Approaches to Copyright Education for Faculty in Canada

Abstract

This study surveyed copyright administrators at Canadian universities about their methods of providing copyright training to faculty and non-faculty instructors, the frequency and topics of education provided, and the modes of communication used to reach instructors. Copyright administrators were also asked to rate the perceived effectiveness of their educational opportunities.Respondents feel that in-person education is most effective for providing copyright training to instructors, though a significant number of respondents do not believe that all instructors at their institutions are made adequately aware of copyright educational opportunities. Lack of time and staffing resources affect many copyright administrators. These challenges are leading many to develop more systematic approaches to reaching instructors. Communication and education are being provided directly to individual departments and by working with administrators and others at the department level.Considering the siloed nature of many copyright offices and positions, this study aims to share the approaches being taken by copyright administrators to educate instructors about their rights and responsibilities with regard to copyright and teaching.

Academics’ experience of copyright

“…As a comparison, this was less than the 40 per cent of faculty staff aware of copyright training at their institution in Di Valentino's (2015) survey. Promotional activity was also identified as an issue in a study by Zerkee (2016) of copyright administrators at Canadian universities, finding that many felt that publicity for training opportunities offered by their respective institutions was insufficient in attracting academics.…”

Navigating Copyright in Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“…• Ethical and legal use of content (Nilsson 2016, p. 80) • Recipients of copyrighted information (Sims 2011) Undergraduate and graduate students are not differentiated, but student interaction with copyright is explicitly considered:…”

“…• Connection between copyright and information literacy education for students (Cheng & Winter 2014;Horava 2010) • Students included in a discussion of copyright education on campus more generally ( Graduate students are discussed but not the focus:…”

“…• Use of copyrighted material in ETDs (Lippincott & Lynch 2010;Keener 2015;Schöpfel et al 2016) • Reuse of previously-authored articles (Keener 2015) Aligning Copyright Education with the Graduate Student Timeline…”

“…Permissions and fair use for copyrighted material (Lippincott & Lynch 2010;Keener 2015;Schöpfel et al 2016) Introduction to copyright…”