This is an introductory course focused on the topic of copyright, specifically as it applies to online academic course designs. This course will not make you an expert in copyright law, but it will give you enough background training from which to make informed decisions.

After an introduction to the principles of copyright as they apply to higher education under the laws of the United States, Canada, and international agreements, course participants will become familiar with concepts that relate directly to their specific online course design needs.

Learning Objectives:

During this course, participants will:

• Determine when copyright does and does not apply in online environments
• Analyze and apply fair-use criteria in order to make strong cases for the fair use of copied materials in online course environments
• Apply license and permission models in order to go beyond the limitations of copyright law
• Provide access to content without invoking copyright, license, or permission restrictions
• Examine your institution’s policies regarding ownership of instructor-created content

NOTE: Participants will be asked to complete assignments in between the course segments that support the learning objectives stated below and will receive feedback and constructive critique from course facilitators on how to improve and shape their work.