Terms of Use — DBU Ministry Sandbox

Agreement to Terms

By creating an account and using Ministry Sandbox (the "Platform"), you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Ministry Sandbox is provided by Shepherd Training, operating as a research-grade simulation platform for seminary formation programs.

Pilot Program Status

Ministry Sandbox is currently offered as a pilot program in partnership with select seminaries. By participating, you understand:

✓ The Platform is in active development and may change
✓ AI-generated content is used to assist grading
✓ Faculty review and confirmation is required before grades are final
✓ Features and services may be added, removed, or modified

Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Platform only for its intended purpose: completing seminary coursework and ministry formation training assigned by your institution.

You agree not to:

✓ Share your account credentials with others
✓ Submit work that is not your own
✓ Attempt to circumvent security measures or access controls
✓ Use automated tools to interact with the Platform
✓ Reverse engineer or attempt to extract training data
✓ Use the Platform in any way that violates applicable laws

Academic Integrity

All work you submit must be your own original response. While the scenarios involve simulated conversations with AI characters, your submissions must reflect your own ministry reasoning, theological understanding, and ministry practice.

Your institution's academic integrity policies apply to all work completed on this Platform. Violations may result in suspension from the Platform and referral to your seminary's academic integrity process.

AI-Assisted Grading

The Platform uses AI (currently Google Gemini) to assist faculty in grading your submissions. The AI proposes a rubric score and written feedback based on the competencies and standards authored by your seminary.

Important: AI proposals are not final grades

Only faculty-confirmed scores count toward your grade. An AI-proposed score remains marked "awaiting faculty review" until a faculty member has reviewed and approved (or adjusted) it.

You have the right to request human review of any AI-proposed or faculty-confirmed score. Contact your instructor in writing within 14 days of receiving the grade. Every grading decision is recorded in an audit log.

Intellectual Property

Your submissions: You retain ownership of the text you write in response to scenarios. By submitting, you grant us a license to use your submissions for the purpose of providing the Platform services (grading, feedback, faculty review) and improving the Platform.

Platform content: The scenarios, rubrics, modules, and other content on the Platform are owned by Shepherd Training or licensed from your seminary. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from this content without permission.

Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided "as is" during the pilot program. We make no warranties about the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of AI-generated feedback or proposed grades.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Shepherd Training and Ministry Sandbox are not liable for:

✓ Errors or omissions in AI-generated feedback
✓ Service interruptions or data loss
✓ Indirect, consequential, or punitive damages

Your seminary faculty remain responsible for final grade decisions and academic evaluation.

Privacy & Data Use

Your use of the Platform is governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your data. Please review it carefully.

Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform if you violate these Terms of Use or if your seminary requests it.

Your seminary may discontinue use of the Platform at any time. In the event of termination, we will retain your data according to our retention policy (see Privacy Policy) to allow faculty to finalize grades and maintain institutional records.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where your seminary is located, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes will be resolved through your seminary's institutional processes before any external legal action.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a notice on the Platform. Your continued use after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact Us

For questions about these Terms of Use, contact [email protected] .