How can faculty encourage copyright awareness in the classroom?
Answer
This information is for faculty at RDP.
Faculty can encourage copyright awareness among their students by:
1. Talking about copyright, plagiarism and intellectual property in your classes.
2. Including copyright information on your course syllabus.
Use or adapt this sample paragraph on your syllabus:
Print and electronic materials are protected by copyright legislation. It is your responsibility to become aware of the legal uses of copyright-protected materials and to ensure that your use of these materials complies with copyright obligations. Information can be found on the RDP Copyright Guide.
3. Encouraging and expecting copyright-friendly standards for student work.
Copyright-friendly assignments will:
- cite all print and graphical/multimedia items (e.g. using APA, MLA, or Chicago)
- show copyright holders' information on multimedia objects = ©
- leave sufficient time for permission-seeking
- include attached permission documentation
- use alternatives to copyright-protected multimedia:
- create original images/sounds/videos
- instead of "borrowing" information from a website, provide a link
- use copyright-friendly multimedia (see the "Presenting & Creating" tab on any Library Subject Guide for ideas)
- remember to read the fine print before using any material
4. Reminding students that, although fair dealing or educational exceptions may grant the right to reproduce without permission, they do not grant the right to adapt or modify materials, nor to change the format of materials.
