Distributed Learning Meets Intellectual Property Policy: Who Owns What?

By Dr. Veronica Diaz,
Learning Technologies Manager,
Adjunct Professor
University of Arizona

The rise of eLearning and technology in higher education—including distance education, digital repositories, and electronic courseware products—has changed the way faculty and institutions regard ownership and control of these materials. A new market exists for products that previously had little or no commercial value, especially as institutions become more adept and profitable at delivering and marketing distributed learning courses and programs. In turn, this has created a need for higher institutions to revise their existing intellectual property (IP) policies.

The authority and responsibilities of faculty members in this digital era regarding how courses are developed, taught, and maintained are in flux, and many existing institutional policies fail to address important questions raised in this changing environment. Distributed learning is vastly different from what has traditionally been covered with copyright (books, articles) and brings with it several important areas that must be addressed to ensure its long-term viability and proliferation.

BusinessWeek Surveys Technology Students Will Bring to Campus This Fall

Bottom line: laptops, printers that fax and scan, high-definition displays, tinier cameras, photo printers.

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DeVry University Offers Bachelor's Degree Program in Game and Simulation Programming

DeVry University has introduced a new Bachelor of Science degree program in game and simulation programming to its career oriented offerings. DeVry will offer the eight-term program at its Long Beach, Pomona and West Hills campuses beginning in March 2006. (TMCnet)

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Maplesoft Partners with Mathematical Association of America

Maplesoft announced a partnership with the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) to develop a co-branded electronic placement testing product help colleges and universities assess students' knowledge of math. The new Web-based product will replace the MAA's placement tests, which have been widely used by colleges and universities across North America.

Princeton's University Channel: Access to a World of Ideas

Princeton calls this a "collection of public affairs lectures, panels and events from academic institutions all over the world" and other institutions are invited to submit video coverage for inclusion. Best of all, it's free to everyone!

Addressing On-line Accessibility Issues at East Carolina University

By Dr. Melissa D. Engleman
Professor, Special Education
East Carolina University
[email protected]

Like many universities, East Carolina University (ECU) has seen an overwhelming increase in demand for online courses. As the university that prepares the most teachers in North Carolina, we have always faced distance learning issues, but the more than 250 percent increase in online course offerings during the past five years in the College of Education has had more impact on our programs than any other factor.

Online credit hour offerings have remained constant, which means that this increase is from a new recruiting pool. The convenience of online courses, the “anytime, anywhere” aspect has put these courses in high demand. We continue to respond to this growth as a potentially powerful solution to North Carolina’s certified teacher shortage. In the rural and remote areas of the state, online courses make it easier for communities to “grow their own”, rather than having to recruit teachers from other areas.

Our graduate student population consists of students between the ages of 22 and 50. Many have families and jobs. Most live in poverty zones, and a majority live at least two hours away. Years of teaching experience for participants in this study ranged from 0 years to 38. Most participants were within their first five years of teaching.

CT Live! at Syllabus2005

Campus Technology reporters interviewed attendees at this past week's Syllabus2005 Conference. Listen to audiocast recorded live from the show floor.

Also we have videos of all the keynotes.

Listen and see now!

From the Reader Response Forum

The Wireless Laptop Cart Solution
The University of Rio Grande obtained a Title III federal grant which allowed them to create two new computer labs, but the rules stated that they could not actually use the money to create a fixed-station computer lab. So they decided to create "wireless laptop carts". All of this happened before I arrived here to work, but it seems that the wireless laptop cart solution was a good one. – by Munihasen

Technology Enabled Teaching Archives, click here.