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Instructional Content Being Shared Without Your Permission?

If you are concerned about the sharing and use of your instructional materials without your permission, the following guidelines can help.

  1. Only post instructional materials you want to protect on password-protected platforms accessible only to enrolled students (i.e., Canvas). 
  2. Communicate to students that your course materials are protected – within your syllabus, and on your materials themselves. 
    • Sample syllabus language to add under academic integrity statement:
      Our campus community is dedicated to honesty, fair-mindedness, humility, and perseverance. Honest scholarly endeavors and the development of ethical reasoning are essential to these values. Our community members are expected to employ ethical reasoning to determine the right way to access, create, distribute, and employ information. Just as each student’s scholarly work is their own intellectual property and may not be shared outside of the course without permission, our syllabus and other course materials are the intellectual property of your instructor and others. These materials may not be shared, uploaded, or distributed elsewhere unless they are openly licensed. 
    • Sample document footer language: “This content is protected and may not be shared, uploaded or distributed elsewhere. For permission to use, contact [email@wisc.edu].”
  3. If you find that your instructional materials have been shared to third party websites, assert your copyrights by sending a DMC takedown notice. You may also consider reaching out to the Office of Student Conduct if the sharing of material constitutes academic misconduct. 

For additional support or information, contact Carrie Nelson.