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Privacy and Security Policy

To ensure that every effort is taken to respect your privacy, and in order to uphold our responsibilities under Texas Law, we would like to tell you what information about you is collected by this web site and how that information is used.
In order to enable you to make an informed decision about the privacy practices of this web site, no cookies are set on the 'System Entrance' page, any of the 'Login' pages, or this ‘Privacy and Security Policy’ page.

Confidential Appraisal Data

All appraisal data in this system are strictly confidential.   Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation will report only aggregate assessment statistics and will not divulge the source of individual responses to the instructor, Department Head, College Dean, other University officials or external parties.   However, your individual responses could be linked to you personally if subpoenaed by a court of law or law investigatory or enforcement agency as a part of an investigation of illegal activity or violations of University rules.
The results of Early Feedback appraisals will only be used by the instructor for the purpose of making changes to the course, and will not be reported to the College Dean or Department Head.
End-of-Term results will not be reported until after final grades are turned in.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

  • Log Analysis Tools
    We use Log analysis tools to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas.  The following information may be collected for this analysis:
    User Client hostname - The hostname (or IP address if DNS is disabled) of the user/client requesting access.
    HTTP header, "user-agent" - The user-agent information includes the type of browser, its version, and the operating system it's running on.
    HTTP header, "referer" - The referer specifies the page from which the client accessed the current page.
    System date - The date and time of the user/client request.
    Full request - The exact request the user/client made.
    Status - The status code the server returned to the user/client.
    Content length - The content length, in bytes, of the document sent to the user/client.
    Method - The request method used.
    Universal Resource Identifier (URI) - The location of a resource on the server.
    Query string of the URI - Anything after the question mark in a URI.
    Protocol - The transport protocol and version used.

  • Cookies
    A cookie file contains unique information a web site can use to track such things as passwords, lists of pages you've visited, the date when you last looked at a specific page, or to identify your session at a particular web site.  A cookie is often used in commercial sites to identify the items selected for a specific shopping cart application.
    In order to enable you to make an informed decision about the privacy practices of this web site, no cookies are set on the 'System Entrance' page, any of the 'Login' pages, or this ‘Privacy and Security Policy’ page.
    Session Cookies - This web site uses cookies to provide interactive pages, such as web-based forms.  This information is not used for other purposes.

  • Intrusion Detection
    Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this web site are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Texas Penal Code Chapters 33 (Computer Crimes) or 33A (Telecommunications Crimes).
    For site security purposes and to ensure that this web site remains available to all users, Texas A&M University may employ software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.
    Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts will be made to identify individual users or their usage habits.  Raw data logs are used for no other purposes.

Information Collected via Web-Forms or Email

  • Web-Forms
    This web site uses web-based forms.  Personally identifiable information collected from these forms has a specified use (for example, submitting appraisals) and this web site uses this information only for that purpose.  Each web-based form contains a link to this privacy policy at the bottom of the form.
    Please note that all information collected or maintained by this web site is subject to the provisions of the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552, Texas Government Code).  The identity of most members of the public who communicate with state agencies through the Internet is confidential under Texas law.  Exceptions to confidentiality may be reviewed at Texas Government code, Section 552.137.
    An individual who submits information in electronic format through this web site is entitled, on request, to receive and review the information collected about the individual, and to have that information corrected.  To do this, please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation at PICA@tamu.edu.

  • Email
    State agencies may not sell or release the e-mail addresses of most members of the public that have been provided to communicate electronically with a government body without the affirmative consent of the affected member of the public.  Exemptions to this confidentiality may be reviewed at Texas Government Code, Section 552.137.
    Personal information that you provide in an email or submit in a comment will be used only to respond to your request.  We may, however, redirect your e-mail to another government agency or government employee who is in a better position to answer the question.  Each web-based form contains a link to this privacy policy.
    An individual who submits information in electronic format through this web site is entitled, on request, to receive and review the information collected about the individual, and to have that information corrected.  To do this, please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation at PICA@tamu.edu.

  • Network Security for Submitted Information
    We use a secure socket layer (SSL) connection to enhance the security of any information you choose to submit to us on our web site.  In other areas of our web site, we provide only the security necessary to maintain our web site and information we provide to you.

Thank you for using this system.