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Faculty Teaching Resources: Copyright in Teaching

Disclaimer

Information presented on this page is not intended as legal advice.

Copyight FAQ

No; however, copyright law does allow for the use of copyrighted works in the classroom for limited, educational purposes.

You are encouraged to link to resources when possible and/or place materials on reserve in the library for distribution and access.
Analyze the context, amount, substantiality, and effect of use on the market potential of the work you want to utilize for class. 

Further Reading
Fair Use Overview-Stanford University
US Copyright Office Fair Use Index
What is Fair Use-Stanford University

We recommend using video and images that are in the Public Domain or have a Creative Commons License. The library has comprised a list of resources, including library databases, where the Terms of Use allow for classroom use.
We recommend you still cite used materials and link to the library material used rather than uploading a copy.

Images for Presentations

Nervous about copyright? Use material with lenient copyright (Creative Commons) or expired copyright (public domain). Librarian recommendations!

Find Images, Video, and Audio by Subject

Collections from MWU Library with animations, lectures, podcasts, video, etc.

If possible, the best practice is to directly link to the source. Contact a librarian to help you create a stable link to a resource from our collection. If you want to share a copy of something we do not own, fair use may lean in your favor, but you should consider the following.
  • You obtained the material in a legal manner.
    • Purchased your own copy.
    • Ordered through Interlibrary Loan.
  • The work’s copyright is included in the document.
    • For books, scan the copyright page.
    • For articles, do not delete the copyright page provided in the PDF download.
  • You have considered the four factors of fair use to make an informed decision on sharing material.
  • The material is only shared in a limited capacity (such as on Canvas where there is login protection and only persons enrolled in the course can access the material).
  • You may also consider limiting the length of time the material is available.

Can I Use Cases and Board Prep Question Banks in Class and on my Test/Quizzes?

No; it is generally discouraged to copy or reproduce any questions from MyAccess products.

However, instructors may direct or assign questions/quizzes through MyAccess with a free MyAccess account and then add students to a group.

From McGraw-Hill: Medical's Terms of Use:
"MHE grants Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use Content on the Site for internal research or study purposes only, subject to these terms of use and to the payment of any fees in any subscription agreement... Licensee may download or print out only limited portions of the Content from the Site solely for your own internal research or study purposes. Licensee may not otherwise copy, transmit, rent, lend, sell, or modify any materials from Content or modify or remove any proprietary notices contained therein, or create derivative works or services based on materials from the Content."

McGraw-Hill: Medical Terms of Use

Instructor Resources

Instructor materials are available in AccessMedicine, AccessPharmacy, and AccessPhysiotherapy. Follow the instructions to gain access to instructor's resources.

My Access - Building a Lecture

"Tutorial showing instructors how to select, organize, and export favorite content to embed into coursework."

No; it is generally discouraged to copy or reproduce any questions from Exam Master.

From Exam Master's Terms of Use:

"You may not reverse engineer, modify, copy, duplicate, reproduce, license or sublicense these third party products or transfer or convey these products or any right in the products. The same shall hold true for any and all parts of EMO in that you may not download, print, decompile, reverse engineer, copy, resell, rent, sub-license, lease, or lend any part without prior obtained permission." - Terms of Use Agreement for Faculty
" If licensed as an option from EMC, content received through this application may be displayed via the program features and printed for the administration of examinations or study assignments. The number of printed copies of any exam that is allowed is limited to the number of Institutional Users that are licensed by an Institutional Client. This printed material is to be for non-commercial use only, unless otherwise agreed to in advance and in writing by EMC." - User License Agreement

Exam Master Online User Guide

Yes; LWW Health Library allows for some reuse as long as it stays within educational purposes and is cited correctly.

From LWW Health Library's Terms of Use:

Allows for the download and printing of content (which has been made available for print or download by Wolters Kluwer) so long as it remains within the institution for scholarly or instructional use, is used to prepare or present coursework to students, and contains citation/credited information.
See section 2.4.2. of the Terms of Use for the full description of permissions and section 2.5 for Restrictions of Use.

LWW Health Library Terms of Use

Yes; MWU Faculty can request instructor accounts to create and assign assessment/tests to students.
"The materials maintained on the site and provided as part of the services, in whole or in part, are the sole and exclusive property of Board Vitals, Inc., and shall not be replicated, reproduced, copied, downloaded, removed, or otherwise transcribed. User shall not access or use licensed materials except on the site for the purposes therein set forth."

Board Vitals Terms and Conditions
Can I copy or print any materials from my subscriptions?
BoardVitals for Institutions FAQ

Test Student Knowledge with Shelf Exams and More

Board Vitals: Provides question banks for APMLE 1,2,&3, NBDE 1&2, USMLE 1,2,&3, COMLEX, PANCE, NAPLEX, and shelf exams*

  • Faculty can create assignment/tests based on the questions in Board Vitals
  • Track student performance
  • To request acess to these tools, contact Susie Bossenga, Technical Services Manager sbosse@midwestern.edu
  • Go to Board Vitals and sign in to begin using the tools

This is for Midwestern University faculty only.

*Family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, OBGYN, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery

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