatical errors in my writing and also flagged a section where I needed more detail.”

Further resources 

• The University of Cambridge’s guidance on AI and education(Opens in a new window).

• Our code of conduct (available in the orientation module for your course on Canvas). 
  

Assessment and retake policy

Work submitted may be assessed by your tutors or your peers. All graded work (including discussions, quizzes, and assignments) is considered for your final grade. You may have opportunities to resubmit significant pieces of assigned work, please consult the course specification for further details.

Automatically marked activities, including subject matter quizzes, may be retaken depending on the course requirements. See your specific course for details. If you require further retakes above the quiz’s specific limit, you will need to submit a mitigation request form.

Credentials

On completion of your course, you will be eligible for digital credentials issued by the University of Cambridge. At the start of the course there will be a clear description of what you need to do in terms of participation and completion of assessments in order to be awarded a credential.

Please note that while all Cambridge Advance Online courses provide a digital badge and certificate, other courses we offer only provide participants with a digital badge.

Mitigating circumstances

We understand that unexpected changes in personal circumstances may interrupt your studies. We endeavour to provide extensions to academic deadlines where changes are unexpected and unavoidable. Such events are usually limited to bereavement, illness or illness of dependents, unexpectedly heavy professional demands, or significant changes to personal circumstances.

We do not usually accept normal professional demands, social occasions, religious observance or travel for professional or personal purposes as grounds of extension.

We do not usually consider technical problems (including software and hardware issues) as grounds for extension.

Please inform your tutor as soon as you know that you will require mitigation or extension and complete a Mitigation Request Form as soon as possible (your tutor will be able to supply this).

We may request relevant documentation in support of your application which may include a statement from your employer or a medical letter. These documents must relate to the period for which you are making a claim. These documents will be treated confidentially throughout the mitigation process.

After an extension is granted, you will be expected to meet the new deadline as we do not usually consider subsequent mitigation.

The last point at which you can request mitigation is usually 24 hours before the submission date.

We are committed to ensuring we do not discriminate against participants with disabilities in relation to access to information, teaching or assessment, In accordance with the Equality Act 2010.(Opens in a new window)

Our courses are designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to meet the WCAG 2.2 Guidelines(Opens in a new window) at level AA to ensure wide accessibility. We will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to meet specific requirements. If you have a specific query regarding accessibility requirements, please email us.

Please read our website Accessibility Policy for website specific queries.

Pedagogy

We use an innovative people-first, pedagogically driven approach to create rigorous, relevant learning experiences grounded in Universal Design for Learning. Our mission is to enable people and organisations to achieve impact in their field. We have taken care to consider access, perception, expression and well-being in constructing content and activities for maximum learning benefit that everyone can participate in. We design with a variety of needs and abilities in mind, considering mental as well as physical health and disability in our duty of care to our participants as individuals, and we ensure our course assets and resources are widely representative.

Content

We provide accessible content in our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) including:

• alt text on all images

• transcriptions and subtitles for videos

• accessible versions of animations and instructional graphics

• accessible versions of .pptx files

• left aligned text in marked documents.

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

Our VLE is designed for accessibility and is compatible with screen readers allowing integration with a range of browsers. Navigation and ‘drag and drop’ functionality are accessible to keyboard and screen reader users.

Please refer to the Canvas guide to accessibility standards(Opens in a new window) for full details of browser/screen reader combinations and navigation menus.

Canvas does not require colour perception for navigation and does not convey information by colour alone.

Further VLE accessibility information can be found in the Canvas Accessibility Statement(Opens in a new window).

Contact

We will handle any data on a participant’s disability in confidence and in accordance with our Privacy Notice. If you have any concerns or queries on the points in this policy, please contact uoc.online@cambridge.org

We are committed to encouraging inclusion, equality and diversity. In accordance with the Equality Act 2010(Opens in a new window), we do not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marriage, civil partnership race, ethnicity, national origin, pregnancy or maternity. We take seriously any accusations of bullying, unlawful discrimination or harassment based on categories outlined in the Equality Act 2010. Reports will be investigated and may result in suspension from the course (as per clause 13.3 of the Terms of Purchase). We encourage participants to report any such cases to the Course Operations Team.

Safeguarding

Cambridge is committed to promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. This includes helping to protect them from the possibility of abuse and taking appropriate action when we become aware of concerns relating to their wellbeing. Our safeguarding policy(Opens in a new window) outlines the approach and guidance adopted by us to ensure individuals can enjoy and benefit from their learning and assessment with the minimum risk of a safeguarding issue arising. In matters of safeguarding the safety and welfare of the child or vulnerable person is always the paramount consideration.

We also have a set of detailed FAQs(Opens in a new window) which provide specific advice on how to stay safe within the Virtual Learning Environment and who to contact should you need any help or support during a course.

For more information, please refer to our Terms of use