Drawing the Blueprint As We Build: Setting Up a Library-based Copyright and Permissions Service for MOOCs

Abstract

Much of the public discussion of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has centered on new instructional and assessment methods, potential business models, the feasibility of offering course credit, and the future of higher learning.2 However, with a few exceptions,3 issues related to copyright have generated considerably less public discussion, while still causing great consternation on many campuses. Specific provisions in the U.S. Copyright Act that allow classroom use of third-party material without permission, such as section 110(1) and (2), seem not to apply in the MOOC environment. Fair use is certainly still available, but its application may be much more limited than in traditional classrooms. As a result, instructors often find themselves unable to use the same resources they have long relied on in their on-campus courses. To avoid too much frustration and facilitate the best possible instruction for these course, the Office for Copyright and Scholarly Communication at Duke University Libraries, began working with faculty early on in Duke’s foray into MOOCs to address copyright-related challenges in course development