Course Development

Part VIII: Copyright

It's highly important to be aware of copyright restrictions that exist on the use of non-original content in your course. In general, the Fair Use dictates apply. Fair Use states that materials or portions of materials may be used in courses (and posted online in Blackboard) for a limited time without permission. But these materials must be new or previously "unused," meaning that it is fine to use materials once without seeking proper permission, but you must seek permission for any subsequent use.

Additionally, there are often situations where Fair Use cannot be claimed. The following site are good resources for finding out more about copyright as it relates to course materials:

• Health Science Library's Information on Copyright
• UNC's Copyright and Acceptable Use on the University Network - A Primer
• University Committee on Copyright -- The comprehensive resource for copyright information at UNC
• Know Your Copy Rights -- A matrix that displays types of works that can be used in your teaching without permission or fee. [PDF document, also we have the full brochure available from which the grid was extracted.]

Part IX: Creating Multiple Choice Tests >>