Intellectual Property
The issue of intellectual property is coming to the forefront as a major concern in the digital age. Faculty are increasingly concerned about the ownership of distributive course materials and the use of those materials. Many faculty assume that these course materials are their creative property, meaning that a requirement exists for others to obtain permission to use them. Since these materials exist in digital form on a school’s accessible server, others may have access to these materials with or without faculty consent. In today’s world, some of these materials may have commercial value, and institutions are increasingly taking ownership of these materials. A clear institutional policy will convey to all persons involved who owns what and what constitutes allowable use of the materials.