Beta Testing Agreement

You (‘licensee’) are being offered a license to participate in a closed beta test (‘test,’ ‘the test’) of The Center for Critical Thinking Community website (‘website,’ ‘the website’), having its web address at www.community.criticalthinking.org. The website offers critical thinking resources such as articles and videos, interactive learning opportunities related to critical thinking, as well as a social media platform to facilitate discussion of critical thinking and how to develop one’s reasoning abilities.

By participating in the test, you will be provided privileged access to the website before it is available to the public. This privileged access entails certain obligations and restrictions which are outlined below, and which you agree to abide by if you choose to participate in the test.

This document outlines the agreement between you and the Foundation for Critical Thinking (‘the FCT’), which is the developer of the website.

1. The term ‘use,’ as it applies to the website, refers to any visitation, access, or utilization of the website or any of its services.
2. The term ‘user’ refers to any individual who visits, accesses, or utilizes the website or any of its services.
3. The term ‘web account’ refers to any subscription-based web account on the website (whether or not the account owner has paid for the subscription), which provides access to resources and features that non-subscribing visitors do not have access to.
4. The term ‘user content’ refers to information, text, graphics, videos, or other digital material that is in any way shared by users with other users (through the website’s social media platform, in book studies, in comments on news articles, etc.)

The version of the website currently being tested is provided as-is, and does not represent the website as it will exist after public launch. We expect that you will encounter instances of features failing to work or working improperly, and you may encounter other issues when using the website. The primary purpose of this beta test is to identify bugs and other problems with the website so we may improve it. You agree not to rely on proper website functioning during this test. The FCT shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with participation in this test.

Please understand that individualized user support will be limited during the test. Our ability to provide support to you as an individual (for example, if you need help understanding how to use a feature, or if you forget your password) will not be as robust as it will be after the website is publicly launched. You agree that the FCT shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with potential insufficiencies (or perceived insufficiencies) in user support provided by the FCT during this test.

While it is possible that data you submit during this test (for example, in public posts, in book- study discussions, and/or in the completion of learning activities) will be carried over to the open-beta and post-launch versions of the website, it is also possible that such data will be removed or lost at any time before said phases of production commence. We advise you to save personal copies of such data that you want preserved beyond the closed-beta testing phase, while we also advise you that there are limitations on your ability to share such data until the website is publicly launched (see ‘Non-Disclosure’ below for details). You agree that the FCT shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with loss of data that you submit during this test.

You agree to abide by our Terms of Use (‘Terms’), except where these terms are contradicted by this agreement, in which cases the conditions of this agreement supersede the Terms. This entails, among other things, that you agree to our Privacy Policy wherever the policy applies and is not contradicted by this agreement. Where the Privacy Policy is contradicted by this agreement, conditions of this agreement supersede the Privacy Policy.

You agree that you are not employed at, contracted by, or an owner (in full or in part) of, a company or other organization that intends to compete with the website using an alternative website or digital application dedicated to learning and discussing critical thinking.

We have not set a specific end date for this test, though we expect the test to last for at least four (4) weeks in duration. Our aim is to continue the test for as long as we believe it is providing us sufficiently useful information toward the end of improving the website and repairing any defects in functionality. As such, we reserve the right to end the test at any time, at which point your access to the website may be withdrawn by us. We will notify you by email when the test had ended.

You agree that you will log into your web account that we will create on your behalf, using the login credentials that we provide, for purposes of exploring the website and utilizing its various features and functions. These features and functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Adding a profile image (which does not have to be an image of you).
2. Reviewing articles, publications, videos, and audio clips in the Libraries.
3. Completing activities in the various Critical Thinking Academy sections (such as the Reading and Writing Alcove, the Wheel of Reason, the Criteria Corner, etc.), saving your completed activities, and sharing completed activities with other users where appropriate.
4. Reading articles listed in the Newsroom, discussing them in the comments section dedicated to each article, and rating them based on their adherence to Intellectual Standards.
5. Forming groups to participate in Book Studies in the ‘Book Studies with members’ section.
6. Reviewing blog postings in the ‘Blog with Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Gerald Nosich’ section, if any are posted during the test.
7. Use the ConneCT section (the social media element of the website) to post thoughts, share content, discuss with others, and so forth.
8. Report user content that violate the Terms of Use. (There is a built-in feature for this, so you will not need to send emails to report user content that violates the Terms of Use.)

You agree to report any bugs, glitches, or other technical dysfunctions encountered during your use of the website. You agree to do this by messaging descriptions of said issues to us via our Contact Us page.

We ask that in addition to reporting bugs, you take time to provide feedback on other shortcomings that you perceive in the website. This may include shortcomings in functionality or design, features that you believe should be added or removed, and any other feedback that you believe would improve the website if it were implemented.

While we understand that you may not be able to explore and use every section and feature of the website during this test, we do ask that you make a genuine effort to experience as much of the website as possible (and therefore to provide the most comprehensive, helpful feedback possible) before the test ends.

You may use this testing license only for the purposes of 1) using the website in accordance with this agreement, and 2) reporting any bugs, errors in functionality, or other instances of what you perceive to be shortcomings in the website (in accordance with the section above, titled, ‘Your Duties Under this Agreement’). You are not to do any of the following:

1. Provide your website password to anyone else.
2. Allow anyone else to use the website while logged in under your web account.
3. Copy or otherwise reproduce any portion of the website’s content, except for original user content that you create for purposes of personal storage under the conditions described in this agreement under ‘Disclaimer.’
4. Reverse-engineer any of the website’s functionality – for example, to reproduce similar code on another digital platform or in another context.
5. Utilize the ‘Job Listings’ section to actually post available positions or seek employment. (However, using said section for experimental/explorational purposes is welcome and encouraged.)

The website in its current form does not represent the website as it will exist when it is publicly launched; therefore, until the website is publicly launched, it is highly important that third parties (including the general public) do not share the privileged access to the website that you will enjoy under this agreement, nor the knowledge what said access entails. As such, you agree not to discuss the features of the website with any third party, nor to go out of your way to show the website (or copies of its content) to any third party while logged in under your account, except 1) the FCT for purposes of improving the website, or 2) other licensed beta testers of the website. Furthermore, you agree not to copy or otherwise reproduce any of the website’s content, except for original user content that you create for purposes of personal storage under the conditions described in this agreement under ‘Disclaimer.’ You also agree not to reverse-engineer any of the website’s functionality – for example, to reproduce similar code on another digital platform or in another context.

If any portion of these Terms is found in any jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable, the remaining Terms shall remain in force within that jurisdiction, and the Terms in their entirety shall remain in force in all jurisdictions where no portion of them has been found illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable.

All legal disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms, or with the website or the FCT, shall be conducted and resolved in the courts of Benton County, Arkansas in the United States of America. The laws of the state of Arkansas govern these Terms and any dispute arising between any website user and the FCT, without regard to conflict-of-law provisions. Users will submit to the jurisdiction of Benton County, Arkansas courts for purposes of conducting and resolving legal disputes.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace this agreement at any time. If we make any revision to this agreement, we will contact you with a copy of the revision and will ask you to agree to it. You are not obligated to agree to any revision of this agreement, but if you choose not to agree to a future revision within the timeframe that we specify upon contacting you with the revision*, your beta-testing license will be terminated at that time. If your license is terminated under these conditions, and you later decide you would like to agree to the revised agreement and regain your testing license, the FCT may choose to reinstate your testing license at its discretion.

*We will always strive to provide a reasonable amount of time for you to agree to revisions of this agreement, if any do occur. However, there may be some instances where changes to the agreement are urgently needed, in which cases shorter windows of time may be provided.