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Fair Dealing Week 2021: Beyond fair dealing

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This is the fifth and final part in our series of blog posts celebrating Fair Dealing Week 2021 (February 22nd to February 26th, 2021).

by Lachlan MacLeod

Fair dealing is only one exception from the Copyright Act, but it receives a lot of attention. There are numerous other exceptions and resources that overlap and supplement fair dealing allowances in an educational setting.

One exception is Section 30.04(1) of the Copyright Act that provides for an exception from copyright infringement for copying, communicating and performing in public by an educational institution or a person acting under its authority for educational or training purposes of a copyright protected work that is available through the Internet. However, this use is subject to several important restrictions. To find out more about the educational exception for works available through the Internet, visit our website:

https://libraries.dal.ca/services/copyright-office/for-faculty/using-materials-from-the-internet.html

Under Section 29.5 of the Copyright Act, films may be shown by faculty, staff to students, without permission of or compensation to copyright owners, provided the screening takes place on the premises of an educational institution, the recording is a legally acquired copy, used in pursuit of education to an audience consisting mainly of students with no admission being charged. There is no longer the need to ensure a public performance license is in place if these conditions are met. Works may be performed live (such as a play) without permission under these conditions as well. For more information on showing films in a classroom setting, please visit the following section of the Copyright Office website:

https://libraries.dal.ca/services/copyright-office/for-faculty/showing-films-on-campus.html

These exceptions and others are explained in detail on the Copyright Office website. Please note that all of these exceptions are subject to specific restrictions and guidelines. When in doubt, contact the Copyright Office with any questions or comments at copyright.office@dal.ca

Fair Dealing Week 2021: Fair dealing and students

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This is part four in a five-part series of blog posts celebrating Fair Dealing Week 2021 (February 22nd to February 26th, 2021).

by Lachlan MacLeod

The copyright landscape in Canada has undergone significant changes recently. To ensure a fair and reasonable approach to the use of copyright protected materials on campus, Dalhousie has sought to balance the rights of users with those of creators. To help accomplish this, the University has established a Copyright Office and has most recently adopted updated Fair Dealing Guidelines.

As students of Dalhousie University, you may copy materials for which the university (e.g. the Library) has negotiated licenses, according to the terms of the individual license agreements. In addition to license agreements, fair dealing allows you to make use of a work for yourself for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, news reporting, education, parody or satire. As an example, this means you can copy one article from a journal, or one chapter from a book for the purpose of your studies and research.

Without fair dealing, any time you wished to make use of a copyrighted work in your course, you would need permission from the copyright holder, perhaps even paying a licensing fee. This short presentation illustrates uses that we might take for granted and would not be legal without fair dealing:

For more information on how fair dealing affects Students, please take some time to read about Fair Dealing for Students, and consult our Fair Dealing Guidelines. Please feel free to contact the Copyright Office with any questions or comments at copyright.office@dal.ca

Fair Dealing Week 2021: Faculty and fair dealing 

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This is part three in a five-part series of blog posts celebrating Fair Dealing Week 2021 (February 22nd to February 26th, 2021).

by Lachlan MacLeod

Fair dealing is a powerful tool for using copyrighted works in the classroom. It allows instructors to use photos and videos in-class lectures, reduce the cost of materials for students, and facilitate access and accommodation for students. Faculty can also benefit from fair dealing in the context of research, allowing academics to build upon existing research, and facilitating access to scholarly works.

Fair dealing is available in the contexts of education and research, but it is important to remember that copyright in Canada is a balance: between users’ rights on one hand, and the creator’s rights on the other. So, while instructors can engage in copying for their classes, it must be done in a fair and ethical manner.

One of the best resources to make sure your class readings fall under fair dealing is to make use of the Dalhousie Libraries Course Reserves Service. By using course reserves, you can help take the guesswork out of applying fair dealing guidelines for every work that is used as part of class readings, and reduce the cost of material for your students. Course reserves can upload material to Brightspace or create Stable Links to course readings.

Dr. Mike Smit discusses the importance of fair dealing in this video.

For more information on how fair dealing affects Faculty, please take some time to read about Fair Dealing for Faculty, and consult our Fair Dealing Guidelines. Please feel free to contact the Copyright Office with any questions or comments at copyright.office@dal.ca

 

Fair Dealing Week 2021: Fair dealing – myths and facts

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This is part two in a five-part series of blog posts celebrating Fair Dealing Week 2021 (February 22nd to February 26th, 2021).

by Lachlan MacLeod

Fair dealing can be daunting, and there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about what fair dealing means. To clarify this confusion, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) has created an infographic exploring some of the myths and facts surrounding fair dealing:

dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/library/services/copyright-office/CARL_FD_myths_facts_EN.PDF

This infographic provides some of the context and history for fair dealing and clarifies some common misconceptions. It also shows how fair dealing functions in academic environments like Dalhousie University.

For more information about fair dealing, you can read all about fair dealing on the Dalhousie Libraries’ Copyright Office’s Fair Dealing Basics page, and consult our Fair Dealing Guidelines. Please feel free to contact the Copyright Office with any questions or comments at copyright.office@dal.ca

 

Fair Dealing Week 2021: What is fair dealing?

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This is part one in a five-part series of blog posts celebrating Fair Dealing Week 2021 (February 22nd to February 26th, 2021).

by Lachlan MacLeod

Fair Dealing Week (Fair Use Week in the United States) is the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)’s annual celebration of fair dealing. This week, we’re celebrating Fair Dealing Week with daily posts. These posts will outline why fair dealing is important, what fair dealing means to instructors, and how fair dealing applies to students.

Fair dealing is a right in the Copyright Act (Section 29) which allows the copying and communicating of copyrighted works without permission from or payment to the copyright holder. The Supreme Court of Canada has established a two-part, six-factor test for determining fair dealing:

  1. Step One involves determining if your use of a copyrighted work is covered by any of the purposes enumerated in the Copyright Act: research, private study, criticism, news reporting, education, parody, or satire.
  2. Step Two: If your use does fall under one of these purposes, then you can proceed to applying each of the six factors the Court identified. These six factors are: Purpose (different from the purpose in the first step), Character, Amount, Alternatives, Nature, and Effect.

If your use of a copyrighted work passes both steps, it can be deemed fair dealing. To clarify the determination of fair dealing, Dalhousie has developed a set of Fair Dealing Guidelines, in cooperation with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. These guidelines apply to all members of the Dalhousie University community – faculty, staff and students.

For more information, you can read all about fair dealing on the Dalhousie Libraries’ Copyright Office’s Fair Dealing Basics page, and consult our Fair Dealing Guidelines. Please feel free to contact the Copyright Office with any questions or comments at copyright.office@dal.ca

 

 

Celebrating Open Education (OE) Week

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by Ann Barrett

Open Education Week (OE Week, March 1–5) is an opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide (from openeducationweek.org).

This year there’s much to celebrate as Open Educational Resources (OERs) are taking off at Dalhousie and in the Atlantic region! 

What are OERs? They are any type of educational material that is published under an open licence (e.g. select Creative Commons licenses) or in the public domain and can be used, reused, adapted, shared, and modified. OERs can be textbooks, lecture notes, syllabi, assignments, tests, and more. 

What makes for an OER is determined the ability to engage in the “5 Rs” in the use of the material:  

The 5 Rs of OER is a derivative of the 5 R Permissions of OER by Lumen Learning, licensed under CC BY 4.0. 


So, what’s to celebrate? 

Want to know more about OERs? Check out our OER Libguide, contact your subject librarian, or email digital.initiatives@dal.ca. Learn more about OER Week: https://www.openeducationweek.org/.

 

Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant 2021

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This grant is offered in partnership between the Centre for Learning & Teaching and Dalhousie Libraries through the support of Dalhousie’s Strategic Initiative Funding.

Focus of Grant

This grant will provide support for Dalhousie educators who are interested in adapting or creating an Open Educational Resource (OER).

The objectives of this grant program include:

  • Enhancing the learning experience of students at Dalhousie University through the adaptation or creation of OER
  • Supporting Dalhousie teaching and learning strategic priorities and the eLearning strategy (https://www.dal.ca/dept/clt/e-learning/elearning_strategy.html)
  • Alleviating student financial burden from the cost of textbooks and other educational resources that can be offered free of charge to students, thereby increasing access

Eligibility

Each project must be led by a full-time faculty member or a limited-term faculty member with at least one year remaining in their contract term at the start of the grant period. This is in order to ensure the feasibility and long-term sustainability of the project.  Non-academic staff and part-time faculty members may be co-applicants.  In addition, preference will be given to grant applicants who engage students in the planning, development, and/or creation of their OER and to projects that impact a substantive number of students.

Amount of Award

Grants up to $5,000 may be awarded.  Projects must be completed, and funds expended in their entirety by March 31, 2022.

Requirements

  1. Project Plan (See form and checklist below).
  2. A detailed budget is required with justification for each item (where salaries are submitted, 4% vacation pay should be added). Please include a list of any additional resources (e.g., funding, release time, equipment, etc.) that will be provided to the project from other sources.
  3. If you are planning to seek assistance and/or consultations from educational developers at CLT or digital librarians with the Dalhousie Libraries as part of your project, please seek confirmation in writing that assistance will be available with key staff member(s) during the time frame required, prior to submitting your proposal. (NB: The Dalhousie Libraries currently host an instance of Pressbooks, an Open Book creation platform. The Libraries also have expertise with this platform as demonstrated by recent initiatives.)
  4. Statement of support from the head of the relevant teaching unit (department, school, faculty) that includes description of any additional resources (e.g. funding, release time, equipment, etc.) to be provided to the project and a description of the value of the project, in particular the pedagogical impact on students. If a department head is an applicant for the grant, please provide a letter of support from your Associate Dean or Dean of your Faculty.
  5. Willingness to share the results of the project with the Dalhousie community at events arranged by the Dal Libraries and/or CLT (as a panel member or presenter). In addition, a brief, written, final report must be submitted to CLT within 18 months of receiving the grant, outlining the outcomes of the project and the approximate savings for the students accessing the OER (1,500–2000 words). Please note that a description of the project and also this report may appear on the OER grant website.
  6. Any OER made possible by this grant must be openly licensed (using a  Creative Commons license that is considered OER-compatible and openly accessible online (e.g., including using Dalhousie Libraries Pressbook installation, and any other OER platform) and adhere to the 5 Rs of OER: Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, Redistribute.

Funding will NOT be provided for the following items:

  • Conferences: registration travel, accommodations, etc.
  • Technology already available elsewhere, or where alternatives are available
  • Office supplies
  • Phone charges
  • Publishing fees
  • Faculty and staff salaries

NB: Projects that submit budgets that are largely requesting funds to purchase technology will only be considered in special circumstances where research has been conducted to ensure that the tool is the only possible solution, that the tool can be demonstrated to contribute substantially to the project, that there are no institutional plans to consider a Dalhousie-wide site licence for such a tool, and if the department or faculty is able to commit to maintaining the tool to ensure continued use and impact.

Submission Checklist

Applicants are encouraged to submit well-defined proposals that will demonstrably enhance teaching and learning.

To be submitted as part of the grant application, using the OER Grant Application Form:

Names of project lead and co-applicant(s), employment status of project lead, Faculty/Department, contact information, and brief bio (as it relates to the nature of the project)

  1. Project Title
  2. Brief Abstract (150 words) to be used for promotion purposes if the applicant is successful
  3. Project Plan (Not to exceed 2,000 words) including:
  • Brief description of the proposed project.
  • Rationale and goals for the project: Within the context of the program/course, outline the pedagogical impact on students and the contribution the project will make to the course or program.
  • Outline how the project will enhance student learning.
  • Outline any recommended technical or hosting requirements, or pedagogical assistance required (if seeking assistance from CLT and/or Dalhousie Libraries) and provide a brief email confirmation that the support can be provided as needed.
  • A detailed description of the OER.
  • Student population impacted and estimated cost savings for students.
  • Sustainability of project.

The following must be appended to your OER grant application form:

  • Detailed project timeline
  • List of additional resources
  • Teaching Unit Support – Letter from Head of Department
  • Detailed Budget

Submission process

Grant application requirements must be submitted as one full package, on Monday, March 8, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., as an electronic submission emailed to CLT@dal.ca

Selection Criteria

  • The project will significantly contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning in the stated context.
  • The project notes and outlines adherence to the 5 Rs of OER (Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix and Redistribute)
  • The project has clear and achievable aims (i.e., the proposal identifies an important teaching/learning challenge or issue that the project will address, clearly states the purpose of the project, and defines realistic and achievable outcomes).
  • The project engages students in the planning, development, and/or creation of their OER.
  • The project will result in feasible, impactful, and sustainable benefits to students resulting in deep learning.
  • The proposed budget is fully justified and in line with the aims and timeline of the project.
  • The project has the support of the applicant’s Dean or Department Head.

    OER2021 GRANT APPLICATION

Questions or requests for feedback on proposals in development may be directed to:

Suzanne Le-May Sheffield, Ph.D.
Director
Centre for Learning and Teaching
Tel: (902) 494-1894 | Suzanne.Le-May.Sheffield@dal.ca

Or:

Anne Matthewman
Associate Dean Learning & Teaching and Chief Law Librarian
Dalhousie Libraries
Tel: (902) 494-2640 | anne.matthewman@dal.ca

 

Copyright & Online Learning Presentation

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The Dalhousie Libraries Copyright Office will be hosting a presentation discussing copyright considerations for online learning. Dalhousie faculty, staff, and students who are involved in course instruction are invited to attend.

The presentation portion will be 40 minutes long with 15–20 minutes following the presentation for questions. Any additional questions can be sent to copyright.office@dal.ca

This event will be held online using Microsoft Teams and registration is required. A reminder will be sent one day before the event. You can also contact copyright.office@dal.ca to check your registration status.

Wednesday, January 20
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Register here

CLOSING EARLY THIS EVENING (Thurs., Dec. 17)

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Due to the forecasted weather, the Kellogg (CHEB and Tupper locations), Sir James Dunn Law Library, Sexton Design & Technology Library and the Wallace McCain Learning Commons will close at 4 p.m.

The Killam and MacRae libraries will close at 7 p.m.

Stay safe everyone!

Times Higher Education (THE) Subscription Open to the Dalhousie Community

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THE reports on news and issues related to higher education.

To access Dalhousie’s three-year subscription to the Times Higher Education (THE), go to the THE website via this link and create an account using your Dalhousie email address. If you’re having trouble creating your account, please see these detailed directions: setting up THE newsletter access

Once registered, you can subscribe to various THE newsletters. Topics covered by THE include:

Thanks to the Strategic Initiatives Fund for this subscription.

 

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