Shifting from in-person to online teaching comes with pedagogical and technical challenges, but copyright should not be one of them, as the legal issues related to copyright are similar in both contexts. Whatever you were doing in class is most likely fine to do online, particularly when online access is limited to enrolled students through Canvas.
However, there may be a few differences to consider. Here are some tips related to copyright in the context of distance education.
If it was legal to show slide images in class, it is likely legal to show them to students via live video conferencing or in recorded videos, as long as you are doing this through Canvas to the students enrolled in your class.
If you limit usage to relatively brief clips, you may be able to include those in lecture recordings or live-casts under the copyright provision called "Fair Use." For media use longer than brief clips, you may need to have students independently access the content outside of your lecture videos. In such circumstances, you may find helpful resources listed within the JMU Libraries guide to Free Media for Creative Use and the list of licensed media resources available to JMU students, faculty, and staff.
If you want assistance with creating educational videos (e.g. recorded lectures), contact the Video Management Services team in JMU Libraries. They provide comprehensive guidance in JMU-licensed tools and resources, video creation, and sharing your video with students. Visit our Record Lectures page to learn how to make your own videos.
If you want to share additional readings with your students as you revise your instructional plans, or if you want students to share more resources with each other in an online discussion board, keep in mind some simple guidelines:
JMU Policy 1107 governs ownership of materials created by JMU faculty for distance education. See section 5.2(3): "Distance learning materials and courseware created by faculty without the substantial use of university resources remain the property of the faculty member."
Instructors may wish to inform or remind students about classroom policies regarding sharing course materials. For instance, if an instructor does not want students to share slide decks or study guides outside of the course management system, the instructor should remind students of this, let students know they are not to distribute course materials, and may wish to include notices about this in course content.
As institutions around the country work to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, library copyright specialists have published a growing body of supporting material to help folks deal specifically with emerging copyright issues. For additional information, these resources may be helpful:
COVID-19, Copyright, & Library Superpowers: Fair Use and Exigent Circumstances
Public Statement of Library Copyright Specialists: Fair Use & Emergency Remote Teaching & Research
Resources on Copyright & Emergency Remote Teaching & Research
See our copyright guide, contact the JMU Libraries Copyright Coordinator, Howard S. Carrier, or contact your liaison librarian for assistance.
This page was adapted from "Rapidly Shifting Your Course from In-Person to Remote," by Nancy Sims, University of Minnesota Libraries, and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License. It was improved by collaboration from too many wonderful colleagues to count.
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