Copyright for teaching
It is important that you consider copyright whenever you make third-party material available to your students and when you are developing teaching materials.
Copyright law provides exceptions that allow you to carry out certain activities without worrying about infringement. Additionally, we subscribe to several licences that allow limited copying for teaching. Find out more about exceptions and the licences we hold.
With copyright there is often an element of interpretation and risk. It may not always be clear how you can and can’t use material. Here we outline things to consider when using common types of materials in your teaching. But if you aren’t sure then please contact us.
Text-based teaching material
The university holds a Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) HE Licence. This covers the photocopying and scanning of most UK publications and some international ones. You can use the CLA permission check tool to make sure the text you want to copy is not excluded.
The CLA Licence allows:
- multiple photocopies of limited extracts from books, journals and magazines
- digital copies of limited extracts from books, journals and magazines
Although licences can provide you with permission to use copyrighted works in certain ways, there may be occasions when a licence is not available. In these cases, you may be able to make use of exceptions. Find out more about using the CLA Licence and exceptions.
Web-based materials and images
When you copy material you have found on the Internet it is important that you take time to consider any copyright issues. You should not assume that copyright does not apply because something is freely available. Check for licence information before reusing and ideally look for materials that are available under an open licence such as Creative Commons. Where possible, link to the original material rather than a copy and always credit your source.
If possible it is advisable to use your own images or images available under an open licence. You can use third party images without an open licence under the exceptions of ‘illustration for instruction’ or ‘criticism and review’. But you cannot use them solely for decorative purposes. The caption should give the source of the image, the rights holder and the copyright terms stated at the source. Also, state if you have obtained any necessary permission to use the image. These materials should not be shared beyond the classroom (either in print or digital form) or with anyone other than learners, teachers and assessors of the course.
When creating materials to use in teaching, there is lots of freely available content that can be reused. The Copyright Essentials page contains a list of sites that you might find useful.
Guidance for Blackboard
You should not upload scanned or pdf versions of resources to the VLE (Blackboard). Uploading scans of book chapters and articles to Blackboard may be in breach of copyright. Teaching materials provided to students need to comply with copyright law and the reporting requirements of our licence with the Copyright Licensing Agency.
Where materials are online (e.g. web documents or online pages) or held electronically by the Library (e.g. eJournals or eBooks), Learning Services can advise academic staff on how to embed links within Reading Lists Online. Linking to a resource rather than uploading supports copyright compliance and will also ensure that students can access the most accessible version of a resource. This method has the advantage of allowing the resource usage stats to be measured to show student engagement. Staff can also make a request for a digitised chapter or article for a Reading List Online, advice can be found on this digitisation information page. Contact the Academic Engagement team for more information.
Using films and videos in teaching
Showing films to an audience is restricted by copyright. The University subscribes to the Box of Broadcast service (underpinned by the ERA Licence). You can show UK radio and TV recordings from this service to your students. You can also use it to create your own clips and playlists. The Kanopy streaming service is another source of films and documentaries. If you are a faculty member you are free to use any Kanopy film in your class.
If you have a lawfully acquired copy of the film you wish to show, there is also an exception in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Section 34. This allows you to show it on University premises to an audience of Edge Hill University students and staff for educational purposes. Please note that this does not apply to screenings for film clubs which require a special licence.
You can link to third party YouTube videos as long as you avoid sharing clips that may be infringing (i.e. unauthorised copies of third party copyright-protected content). Sharing third party videos without the authorisation of copyright owners carries risks, e.g. videos can be taken down without notice. If you link to a video that you know to be infringing, then that can constitute copyright infringement.
Learning on Screen have produced the Code of Fair Practice for the Use of Audiovisual Works in Film Education. It is a helpful resource explaining how film and AV material can be used in teaching and learning.
Social media
If you are copying or sharing other people’s work on social media sites such as Instagram or YouTube then you must have permission from the rights holder or the use must be covered by an appropriate copyright exception. Social media sites will generally not be held responsible for any legal consequences which may occur if you upload content which is unlawful.
Additionally, be aware that when you upload your own content to a social media platform, you may be giving your rights to those platforms. They may be able to reuse your work and you may have no control over how it may be used or reshared later. You should always check carefully the terms and conditions of any site you wish to share your content on.