digitalimmigrant

I was thinking back to the first online course I designed.  The process of design--although the same essentially--has changed over the years.  I think this is due to experience as well as the nature of students.  The curriculum development aspect of the design is still sound and applicable.  The content and level of the course also drives the design.  One book I have found to be helpful is the Palloff and Pratt text.

The book is good for those beginning the journey of online instruction.  However, I will caution that students -- in general -- will do anything not to have to purchase the textbook.

Which brings me to a common concern and that is one that is related to copyright laws and the availability of material.  Serving as an online mentor, I frequently evaluate courses that other professors design.  We use an extensive rubric that covers key aspects of course design, interaction, materials, development, and related information.  I find that more and more, professors are using textbook publisher web sites that include key elements of the textbook along with tests, handouts, slide shows, and lecture notes.

We receive a development fee for each course developed and faculty are required to sign a contract that states, "the university owns the rights to the course and related materials."  My biggest concerns:

• Who owns the textbook materials that are linked directly to the course site?
• It seems that if a professor develops a course and all materials from nothing, the degree of design is much more in depth than those who set up the course shell and then link each module to a pre-packaged textbook ancillary.
• Should the creatively-maxed professor receive the full development fee while the cookie cutter prof receives the same?  It seems highly unlikely that the degree of effort is the same in these two situations.
• Do textbook companies waive the copyright once a university steps in?  Again, highly unlikely.

There are typically very strict guidelines regarding copyright and plagiarism for students, however, many professors do not feel that they are infringing on copyrights when they follow the practice described above.

It seems that with the increasing number of online degrees and programs available, this is one area that has not yet been fully explored by many universities--leaving them wide open for lawsuits and legal action!

Here are several web sites that I find helpful in terms of using materials for educational purposes:

http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/copyright-internet.htm
http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/how_10212_internet-material-without.html
http://www.copyright.org.au/information/cit005/cit073/wp0262


http://www.copyright.gov/
http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/Copyright
http://www.benedict.com/