The ECICEL has a set of conditions, which all Members must meet to retain their membership. Since ECICEL has a strong reputation for high-quality teaching, its team of assessors therefore look carefully at members to ensure they are upholding this reputation.
v. 2.7 (Last-Modified: 15 Apr 2020 10.23)
All Approved and Accredited ECICEL Members are therefore required to abide by the following conditions. Please note that these conditions may be changed at any time, without prior notice.
1. Members must actively demonstrate a high level of commitment to providing top quality teaching and instruction.
That commitment should be made clear across all mission statements, corporate objectives, and company goals which the member adopts. Furthermore, their actions must be constantly in line with these values. Members are also responsible for providing all of their staff with long-term, high-quality training to aid in their professional development.
2. Members must be fiscally responsible, and meet all of their obligations to students.
Each member’s financial resources must be adequate to support all enrolled students in seeing their studies through to completion.
3. Members must meet general standards of proper business and employment practices. For example:
3.1. Providing a clear, reasonable, and efficient refund policy, and informing all students of this before their enrollment.
3.2 Refraining from discriminating against any employees or students with regards to gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, and religious or political beliefs.
3.3 Possessing suitable premises and resources to conduct their business.
4. With regards to customer service, all members must:
4.1. Always provide prompt and professional customer service.
4.2. Put a transparent and accessible complaints system in place to deal with issues which students or employees may face.
4.3. Approach and investigate any complaints in a professional, impartial manner, and where these complaints are found to be justified, work to resolve them fully and promptly.
5. All employees must be capable of carrying out their duties adequately, and should possess relevant experience and qualifications for their role.
6. Students must be given an adequate amount of support in their studies. Should members offer courses which are taught by multiple instructors, they should take the necessary steps to provide a consistent level of support for students from all staff involved.
These steps may include the following, along with any others deemed necessary:
6.1 A consistent approach to assessments and marking schemes.
6.2 Training and assistance for teaching staff, as well as other faculty members.
6.3 Regularly scheduled meetings for faculty to discuss courses and other issues.
6.4 Clear information on good practice and problem-solving provided to faculty members.
6.5 Consistent monitoring and reviewing the work of tutors and faculty members. This might include systematic sampling and reviewing their marking and comments on students’ work.
6.6 A system whereby students can provide feedback on their tutors and overall experience of the course.
6.7 Full training for staff on how to provide a high-quality online learning experience.
6.8 All necessary administrative backup for both academic and administrative staff.
6.9 Any other provisions which the provider may deem necessary and appropriate.
7. All students should be provided with adequate resources to aid their learning.
8. Members must, at all times, meet ECICEL terms and conditions for providing distance and online learning.
9. Where Members abide by their own individual quality assurance systems, then these must be fully compatible with ECICEL’s set of standards. Wherever possible, these internal quality controls should be consistently reexamined to ensure that the quality of teaching remains high.
Such internal quality assurance systems might include:
9.1. Carefully selecting only the most suitable tutors and instructors, and choosing the most applicable course materials.
9.2. Conducting regular competence reviews for all staff.
9.3. Ensuring that all marking is completed and returned to students in a timely fashion.
9.4. Encouraging feedback from students on how the course could be further improved.
9.5. Any other procedures which the Member might think necessary or useful.
10. ECICEL validation and recognition cover all courses, training programmes, and other services offered by the Member unless explicitly stated.
11. Courses additionally offered by Members will receive validation from ECICEL, on the condition that they meet the following requirements:
11.1. Syllabus and teaching has been given ECICEL approval via its validation procedures and due diligence requirements, or
11.2. Specifically approved by ECICEL as an individual service.
11.3. Meet the Member’s internal quality control conditions, or
11.4. Previously approved by a third-party regulatory body recognized by ECICEL.
12. Should a Member have already obtained validation or accreditation from another organization that the ECICEL recognizes, then that accreditation can be used to support an application for ECICEL Approved Member or Accredited Member status.
13. Approved Members will be provided with a Certificate of Membership for the full time that they are a member of ECICEL. Members are permitted to use the ECICEL logo on their promotional materials and websites, so long at they remain a Member of ECICEL.
13.1. Approved Members are permitted to use this statement in their publicity materials:
“Approved Member of the European Centre of Independent Certification in E-Learning“.
13.2. Following a period of two years of Approved Member status, the Member will then need to upgrade to full Accredited Membership.
13.3. Approved Membership of ECICEL is not equivalent to accreditation by ECICEL on the Member, and Approved Members are therefore forbidden from claiming that they possess ECICEL accredited status.
14. Accredited Members have the same rights to use of the ECICEL logo as Approved Members.
14.1. Accredited Members may use the following publicity statement:
“Fully-Accredited Member of the European Centre of Independent Certification in E-Learning“.
15. Members are permitted to display their ECICEL membership status and the ECICEL logo on their website and promotional material for satellite campuses, so long as:
15.1. Said campus is not located in a different country to its parent campus.
15.2. Both parent and satellite campus bear the same name and are considered part of the same entity.
5.3. The curriculum and operating procedures of the campus are largely the same as its parent institution.
15.4. Any satellite campuses or branch offices which do not meet the above criteria will need to apply separately for ECICEL membership.
15.5. Representation offices or sales/recruitment agents do not need to meet the above requirements, so long as they do not offer any instruction or training from their location.
16. Institutions, organizations, and business entities affiliated or in partnership with an ECICEL Member for the purposes of marketing, promotion, joint-course delivery, or other business activity, may also display the ECICEL logo and announce the ECICEL membership status of the Member on websites and promotional and publicity materials.
16.1. Unless the affiliate or partner is an ECICEL Member themselves, they must make clear that it is only the Member themselves which possesses ECICEL membership status. It is the Member’s responsibility to uphold this requirement with regards to affiliates and partners.
16.2. The ECICEL’s choice to confer recognized ECICEL status on a satellite campus, branch office, affiliate, or partner is final and binding.
16.3. Unauthorized use of the ECICEL name, brand, and logo may be subject to civil and/or criminal legal proceedings.
17. It is required that all members submit an annual return to ECICEL, in the format requested. As a condition of membership of ECICEL, members must also submit to any unannounced on-site inspections and additional quality-control processes as necessary. These may be carried out by ECICEL itself, or by duly appointed inspectors.
18. Should members wish to make any significant changes to the method in which they deliver their courses, or if their operating circumstances are dramatically changed, then they should inform ECICEL of this as soon as possible.
19. Members are required to refrain from any conduct or activity which may have a negative impact on the reputation of the ECICEL.
20. ECICEL is committed to fully investigating any complaints made by consumers against members. If necessary, ECICEL may act as a third-party in any disputes between consumers and members, to help them come to a mutually beneficial solution to the issue at hand. Please note that this service in non-binding for both parties, and does not affect their statutory rights.
21. Should a member breach this Code of Practice in a considerable manner, or consistently breach it, then they may be subject to disciplinary action on behalf of the ECICEL. This action may include probation, suspension, or withdrawal of membership, along with any other action that the governing board thinks suitable.
22. For the most up to date version of the ECICEL’s Code of Practice, please visit www.ECICEL.org. The version published here may always be considered the current version and is liable to change at any time. All changes will come into effect immediately and supersede any other versions of the Code of Practice published anywhere else.
