Resolving ethical dilemmas

3. Copyright in digital materials

Scenario: A teacher creates a course in Moodle LMS and provides students with a script that includes photos, diagrams, and texts taken from various sources on the Internet. Some of the material is taken from books that are under copyright protection, and the teacher has scanned them and added them to presentations. Students, having access to the material, share it with each other, and some even publish it on social networks. After a certain period of time, the publisher of one of the books informs the faculty that there has been a copyright infringement and demands the removal of the material. This puts the faculty in an awkward position, as it is responsible for ensuring the legal use of educational resources.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the difference between copyright and open licenses (eg. Creative Commons) and why is it important in e-learning?
2. What consequences can a teacher (and institution) have if he uses protected materials in class without authorization?
3. What alternative strategies could a teacher use to provide students with quality materials without violating copyright?
4. How should students handle the teaching materials they download from the LMS, are they allowed to share them and in what cases?
5. Design an example of an educational activity where students could learn to recognize legal and illegal sources for their own work.