Intellectual Property of Creator and Its Integrity In Distant Learning

Integrity Intellectual Property of Creator In Distant Learning

Intellectual Property In Distant Learning,Creator and User of Distant Learning Course,Academic Integrity as Compare to Classroom In Distant Learning.

Intellectual Property In Distant Learning 

    Online learning has created many new questions about ownership and control of online materials. Faculty have concerns about the ability to edit and control the presentation of works they have created, as well as the ability to change and update the materials over time. They also have concerns about the ability to take educational materials they have created when they leave to work at another institution. 

    Institutions have increasing concerns about online educational materials because of the financial and technical resources required to develop online courses. Many institutions have developed policies indicating that the institution owns copy right able works that are created with “substantial,” “significant,” or “extraordinary” university resources.

    The best policies and practices of ownership and use of online course materials would recognize and balance the rights of the course creators and contributors with the needs of the institution (Alger, 2002). Many of the legal and policy standards in higher education are based on the traditional model of face-to-face instruction. 

    The emergence of online learning has caused institutions of higher learning to reexamine policies related to curriculum development and control, evaluation of faculty and students, and ownership and use of intellectual property. One of the differences between traditional education and distance education is that individuals who create original online course materials may not necessarily be the instructor who teaches the course. 

Creator and User of Distant Learning Course

    The faculty member who created the course may not be all involved in the use of the materials. The faculty who are responsible for delivery of the course content may not have the same expertise as the course creator. Alger raised these questions that arise in this type of arrangement: 

• Who is responsible for reviewing the course?
• What happens if the course originator moves to another institution?
• Who makes the ultimate decision when conflicts arise among creators and instructors of courses?
• Who is responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright law in the use of course materials?
• What is the impact of fair use of offering such courses to non degree seeking students on a for profit basis? (Alger, 2002, p. 5)

Academic Integrity as Compare to Classroom In Distant Learning

    The evaluation of students in online courses raises several important issues. Instructors must create safeguards to ensure that students are held to the same standards of academic integrity as students who learn in traditional classrooms. The key to ensuring academic rigor in online courses is to meet the learning objectives as the classroom counterpart (Lynch, 2002). The means to measure student mastery of course outcomes may have to be modified in the online environment. 

    If there is no similar traditional course, it would be important to follow online instructional design principles. The course learning outcomes must be clearly identified and instructional activities that encourage active learning should be developed. Learning outcomes and strategies should be linked to methods that will be used to assess students' mastery of competencies.

    The two most common issues of academic honesty in online learning are identity crisis and plagiarism. Identity crisis refers to the issue of how do we know the person online is the person who registered for the class? The identity problem is difficult to address, because the complex technology needed to identify an individual in a remote setting is very expensive. 

    It would be prudent to create course activities and assessments that make it more difficult for students to cheat due to frequency of participation or application of theory to the students' own lives. There are software programs available that can be used to detect plagiarism, but these are time-consuming to use. The best prevention of plagiarism is student education and reinforcement throughout the course. 

    Proctored testing may be relevant for a summative assessment, such as an end of course exam. Proctored testing at decentralized locations is available to students at locations away from their own campuses. The Consortium of College Testing Centers (CCTC) is a free referral service provided by the National College Testing Association. 

    CCTC consists of a group of college and university testing centers throughout the United States that provides proctored testing at decentralized locations.Safeguards should be built into the online course design that will require online learners to uphold the same standards of academic honesty as students in traditional courses. 

    Careful design of summative assessments is another approach that could be used to assess student learning. Authentic performance assessments, such as projects that are relevant to the learner, may be a better assessment than a traditional essay test.

    When planning for implementation of online programs, it is essential to gain the support and enthusiasm of the faculty. Those leading the initiative must assess the factors that will facilitate the change and those that will become barriers. Teaching online is not better or worse than face-to-face teaching. 

    Both modes of instruction are unique, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The two teaching methods can be used in the same course without compromising or denigrating the other. They can form a synergistic union that strengthens both (Glahn & Gen, 2002).