Guidelines for using teaching technologies
Swinburne is committed to ensuring that staff using technology as part of their teaching activities both understand and use appropriate practices to ensure that all uses of copyright material are in compliance with the Australian Copyright Act 1968.
If used incorrectly there is a potential risk of breaching copyright.
The following guidelines provide a brief overview of how to deal with copyright material when using:
Powerpoint
Blackboard and WebCT
Lectopia
Commercial DVDs and videos
Internet
These guidelines outline the rules for using material for educational purposes under the Copyright Act 1968. Access to any material used in this way must be restricted to Swinburne staff and students and can't be made publicly available.
For more detailed information contact the Copyright Office.
PowerPoint
If your PowerPoint slides include copies of third party copyright material (i.e. images or text excerpts) you must comply with the copyright rules and limits for texts and images. You must display the electronic document notice at the start of the presentation.
Blackboard/WebCT
Text
Staff must not upload copies of copyright material onto their Blackboard or WebCT pages themselves. This material can only be made available to students through the Library’s Subject Materials. The Library will ensure that copyright limits are adhered to and all necessary information is recorded. Once the Library has placed the article or book chapter on Subject Materials, staff can place the URL onto their subject page, which will provide students with direct access to the item.
Images
If you want to use a digital image without obtaining permission from the copyright owner (such as off the Internet) on your Blackboard or WebCT subject pages, you may only copy and use it if you include the Part VB copyright warning notice on the same page. The size of the notice can be changed, but it must be clearly legible. (Note that some images can be used freely without the need to rely on Part VB, such as images used under an open licence such as Creative Commons)
If you want to scan a hard copy image, you first need to check if the image is published separately and available for purchase in digital form. If not, then you may scan it. You must then display the Part VB notice beside or immediately preceeding the image.
Lectopia
Staff can show copyright material in a lecture without breaching copyright. However, if that material is then recorded via Lectopia and made available online, that subsequent use could potentially breach copyright. Therefore staff who display material belonging to a third party in a lecture being recorded via Lectopia must ensure they comply with the following restrictions:
Text and images
You must comply with copying limits and display the electronic document notice.
Moving images (TV, DVDs, internet)
The only form of moving image which can be made available via Lectopia is material copied off a television broadcast. For this material the electronic audio-visual notice must be displayed.
No other copyright moving image material may be made available via Lectopia.If recording a lecture using Lectopia while showing a commercial DVD you must stop the recording process while the DVD is being played. Only the audio of your spoken delivery of the lecture (and other visual material such as PowerPoint slides) can be made available to students.
Music
Swinburne has a licence with a number of copyright collecting societies that allows the use of certain sound recordings for educational purposes. If you play such a sound recording during a lecture, you can make the lecture available to students via Lectopia but not for downloading - it must only be made available for streaming. The required music licence copyright warning notice and details of the work must be shown.
PowerPoint
If PowerPoint slides shown via Lectopia include third party copyright material you must apply the same requirements as outlined above. For the material you are authorised to use under one of the copyright licences you should display the appropriate copyright warning notice at the start of the presentation.
Commercial DVDs/videos
You can play audio-visual material including commercial videos and DVDs (unless you have entered an agreement, such as a rental agreement, which only allows personal use) in a lecture/teaching context as long as only staff and students are present.
You cannot make a copy of a commercial video or DVD in any format without obtaining permission from the copyright owner and also mentioned previously you also cannot tape the part of a lecture where a commercial DVD is shown using Lectopia.
Internet
Be aware that all material available on the Internet is covered by copyright in the same way as material available in physical form. If copying material off the Internet for educational purposes, you must comply with the same copying limits and requirements, including the display of notices, as required for other forms of material.
Linking
If you are unsure about whether you can copy material off the internet using one of the statutory licences, or if the permission given to you by the owner is sufficient enough, then it's best to provide students with the URL to the material.
Embedding Videos (e.g. YouTube videos)
You can embed videos in Blackboard or WebCT. However, you must not embed material on the internet that knowingly infringes copyright such as video content on unauthorised video sharing sites.
For further information on any of these guides please contact the Copyright Office.