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Learning objectives for
this lesson:
-
discuss
the use of copyrighted materials and fair use in educational settings
-
analyze Web
accessibility issues in higher education
-
become
familiar with university policies
and support units
The Use of
Copyrighted Materials
When developing your course, it is very
likely that you wish to include some articles, pictures, or video and/or
audio materials in your course. For legal reasons, the Oklahoma State University
(OSU) expects its
faculty to be very vigilant about the use and distribution of copyrighted
materials, even if the materials will only be used in password protected course
management systems such as Blackboard and Desire to Learn. Here are a few
suggestions:
1. If you decide to include texts, graphics, video or
audio materials from books, journals, CDs, or DVDs in your
course, you may need to get copyright permission for these materials.
2. Since the clearance process can be lengthy
and unpredictable, you may need to limit the number of copyrighted materials and develop a
contingency plan for any permissionsthat may not be granted timely or may be denied.
3. When you present or distribute copies of
copyrighted materials, you may need to attach any relevant information of
copyright clearance.
4. You can contact OSU library for copyright
information. The librarians can help you set up course reserves or provide
copyrighted materials to include in your course.
What about fair use?
Generally, materials produced by the government or items that have passed out of copyright
protection are available for use without getting copyright clearance. Some
organizations and individuals may produce copyright-free materials if used for
educational purposes. Even so, please make sure that these materials do not have
restrictions. For example, some materials can be only used in classroom but not
in a Web site or a CD. Some materials can be only used if in a course management
system where the site is protected in
some manner. In any case, factors related to copyright and fair use should be
examined case by case.
There are four general standards for
determination of the fair use exemption:
1. Purpose of use:
Copying and using selected parts of copyrighted works for specific educational
purposes qualifies as fair use, especially if the copies are made spontaneously,
are used temporarily, and are not part of an anthology.
2. Nature of the work: For copying paragraphs from a
copyrighted source, fair use easily applies. For copying a chapter, fair use may
be questionable.
3. Proportion/extent of the material used: Duplicating excerpts
that are short in relation to the entire copyrighted work or segments that do
not reflect the "essence" of the work is usually considered fair use.
4. The effect on marketability: If there will be no reduction
in sales because of copying or distribution, the fair use exemption is likely to
apply. This is the most important of the four tests for fair use (Princeton
University).
Click
here
for more information about copyright and fair use in
educational settings.
Web Accessibility
A 1997
U.S. Census Bureau report indicated that 19.6% of the U.S. population has some
sort of disability such as visual impairments and hearing impairments. The
percentage goes up as the
population gets older. In higher education, many institutions are now facing Web
accessibility issue. French & Valdes (2002) stated that " the sooner we create
and implement sustainable solutions, the sooner ALL students can participate in
their right to experience the power of the Internet for lifelong learning" (p.
13). However, more often than not, those Web site creators of distance-education
programs in higher education do not ignore the Web accessibility issue on
purpose. Instead, they often fail to realize the
importance of the issue (Carnevale, 1999).
If faculty members happen to be the Web site creators of their
courses, they usually do not have the expertise to handle Web accessibility
issues. In this regard, it is important to know
OSU Web Accessibility
policies and gain support from professionals in various units.
OSU Accessibility
Support
If you need
assistance regarding how to make your Web materials accessible, please contact the
following support units.
Stillwater Campus
OSU Assistive Technology
and Accessibility Support
OSU Student Disability
Services
Oklahoma City Campus
Academic Technology Center, (phone) 405-945-3284, (Fax) 405-945-9179.
Technology Education Center
Okmulgee Campus
More Information on Web
Accessibility
Colleges Strive to Give Disabled Students
Access to On-Line Courses
This article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses colleges'
determination to develope accessible on-line courses.
Web Accessibility Design
Suggestions
This page explains how to make your imagines and animations, multimedia,
hypertext links accessible
to students with disability.
References
Carnevale, D. (1999, Octorber 29). Colleges strive to give disabled students
access to online courses.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, from
http://chronicle.com/free/v46/10a06901.htm
French, D., & Valdes, L. (2002). Electronic accessibility: United States and
international perspectives.
Educational Technology Review,
10(1), 1-13, from http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/issue2/French-a.cfm
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