Course Management Systems and Copyright
This document from Copyright Clearance Center explains copyright guidelines and Best Practices for Copyright Compliance.
This video from the Copyright Clearance Center explains copyright issues to keep in mind when sharing information in courses.
| Question | Accepted | Not Accepted |
| What is the best way to post articles to the web? | Use Canvas to organize your course materials and make them available to your students. | Do not post copyrighted materials on a website that can be viewed by anyone. |
| Who can I give access to? | Legally, you can only provide access to copyrighted materials to students who are registered for a course. Instructional staff (teaching assistants or guest lecturers) who have a direct affiliation with the course can also have access. | Do not allow individuals who are not part of the class to have access to copyrighted materials. Do not extend the right to access more than the academic term. |
| What type of materials can I post to Canvas? | Works posted to Canvas must be related to an instructional activity. The best way to demonstrate this is to place the course materials within course modules that relate to the topic. | Do not provide access to copyrighted materials if they do not fit within the scope of the learning outcomes of the course. |
| Do I need to cite copyrighted materials when posting in Canvas? | Provide attribution for both the original creator and the copyright holder (these may be different) when using the work of others. | It is not safe to assume that just because you can't find a copyright holder does not mean you do not need to cite it. |
| Should I post the link to the article? | Yes, whenever you can, it is best to post the link to the article. | Be care not to post a link that has been posted illegally by someone else. |
| How much am I allowed to post? | You should try to limit your use to one article per journal issue and/or one chapter of a particular book. There are limitations to the overall number of articles or book chapters you can use. | Do not scan or otherwise reproduce multiple book chapters or an entire journal in order for students to avoid paying for these resources. |
| What is the best way to post resources to Canvas? | It is best to embed or link the resource you want students to access. You can do that by using the "embed code" links where provided. | Do not directly upload resources you have downloaded from the library databases. It can be hard for students to download video files, etc. |
| Am I allowed to use a portion of a video for educational resources? | Yes, if you use the least amount possible. You also want to be sure that you only use the part that is relevant to your teaching needs. | You are not permitted to make an entire video available to your students. |
| How many images (charts or illustrations) can I use from one source? | Under fair use law, you can legally use up to 10% of images from a published source. | It is wrong to assume that an image found online is free from copyright restrictions. |