University Policy Considerations for Online

Online courses are tricky since many of the policies surrounding student privacy were made well before online courses existed. Most instructors will never have to deal with an issue surrounding the polices listed below, but we encourage you to be familiar with them. If you have questions regarding the policies or a question about an online course practice, please reach out to CU Online Links to an external site.. They are here to help! 

FERPA and HIPAA

As an instructor, you should be familiar with the university's policy regarding student information. When considering FERPA in an online course, here are some guidelines to consider: 

  • If you are going to share "student examples" from previous semesters. It is best to remove any identifying information from the document and get written permission from the student to use the work. 
  • The only people in your course should have an academic need. Meaning, you can't have your sister or a professor of another institution sit in your online course. 
  • Grades should not be posted publicly or on a spreadsheet within your course shell. Use the Canvas grade book and only discuss grades with students using the Canvas message system or university email. Links to an external site. 

For more information on FERPA and HIPAA, please review the student policy Links to an external site. page. You should contact the registrar's office with questions. 

Fair Use

Fair use is the safety net used to balance public interest with copyright. It is just a guideline that may or may not hold up in a court of law. As educators, you should understand the limitations and exceptions to fair use Links to an external site. and copyright Links to an external site.. To be honest, since Canvas requires a login, most of us will never have to deal with an issue of fair use or copyright, but you should model best practices with your students. Below are some general guidelines for online content. 

  1. Link Up!
    When possible link directly to the source, but don’t store the source yourself. Linking is the most effective protection against liability

  2. Use Only Necessary Materials and Only Limited Parts of Those Materials.
    • Don’t put it up if you don’t cover it in class.
      • On-line access is not a reserve desk of the library for material that is “recommended” or “further” reading.
    • Use only what would be displayed in a live classroom course session, no more.
      • You may not use a performance of dramatic literary or musical works without permission. This includes narrative movies and operas.

  3. Limit Access.
    • Accessible only to enrolled students
    • Only for the necessary amount of time
    • Should be displayed as it would be for a live class session
    • Repeated access only if it is necessary to meet teaching objectives

  4. Inform Students Of Copyright Laws And Policies.
    • The materials on this course Web site are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.

Retrieved from:  https://www.cusys.edu/ip/copyright/copy-exemptions_classroom.html Links to an external site.

Academic Freedom

There are two policies regarding academic freedom, one for students and one for faculty.

Students

Excerpt: "As members of the academic community, students have responsibility, equivalent to that of the faculty, for study, learning, academic integrity, and protecting the university as a forum for the free expression of ideas."

Full text of student academic freedom policy Links to an external site.

Faculty

Excerpt: "'Academic freedom' is defined as the freedom to inquire, discover, publish and teach truth as the faculty member sees it, subject to no control or authority save the control and authority of the rational methods by which truth is established."

Full text of faculty academic freedom policy Links to an external site.

Intellectual Property of Educational Material

This policy statement clarifies the rights, responsibilities and rewards for the University and its employees in the development and commercialization of educational materials. The University supports the creative works of authors, who will under most circumstances retain broad rights in support of their creative endeavors. This policy does not change the traditional relationship between the University and employees who, independent from using substantial University resources, retain broad rights of ownership of scholarly and artistic works.

https://www.cu.edu/ope/policy/aps-1014-intellectual-property-educational-materials Links to an external site.