This page contains general terms of use for the service ELN@RWTH with the education instance.

Preamble

The "ELN@RWTH" service is a web-based electronic laboratory notebook system that facilitates the recording and processing of data by researchers in a GRP (Good Research Practice)-compliant manner. In teaching, the service is used to learn such documentation of research activities. The service is operated as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for RWTH Aachen University and supported by the IT Center.

Use of the "ELN@RWTH" service

All members of RWTH Aachen University are authorized to use the "ELN@RWTH" service to support teaching with the instance "education.eln.rwth-aachen.de" ("education instance").

By logging into the service, users accept the terms of use set out here. If a user wishes to view the terms of use, the current terms are published in our documentation portal (IT Center Help), as well as in the electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) itself.

In the event of a breach of these terms of use, we reserve the right to block individual user accounts, as well as the early deletion of data entered in the ELN.

Costs

Use of the "ELN@RWTH" service is free of charge.

Data storage and deletion

Type of data stored

The data stored in the ELN include, among other things, measurement data, interview data, documentation, and metadata collected in the context of a course. This includes certain personal data, such as the name and contact details of a student or instructor. These are used solely for conducting the course and for the associated assessment of the performance of the respective students.

The processing, storage, or archiving of sensitive data (cf. Art. 9 GDPR) in the ELN is expressly prohibited. Teaching in the context of the ELN@RWTH service must be carried out in strict compliance with didactic quality standards and the requirements of Good Research Practice.

The storage of data with unlawful or criminal content is expressly prohibited in the ELN (see also Early deletion of data).

Deletion and archiving of data

The team remains in place for at least one year after the end of the course. Deletion of the entire team, i.e., its users and all entries, takes place no later than 3 years after the end of the course. This deletion is carried out by Deltablot, the service provider. In addition, personal data of users can be anonymized upon request via the SysAdmins.

Staging teams may be setup as well. These may be in place longer than the three-year period and are only deleted with the express permission of the team admins.

For entries that serve as evidence of performance, instructors must observe the archiving procedures of RWTH Aachen. If no other technical solutions are available, all entries must be provided with a timestamp in the ELN at the end of the course. Subsequently, all entries of the respective students must be exported in ELN archive format (.eln) and archived as part of the examination record in accordance with RWTH guidelines. The account of the respective student is then archived in the ELN along with their entries and locked. This deactivates the account, and the entries are only accessible and editable for team admins. With this process, a write-protected version of the entry including a timestamp is stored, while visibility in the ELN by instructors is ensured.

Technical aspects are explained on the respective IT Center Help pages.

Early deletion of data

In the event of reports of legal infringements by third parties or breaches by users themselves (including when users report violations by team owners or team admins) with regard to content posted by the user and/or significant breaches of these terms of use by the user, RWTH Aachen is entitled to block access to the respective data with immediate effect without consulting the user or to delete such data. In the case of legal infringements reported by third parties, RWTH Aachen will give the user the opportunity, before data are deleted, to submit a counterstatement within a reasonable period in order to substantively dispute the alleged infringement. However, which measures RWTH Aachen ultimately takes in the case of legal infringements reported by third parties is at RWTH Aachen’s reasonable discretion.

Data protection

The collection, use, and processing of personal data take place in compliance with the relevant data protection provisions. In particular, no personal data are disclosed to third parties without authorization. Personal data are used for teaching purposes and to ensure traceability of students’ performance, as well as for the technical operation of the service.

Liability

RWTH Aachen is liable without limitation in cases of intent or gross negligence, and for injury to life, body, or health. In the event of a slightly negligent breach of a duty that is essential for achieving the purpose of the contract (cardinal duty), RWTH Aachen’s liability is limited in amount to the damage that is foreseeable and typical for the type of transaction in question. Any further liability of RWTH Aachen is excluded. The above limitation of liability also applies to the personal liability of RWTH employees, representatives, and bodies.

Rights and obligations of the user

Users are solely responsible for the data posted in the "ELN@RWTH" service, their quality and accuracy, as well as for respecting third-party rights. In doing so, they must also ensure compliance with the above Type of data stored.

Team admins

Team admins constitute a separate group of users. They manage their local team. A team can be, for example, a practical course group. There may be several admins. At least one admin serves as the contact person for the central system administrators at the IT Center.

Access credentials

Users are obliged to treat their access credentials confidentially and protect them from access by third parties. In the event of possible misuse of access credentials, the local administrator must be informed immediately. Users are responsible for the consequences of misuse of their access credentials.