This Privacy Policy explains how Ascension Education Inc. ("Blended Teaching", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you use our platform at https://blended-teaching.com. Please read it carefully. If you have questions, contact us at privacy@blended-teaching.com.

1. Who We Are and Who This Policy Covers

Blended Teaching is an interactive digital textbook platform for higher education Finance and Real Estate courses, operated by Ascension Education Inc., a Delaware corporation with a principal place of business at 3423 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305.

This Privacy Policy applies to two types of users:

• Student Users: Students aged 18 or older who register for and use the platform through their university's learning management system (LMS), such as Canvas or Blackboard.
• Instructor Users: Faculty, professors, and other educational professionals who register for and use the platform to create and deliver course content.

By creating an account and using our Services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Students and Instructors are also subject to their respective Terms of Service, which incorporate this Policy by reference.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect, or may have collected about customers, prospects, website users, and through the use of our products and services, generally falls into the following categories:‍

2.1. Information You Provide Directly

We collect information you provide when you create an account or use the Services, including:

• Account registration data: name, email address, institution, and password.
• Profile information: academic role, course information, and institutional affiliation.
• Content you upload or submit: for Instructors, this includes course materials, videos, quiz questions, documents, and other educational content; for Students, this includes quiz responses and any content submitted through the platform.
• Communications: any messages, support requests, or feedback you send to us.

2.2. Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Services, we automatically collect:

• Usage and interaction data: pages visited, features used, quiz attempts, video watch time, and navigation patterns.
• Device and technical data: browser type, operating system, IP address, and device identifiers.
• Log data: timestamps, referring URLs, and session data.
• Cookies and similar technologies: as described in Section 8 below.

2.3. Information from Third Parties

If you register using an Integrated Service such as an LMS (e.g., Canvas or Blackboard), we may receive account information from that service, consistent with its own privacy policy and your settings.

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1. To Provide and Improve the Services

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account and provide access to the platform.
• Deliver educational content, videos, and interactive features.
• Process quiz responses and display performance data.
• Facilitate integration with learning management systems.
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries.
• Ensure the security and integrity of the platform.

3.2. AI Training Use

IMPORTANT: We use de-identified and aggregated data from your interactions with the platform to train and improve the artificial intelligence models that power Blended Teaching features. This section explains exactly how.

Blended Teaching uses artificial intelligence to power features including adaptive quizzing, content recommendations, and platform improvements. To improve these AI models, we use de-identified and aggregated data derived from user interactions with the platform ("AI Training Use").

Specifically, AI Training Use may include de-identified versions of:

• Quiz response patterns and performance data.
• Navigation and engagement behavior on the platform.
• Text inputs submitted through educational activities.
• Aggregated usage statistics derived from user sessions.

For Instructors specifically, AI Training Use may also include de-identified versions of:

• Uploaded course materials and educational content (excluding identifiable third-party copyrighted material, as described in Section 3.3).
• Course structure and design choices.
• Interaction patterns with instructor-specific features.

De-identification: Before any data is used for AI Training Use, it is de-identified in accordance with the standards set out under FERPA and applicable privacy law. This means all direct and indirect identifiers are removed so that the data cannot reasonably be used to re-identify any individual.

No third-party model training: Your data is not shared with AI Providers (such as OpenAI or Anthropic) for the purpose of training their general, publicly available AI models. Our agreements with AI Providers explicitly prohibit this. Your data may be transmitted to AI Providers solely to deliver AI-powered features to you in real time.

Consent: By creating an account and using the Services, you provide your explicit consent to AI Training Use of your de-identified data.

Opt-out: You may opt out of AI Training Use at any time. Opting out will not affect your ability to access or use the Services.

• Students: contact us at help@blended-teaching.com.
• Instructors: contact us at help@blended-teaching.com.

For material changes to how we use your data for AI Training Use, we will provide you with at least 30 days’ prior notice via email and will require your affirmative re-consent where required by applicable law.

3.3. Instructor-Uploaded Content and Copyright

When Instructors upload content to the platform, including course materials, documents, or other materials that may incorporate third-party copyrighted works, the following applies:

• Instructors represent and warrant that they have the necessary rights, licenses, or permissions to upload and use such content on the platform.
• Blended Teaching will not use identifiable third-party copyrighted material (such as textbook excerpts uploaded by Instructors) to train AI models.
• Instructors grant Blended Teaching a license to host, display, and deliver such content to students within the platform, as described in the Instructor Terms of Service.
• We recommend that Instructors review their institutional policies and applicable copyright law before uploading third-party materials.

3.4. FERPA Compliance

Blended Teaching recognizes that User Data may include personally identifiable information from education records subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA"). We operate as a "School Official" with a "legitimate educational interest" as defined under FERPA.

In this capacity, we:

• Use student education record data only for the purpose of providing the Services, improving the educational experience delivered by the platform (including through AI Training Use of de-identified data), and as otherwise described in this Policy.
• Do not sell student personally identifiable information to third parties.
• Do not use student personally identifiable information for targeted advertising or for any commercial purpose unrelated to the educational Services.
• Do not disclose student personally identifiable information to unauthorized third parties without consent or a lawful FERPA exception.
• Maintain appropriate technical and organizational safeguards for student education records.

Students retain their rights under FERPA, including the right to access, review, and request amendment of their education records. To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@blended-teaching.com.

3.5. AI Inference Use

In addition to AI Training Use described in Section 3.2, the Services include AI-powered features that allow instructors to query student performance data in real time — for example, asking which questions students found most difficult in a recent quiz ("AI Inference Use"). AI Inference Use is legally and technically distinct from AI Training Use and is governed by this section.

How it works: When an instructor submits a query through an AI Analytics Feature, Blended Teaching's systems first compute an aggregated, de-identified response from student data internally. Only that aggregated output — not any individual student record — is passed to an AI Provider to generate a readable response. This architecture ensures that student personally identifiable information is never transmitted to AI Providers as part of real-time instructor queries.

FERPA and School Official basis: Instructors access AI Inference Use features in their capacity as School Officials with a legitimate educational interest under FERPA. Blended Teaching operates as a School Official in facilitating this access. Individual student PII is not surfaced to instructors through AI Inference Use in an identifiable form.

No additional consent required. Because AI Inference Use relies solely on aggregated, de-identified data and does not transmit PII to AI Providers, it does not require separate student consent beyond the consent provided under Section 3.2. Students may contact us at help@blended-teaching.com with any questions about how their data is used in AI Analytics Features.

4. AI Providers and Third-Party Subprocessors

4.1. AI Providers

The Services are powered in part by third-party AI providers. We have entered into data processing agreements with these providers that include:

• A prohibition on using your data to train their general, publicly available AI models.
• Requirements to maintain appropriate data security measures.
• Limits on data use to delivery of the Services only.

Our current AI Providers include:

• OpenAI (operator of the GPT API) — Data Processing Agreement in place. Privacy policy: https://openai.com/privacy
• Anthropic (operator of the Claude API) — Data Processing Agreement in place. Privacy policy: https://www.anthropic.com/privacy

We will update this list when we add or change AI Providers. Material changes will be notified in accordance with Section 10.

4.2. Other Third-Party Service Providers

We may share your information with other third-party service providers who assist us in operating the platform, including:

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers.
• Learning management system integrations (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard).
• Analytics and performance monitoring tools.
• Customer support and communication platforms.

All such providers are required by contract to: (a) process your data only on our instructions; (b) maintain appropriate security measures; and (c) not use your data for their own purposes.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With AI Providers and service providers as described in Section 4, under appropriate data processing agreements.
• With your educational institution, where required to facilitate access to or use of the Services.
• To comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of Blended Teaching, our users, or others.
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify affected users and ensure the acquiring entity is bound by this Privacy Policy.
• With your consent, for purposes not described in this Policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Services and as required by applicable law. Specifically:

• Account data is retained for the duration of your account and for a reasonable period after account closure to comply with legal obligations.
• Student education records subject to FERPA will be deleted or returned upon written request, subject to any legal retention requirements.
• De-identified and aggregated data used for AI Training Use may be retained indefinitely, as it contains no information that can identify any individual.
• Instructor-uploaded content will be retained for the duration of the instructor’s account and for a period thereafter as described in the Instructor Terms of Service.

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at privacy@blended-teaching.com. We will respond within 30 days and will delete or anonymize your data, except where retention is required by law.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1. Rights Under FERPA

If you are a student, you have the right to:

• Inspect and review your education records maintained by us.
• Request amendment of education records you believe are inaccurate or misleading.
• Control disclosure of personally identifiable information from your education records, with limited exceptions.

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@blended-teaching.com.

7.2. Opt-Out of AI Training Use

Both Students and Instructors may opt out of AI Training Use at any time. Opting out means your interaction data will not be included in future AI model training runs. It does not affect data already incorporated into de-identified, aggregated datasets prior to your opt-out request, as that data is no longer linked to you individually.

To opt out:

• Students: contact us at help@blended-teaching.com.
• Instructors: contact us at help@blended-teaching.com.

7.3. California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell.
• Request deletion of your personal information.
• Opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information).
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise CCPA rights, contact us at help@blended-teaching.com.

7.4. Access, Correction, and Deletion

All users may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their personal information by contacting us at help@blended-teaching.com. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the platform. These include:

• Strictly necessary cookies: Required for the platform to function, including authentication and session management.
• Performance and analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the platform so we can improve it.
• Functional cookies: Remember your preferences and settings.

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the platform. We do not use cookies for targeted advertising.

9. Data Security

We employ commercially reasonable security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest.
• Access controls and authentication requirements.
• Regular security assessments and monitoring.
• Vendor security requirements for all third-party processors.

In the event of a security breach that may compromise your personal information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law, and in any event within the timeframe required by applicable regulation.

No data transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we use commercially reasonable measures, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. For routine changes, we will update the Effective Date and notify you via a notice on our website.

For material changes — including any changes to how we use your data for AI Training Use, any new categories of data collected, or any new AI Providers — we will:

• Provide at least 30 days’ prior notice via email to your registered email address.
• Post a prominent notice on our website and within your account dashboard.
• Where required by applicable law, obtain your affirmative re-consent before the change takes effect.

Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy, to the extent permitted by law.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us:

• General privacy inquiries and student requests: help@blended-teaching.com
• Instructor AI Training Use opt-out: help@blended-teaching.com
• Postal address: Blended Teaching, Attn: Privacy, 3423 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.