Linking is a quick and easy way of sharing resources with your students. If you're not sure whether you can copy or upload the material, post the link instead. This includes links to publicly available online content (e.g., YouTube videos, websites, government documents) and library resources (e.g., articles, streaming videos, eBooks). Before linking, try to make sure that the material is legally posted by the copyright owner or with their permission. If you're unsure, reach out to theservicehub@senecapolytechnic.ca.
If you must copy from or reuse copyrighted materials, follow fair dealing guidelines. This includes:
For additional guidance, check out the Fair Dealing page or contact theservicehub@senecapolytechnic.ca
There are many openly licensed online resources, including images and videos, which can be used without seeking permission from the copyright owner. This includes content which are in the public domain and materials licensed under Creative Commons. Check out these resources for content with open licenses:
As an expert in your field, you are best at determining which information and resources will be relevant for your course. If you're not sure how to start searching for resources for your online course, your liaison librarian(s) can point you in the right direction! Liaison librarians can help by showing you resources in your subject area, providing a sample list of articles and other resources, and sharing tips on navigating these resources. Connect with your liaison librarian for more information.
When sharing lecture slides which include third-party content, such as images from websites, make sure to follow fair dealing guidelines and any terms of use for the material.
It's possible to share short clips of videos or audio in a recorded or live lecture as long as it's within fair dealing guidelines and any terms of use for the material. If students are required to access longer clips which exceed fair dealing limits, consider providing students the link to the material so that they can access it before the lecture. Check out the Videos & Audio tab for more information.
If you are considering playing background music before or during a live/recorded lecture, we would recommend selecting royalty-free or public domain music. Music streaming apps (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music) generally have terms of use which limit streaming to personal and non-commercial use only. Streaming content for the purpose of background music would violate their terms of use.
Here are some sites for royalty-free/public domain music:
Recording a reading of a book counts as making a copy of the work. Based on fair dealing, faculty may record themselves reading a portion of a book as long as:
Connect with your liaison librarian about creating an online resource list for your course. The library has a new course resources tool (Leganto) which allows faculty to create, manage, and share a list of course resources directly on Blackboard. This new tool enables faculty to share various types of course materials including faculty-authored documents, resources from the library collection, YouTube videos, and website links. This tool enables faculty to easily add persistent links to library resources, collect and assess student engagement with course resources, and share course resources which comply with copyright. Check out the Leganto Overview for Faculty guide for more information.
Print Textbooks & Fair Dealing
Under fair dealing, faculty can copy/scan and share a short excerpt of a print textbook with students. A short excerpt is generally one chapter or up to 10% of the textbook. Faculty must also include a citation for the textbook in order to apply fair dealing. When sharing the short excerpt, we recommend posting the file on Blackboard so that access is limited to students registered in the course. Under fair dealing, faculty cannot copy/scan different short excerpts of the same work to share with students (e.g., scanning and posting a different chapter each week).
OER Textbooks
Consider Open Educational Resources (OERs) as alternatives to traditional textbooks. OER textbooks have open licenses which allow faculty to share and sometimes adapt content for their courses. For more information, check out Seneca Faculty Guide to OERs.
Book Readings
Recording a reading of a book counts as making a copy of the work. Based on fair dealing, faculty may record themselves reading a portion of a book as long as:
Seneca Libraries purchase licensing agreements from various database vendors allowing the Seneca community to access to eResources such as eBooks, newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and streaming videos. Each vendor sets their own usage restrictions on the materials in their collection. It is important to note that licensing agreements override rights in the Copyright Act and the terms of the license must be followed.
Tips for using database content:
Most of the content found on websites, such as reports, images, and articles, are protected by copyright. The publicly available materials (PAMs) exemption in the Canadian copyright law allows faculty to copy online content for the purpose of education. In order to use this exemption, ensure that:
When sharing website content, it's best to link to the materials instead of downloading and posting it to Blackboard.
Netflix, iTunes & other subscription services
Note that content from video and audio streaming sites, such as Netflix, Crave, and iTunes, are available for personal viewing only. Streaming content from Netflix and similar sites in lectures and sharing log-in information with students are violations of their terms of use. Students, however, may access videos and audio from their personal subscription to these services.
YouTube Videos
Faculty may link to or embed content from YouTube and similar media sharing sites as long as the following conditions are met:
Library Streaming Videos
The library subscribes to several streaming video databases which provide the Seneca community access to feature films, educational videos, and documentaries. We recommend linking to videos from library databases when sharing it with students.
The library may also be able to purchase streaming videos which support courses. Complete the Recommendation for Library Purchase to recommend new items for the library collection.
Background Music
If you are considering playing background music before or during a live/recorded lecture, we would recommend selecting royalty-free or public domain music. Music streaming apps (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music) generally have terms of use which limit streaming to personal and non-commercial use only. Streaming content for the purpose of background music would violate their terms of use.
Here are some sites for royalty-free/public domain music:
From Print Sources
When creating course materials, follow fair dealing guidelines for images coming from print sources, such as a book or article. In general, you may use one image from a copyrighted work, or multiple images if it doesn't exceed 10% of the work. Remember to include a citation when applying fair dealing.
Images from Websites
Take note that most images posted on websites are protected by copyright. However, there are many openly licensed images online which can be used without further permission from the copyright owner. Check out these resources for image collections with open licenses:
Images from Adobe Stock
Seneca employees have access to Adobe Stock images, vectors, and other media. To access, log in to Adobe Stock website using your Seneca credentials. For permitted uses of Adobe stock content, please see Educational License terms.
For more tips on how to access and use Adobe Stock content, see the "Adobe Creative Cloud: What's in it for me?" workshop recording from the Teaching & Learning Summer Conference (Aug. 26, 2021).
Images from Library Databases
Seneca Libraries provides access to several image databases. Each vendor sets their own usage restrictions on the materials in their collection. It is important to note that licensing agreements override rights in the Copyright Act and the terms of the license must be followed. Check out the database's terms of use to determine if you can use database images in your course materials.
Open educational resources or OERs "are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation." (Source)
For more information, see Seneca Faculty Guide to OERs.
Examples of subjects with open textbooks include: Psychology, Business, ESL, Microbiology.
Examples of open learning resources, such as activities and handouts, include: Writing Your Essay, The Accounting Cycle – Problems, Mathematics (homework exercises).