Abstract

As e-learning support is extended from higher education to schools, colleges and other learning organizations, a good understanding of copyright and other IPR issues is essential to ensure that material is legal and not laying the institution open to risk. Copyright is frequently seen as a barrier to making materials available in e-learning environments. Through its practically based overview of current and emerging copyright issues facing those working in the field of e-learning, this book will help to break this barrier down and equip professionals with the tools, skills and understanding they need to work confidently and effectively in the virtual learning environment with the knowledge that they are doing so legally. Fully supported with a broad range of practitioner case studies and further sources of information, this essential guide looks at best practice developed by leading universities in the UK and overseas which support students in a blended learning environment. It includes topics such as: the background to copyright and e-learning; digitizing published content for delivery in the VLE; using multimedia in e-learning; copyright issues and 'born' digital resources; copyright in the emerging digital environment of Web 2.0; and, copyright training for staff. This book is essential reading for anyone working in education including learning support staff and teachers using e-learning, learning technologists, librarians, educational developers, instructional designers, IT staff and trainers. It is also relevant for anyone working in the education sector from school level to higher education, and those developing learning resources in commercial organizations and the public sector including libraries, museums and archives, and government departments.
"… fluent, well-paced, accessible and user-friendly… offers an excellent introduction to those who are unfamiliar with copyright law and its nuances, but would also provide a useful refresher to those who would like to reacquaint themselves with the basics in an e-learning context...a useful addition to the arsenal of resources for anyone working in the copyright and e-learning arena." - Journal of Information Literacy
"Copyright is an area of growing concern to educational institutions which provide online access to materials. The complexity of the area has sometimes discouraged educators from engaging with it, but the practical suggestions and relevant case studies included in this title, as well as the provision of further readings makes this an excellent reference guide, and one which educators will find interesting as well as easy to understand." - Australian Academic and Research Libraries
Jane Secker (B.A., Ph.D., PGCertHE, FHEA) is Copyright and Digital and Literacy Advisor at LSE, where she has responsibility for the digital literacy programme for staff and PhD students. She also advises staff about copyright issues particularly related to their use of digital resources and e-learning. She has published widely and led several externally funded projects, most recently being project manager for the DELILA (Developing Educators Learning and Information Literacies for Accreditation) funded by JISC and the Higher Education Academy to release digital and information literacy materials and open educational resources.