Courseware such as TWEN or Sakai lets faculty create class-related Web sites. You can upload course content that you have created, such as syllabi, assignments, photos, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, model solutions to past exams, video segments, and much more. You can also upload journal articles, book chapters, YouTube videos, and many other types of content created by third parties.
While the ability to add such content is exciting and full of pedagogic promise, whenever third party content is used it also raises questions of ownership and the potential for infringement. This guide is designed to address the legal issues involved, and to suggest various non-infringing ways of adding such content to your courseware pages.
Below are frequently-asked questions relating to the use of copyrighted materials in online courseware, including whether the fair use exception to a copyright owner's exclusive rights may apply to a proposed use. The document also suggests various alternative methods of providing students with access to copyrighted materials on course pages without raising infringement concerns.