1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is handled when you visit AIAugmentedEducation.com, create or use a project account, contact the project team, participate in approved research activities, or use AI-supported learning functions provided through the platform.

The platform supports the research project titled “AI-Augmented Pre- and In-Service Teacher Education for Inclusive Sexuality Education”. Project coordination is led by Professor Anthony Brown, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa (UNISA). Digital platform development and technical administration are supported by Dynamic Potential Global.

2. Privacy roles and accountability

Under POPIA, the organisation or person that determines why and how personal information is processed is the 'Responsible Party'. A service provider that processes personal information on the Responsible Party's instructions may act as an 'Operator'.

3. What information may be collected

Account information: name, email address, institution/site, role (for example pre-service or in-service educator), and authentication information required to create and secure an account.
Research information: responses to approved questionnaires, pre/post/follow-up measures, reflective activities, interview or focus-group material where applicable, and other data described in the ethics-approved participant information sheet.
AI interaction information: prompts, responses, feedback and interaction metadata only where the approved research protocol and consent process permit their collection. Identifiable learner or third-party information must not be entered into the AI system.
Technical information: login events, IP address, device/browser information, security logs, error logs and essential session-cookie information reasonably required to operate and secure the platform.
Communications: messages sent to the research, policy/privacy or support addresses.
Special personal information: the project concerns sensitive sexuality-education topics. The platform will not ask participants to disclose personal sexual orientation, health, religious or other special personal information unless an ethics-approved instrument specifically requires it and the participant has been appropriately informed.

4. Why information is processed

to create and secure participant accounts and control access to project resources;
to deliver the AI-augmented teacher-education intervention and related learning activities;
to collect and analyse research data for the approved study;
to assess changes in AI literacy, confidence, inclusive-pedagogy outcomes, technology acceptance and related approved research measures;
to provide technical and research support;
to protect the platform, investigate misuse and maintain audit/security logs;
to produce research findings, publications, reports or educational resources using anonymised or appropriately de-identified data in accordance with ethics approval and participant consent.

5. Research participation and consent

Registering for a platform account is not the same as consenting to participate in research. Research participation is voluntary and is governed by a separate participant information sheet and informed-consent process approved through the relevant research-ethics procedures.

Where consent is the applicable basis for processing, it must be voluntary, specific and informed. A participant may decline research participation without being charged or penalised. Withdrawal and data-removal options are subject to the approved research protocol and may become limited once data have been irreversibly anonymised or incorporated into aggregate analysis.

6. AI-supported processing

The platform may provide access to an AI assistant or other AI-supported educational functions. AI systems can generate inaccurate, incomplete or biased content. Outputs must be critically evaluated and do not replace educator judgement, institutional policy, professional advice or approved curriculum requirements.

Only data necessary for the approved function should be sent to an AI provider. Identifiable learner, colleague or other third-party information must not be entered. Before AI integration goes live, the final version of this policy should identify the approved provider(s), the categories of data transmitted, applicable retention/training settings and any cross-border transfer safeguards.

7. Cookies and technical logs

The platform may use essential cookies required for secure login, session management, fraud/security protection and basic functionality. Non-essential analytics, advertising or marketing cookies are not assumed in this draft and should not be enabled unless separately reviewed and, where required, consented to.

8. Who information may be shared with

authorised members of the research team who need access for approved research functions;
approved technical service providers acting under appropriate confidentiality, security and data-processing obligations;
approved AI/API providers only to the minimum extent necessary for the relevant AI-supported function;
research partners or institutions where the ethics approval, permissions and participant information permit this;
regulators, courts or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

9. Cross-border processing

The study has a multi-country scope including South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini. Where personal information is transferred across borders, the project team must ensure that the transfer is permitted by applicable privacy law, ethics approval, institutional agreements and any required safeguards. Country-specific addenda may be added where necessary.

10. Security safeguards

Reasonable technical and organisational safeguards are intended to include encrypted transmission (SSL/TLS), access controls, role-based permissions, secure authentication, backup and recovery arrangements, controlled administrative access, logging and incident-response procedures. No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and participants should also protect their own passwords and devices.

11. Retention, anonymisation and deletion

Personal information should be retained only for as long as required for the approved research, legal, audit and institutional purposes. Identifiable data should be separated from research content where feasible, with pseudonymisation or anonymisation used according to the protocol. Data that have been irreversibly anonymised may no longer be linked back to an individual and therefore may not be retrievable for deletion.

12. Your privacy rights

Subject to applicable law and the research context, you may request access to personal information held about you, correction of inaccurate information, deletion where legally and ethically permissible, restriction or objection to certain processing, and information about how your data are used. Research-specific requests may be subject to the approved protocol and the point at which data have been anonymised.

13. Children and third-party information

This draft assumes that registered research participants are adults. Users must not upload or enter identifiable learner information, especially information about children, into free-text AI prompts, reflections or support channels unless the specific research protocol expressly authorises that collection and all required consent/permission safeguards are in place.

14. Security incidents

If you suspect unauthorised access, loss or disclosure of information connected to the platform, contact policy@AIAugmentedEducation.com or Support@AIAugmentedEducation.com as soon as possible. The project team will follow applicable incident-assessment, notification and institutional reporting requirements.

15. Complaints and contact

Privacy or data-use questions can be sent to policy@AIAugmentedEducation.com. Research-participation questions can be sent to research@AIAugmentedEducation.com. Project-level enquiries may also be directed to Professor Anthony Brown at browna@unisa.ac.za. South African data subjects may also have the right to complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za).

16. Changes to this policy

Material changes that affect research participants should be reviewed against the ethics approval and, where required, approved before implementation. If a change alters what research data are collected or how they are used, additional participant information or renewed consent may be necessary.

Privacy Policy