Friday, July 24, 2020

Ask an online learning expert: "what do I need to know about copyright when teaching online?"

By Kathryn Blair (Centre for Extended Learning) and Lauren Byl (Library). This is part of an ongoing series in the Daily Bulletin.

While preparing Fall 2020 courses for online delivery, instructors may have copyright concerns. In order to reduce the risk of copyright infringement it’s important to keep a few key things in mind.

First, think about where you will be sharing materials. This will help determine which 3^rd-party material may be copied and distributed in the lesson. While the Fair Dealing Advisory (FDA) indicates that short excerpts may be provided onlearning management systems, such as LEARN, or other password-protected sites, these excerpts should not be posted on sites that are not password-protected, such as unrestricted YouTube channels. Consider using a service like Library Course Reserves or W Store Courseware to make material available. These services clear copyright on your behalf.

Next, think about the material you’ll use and what rules apply to its use. Generally, print material and legitimatematerial made freely available online can be used according to the Fair Dealing Advisory. How do you know if online material is legitimate? It’s a common misconception that everything on the internet is a legitimate, legal copy and either “in the public domain” or posted by the rightsholder. Check out Copyright at Waterloo FAQ 1.15 How can I tell if the materials I find online are legal copies? for guidance. Generally, print material and legitimate material made freely available online can be used according to the FDA. Library licensed material, for example electronic journals, books, and database content, must be used according to the terms of the licence. Use the Finding Usage Rights instructions to help you get started.

If you have accessed material such as newspapers and magazines through your own subscription or license, check the license to see how and where the material can be used. If a department or group (e.g., CEL or Creative Services) has accessed material such as images for a particular project ask them to verify whether the material can be repurposed for a different project.

Keep in mind that linking to material is the recommended and safest choice. When linking to material remember to:

• Add the proxy to Library and Media Resources Library licensed resources so students aren’t denied access. You can create proxied links by adding 'http://proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/login?url=' to the beginning of the URL. Linking is not allowed for Harvard Business Review content.
• Evaluate whether freely available resources are legitimate, legal copies. Again, FAQ 1.15 may help you make a decision
• Choose resources that everyone can access. Waterloo’s 30,000 students hail from 120 countries. Many of these students have returned to their country of origin. Linking to material on other sites, even when it is legitimate, can be a problem. Some sites are censored in other countries. YouTube, for example, is currently censored (i.e., blocked) in China. The virtual private network (VPN) does not allow access to censored sites. The question of access is also important when asking students to find material on popular streaming sites such as Netflix. Not all titles are available in all markets (often defined by country or blocks of countries), which means that some students may not be able to access required films and documentaries.

If you’re in need of audiovisual material, try the Media Resources Library (MRL). The MRL has a collection of about 9,500 titles in various formats (and streaming licences for some of these titles) and provides access to an additional 20,000 titles through institutional subscriptions to streaming service providers. MRL titles that are indicated in the catalogue as available for streaming are licensed for educational use, and links to these materials can be provided without further permission. See the MRL for updates on COVID-related access to the collection, help obtaining permissions to stream titles, and its catalogue.

This guidance and more are available on the Copyright @ Waterloo website. In particular pay attention to the Copyright for Teaching Online guide and the Guide for Instructors. For help with copyright questions, contact copyright@uwaterloo.ca .

Kathryn Blair is the Copyright Specialist at The Centre for Extended Learning. Lauren Byl is the Copyright and Licensing Librarian in Collection Development at the Dana Porter Library.

IST Strategic Plan Closure Report now available

A message from Information Systems and Technology (IST).

Developed in 2016, through broad campus consultation, the aim of the IST Strategic Plan, 2017-2020, was to prioritize key strategic needs ahead of the University's new strategic plan and/or updated IT strategic plan, and identify the actions that could be taken to address those needs. This work was intended to target specific areas for improvement complementary to other ongoing operational activities and other major initiatives in such areas as information systems, security, and infrastructure, where planning and implementations would carry on in parallel.

IST is pleased to announce the successful completion of this work and the overall achievement of our strategic goal – Together we deliver. You are invited to visit the IST Strategic Plan website to review the high-level findings, read the Closure Report in full, and learn more about how we’ll move forward from here. 

Thank you again for your support and contributions to this work. We look forward to continuing to provide exceptional information technology service and support to the University of Waterloo community.

Outgoing director reflects on time at Concept and Velocity

Camelia Nunez is moving on from her role as Director of Concept.

"In true Velocity fashion, it is time for change, yet again! In order to continue to grow, we must embrace change and that is one of the most important lessons I take from my time spent in this incredible organization," Nunez wrote in a blog post on Concept's website on July 21. "It has been an unbelievable 2.5 years with so much growth, both as an organization and as individuals. I feel an enormous sense of pride for everything we have accomplished during this time and I am also super pumped for what the future holds for Velocity Incubator as well as Concept." 

"There’s been no shortage of exciting initiatives that we have taken on during this time," Nunez writes. "While I feel privileged to have been a part of all of them, I have to say that launching Concept as Velocity’s campus entrepreneurship program has been the most challenging, thrilling and rewarding undertaking."

A Year of Firsts

"Concept is very much in its infancy as it celebrates its one year anniversary this Fall, yet there are so many things to be proud of," Nunez writes, including: 

• Increased student engagement in our programming by 60 percent. Concept engages 4,400+ students each term! That’s almost 10% of the student population on campus any given term
• Significantly diversified our audience to include increased student participation from each of the six Faculties. We’ve also seen an increased number of graduate student engagement and our female/male ratio is closer to parity than it has ever been.
• The Grad Student Startup Fund which was launched with the generous contribution of Velocity and Faculty of Math Alumni Sam Papasulak, Co-Founder of Maluuba 
• We brought a network of 17+ entrepreneurship coaches to the campus community. Our coaches are entrepreneurs themselves and they are available to meet with UWaterloo students and faculty 1:1 at anytime and at no cost. Our coaches meet with 150+ students from each Faculty each term
• The Capstone Startup Stream supported 100+ students from different Faculties assess the business potential of their academic projects
• The first ever startup job fair on campus which was held in collaboration with the Cooperative Education team at UWaterloo. 15 early stage companies had the opportunity to engage with 300+ students
• Our first event Highlighting Entrepreneurial Women event had an audience of ~100 people, 80 per cent of which were female-identified. 
• The Pandemic Challenge, a collaboration with our campus entrepreneurship partners: Problem Lab, Conrad School of Business and Entrepreneurship, GreenHouse and Centre for Peace Advancement and worked with 70+ teams who were passionate about solving problems related to the current COVID-19 crisis we are all living.

"I am delighted and proud of what we’ve accomplished during this first year and I am beyond grateful for our students and campus community members who continue to work with us and help us deliver programming and resources that are most meaningful," Nunez writes. "I will end by saying that while I am extremely proud of all the work we’ve done, my biggest sense of accomplishment comes from the incredible team we’ve built. I’ve had the opportunity to work with genuine human beings who are deeply motivated by a desire to do good by our students, our founders and the world as a whole."

Read Camelia Nunez's full blog post on the Concept website.