As you prepare learning materials for the online classroom, questions related to use of copyrighted materials and intellectual property may arise. Copyright regulations for materials used in online courses generally fall within the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act) act as well as the University's Intellectual Property Policy as it relates to online courses.
The TEACH Act: The Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act) became law in 2002. The American Library Association describes this act as "redefining the terms and conditions on which accredited, nonprofit educational institutions throughout the U.S. may use copyright protected materials in distance education-including on websites and by other digital means--without permission from the copyright owner and without payment of royalties".
The TEACH Act checklist is available to assist you in determining if the use of copyrighted materials for your online course falls within the guidelines of the TEACH Act and are therefore acceptable to use This check list is from: http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/teachact.htm.
The North Carolina State University has an excellent web site on the TEACH Act. Follow the links below to learn more.
The Health Sciences Library: Copyright assistance is also available from the Health Science Library. Ms. Judy Bergjord from the Health Sciences Library provides copyright support for online courses by assisting faculty seeking copyright permissions or with general copyright questions. Ms. Judy Bergjord: bergjord@creighton.edu.
Intellectual Property Policy: Creighton University's Intellectual Property Policy addresses this topic. The policy may be found at http://www2.creighton.edu/fileadmin/user/president/docs/Guide.pdf on page 303 in Appendix II: Course Materials for Distance Learning: Creation, Use, Ownership, Royalties, Revision and Distribution of Electronic-Based Course Materials. Questions about the policy may be directed to your Department Chair.