Special Copyright Issues in E-training and E-learning

Copyright Issues

     You have heard discussions about ethics, legal boundaries, and copying software. How would you react if the line you are trying not to cross, was constantly moving?

     Instructors had for decades been used to having permission to reproduce materials needed for learning. This capability was essential for preparing tests with questions related to the materials taught in class, and to supply materials along with sharing their own experiences on some topics.

     This ability has been severely compromised by publishing companies that also support the enforcement of licensing, patent, trademark, and copyright standards promoted by business partners for other circumstances. Everyone, even a corporate entity, has a right to be compensated for the work that they do. That has been accepted as ground for legal action in the past. The very definition of a Tort is an injury that has been suffered that compensation is expected for. Instructors had the understanding that the materials they used were paid for under different terms than the ones you and I are subject to, when we buy a movie, music, or a book. The reaction that happened when publishers began legal actions claiming the standards applied in educational circumstances were the same as applied to the general public, came as a shock.

     In order for the claims of the publishers to actually be regarded as true, legal precedents had to be set first. If you have taken the Business Law I course as part of your classes here at UNC Charlotte, then you already understand the importance of that step.


How much of this video can be posted for public viewing? How much can be used to train first responders? Currently, the answer is all of it.

     Each presiding judge who took on the issue, of course, had a slightly different interpretation of how the result “should be.” This was after all, a topic that had not been enforced in education, and had already caused a lot of strife when applied to the general public. What could be the limit for “fair use” for education? Should it be the same as the one for the general public? Are educators actually subject to the same licensing terms as the general public? Did the instructors have any reason to believe they had to conform to the restrictions applied by the publishing companies? How can instructors expect students to avoid plagiarism and copying, if the instructors did not follow the same practices? How much—or little—can be quoted without raising issues of plagiarism or words taken out of context? How will this affect education in countries outside the jurisdiction of the court? When does a modification, compromise the identity of the publisher? The last is an issue I aided with enforcement for many former clients, by preparing "identity guides" for business partners to follow--but they often had to be contacted in person for additional guidance. There are of course many additional questions raised that may not occur to those of us who have never been instructors, or publishers.

Is this the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte logo? How can you tell?

     There is currently no absolute answer to any of the questions raised. As far as the courts are concerned, this topic is still a gray area, an undefined issue, or a line that can be changed when some new information is made available to the court. A precedent that has been set yesterday may be changed tomorrow improving the standing of either—or both—parties. The most recent standard that I’ve heard applied was that 30 seconds or less of (video in this case) media can be used without crossing a line, both in general and in educational use. For published text, I have never heard a specific number of words that can be quoted.

     We all have to use our best ethical judgement; but those standards keep changing.

     Clarkson, Miller and Cross. Business Law: Text and Cases, Twelfth Edition, Vol. I. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. 

     Thank you to the NASCAR fans who provided the video shown above. 

     McDevvitt. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Identity Standards Guide. Available at http://brand.uncc.edu/sites/brand.uncc.edu/files/media/PDFs/UNC_Charlotte_ISG_2009FEB19.pdf

eLearning Is Important All Across the World!

With our last post I wanted to take a look at some of the important aspects of eLearning across the globe. So, while doing my research I came across an event that takes place every year, for the past 7 years, now in Africa. It's called eLearning Africa, and it's set to take place May 29th - 31st in Windhoek, Namibia.

According to their website:

"eLearning Africa's innovative conference programme brings together over 300 speakers and chairpersons from 50 countries. Highlights include pre-conference workshops, plenary sessions featuring internationally acknowledged eLearning experts, networking opportunities and a wide variety of session formats.

Under the overall theme of tradition, change and innovation, eLearning Africa 2013 will examine the experiences, projects, investments, policies, partnerships and research that are shaping the Continent's learning landscape."

 

 

Along with a few displays of African culture and entertainment, the conference aims to cover many topics including but not limited to tablets, mobiles, and MOOCs (massively open online courses). Another key issue at the conference is just how much governments should be focused on education and the innovation thereof when they face so many other pressing issues. The conference actually comes to close with a debate on that very topic.

 

The conference attracts many attendees from across the world and is sponsored by global business leaders in electronics and education like Dell, Microsoft, Wyse, and E-Course. Last year participant numbers were down from the previous two years from around 1700 to around 1500. However, organizers expect the 2013 Conference to be a huge success and the number of participants to be up from last year's number.

 

What's the cost of attending an event like this, you ask? Well, for African students it costs around $195 (€ 150 ), and for African nationals it costs around $470 (€ 360). But for anyone from outside the African continent it'll set you back about $900 (€ 690), and that's not including travel fees and the cost of dining while you're there. So it's definitely not for the casual person interested in eLearning.

 

Check out the video below for a glimpse of what happened at eLearning Africa 2012.

 

 

Sources:
http://www.elearning-africa.com/index.php
http://www.elearningnews.net/view_event.php?event_id=143

Coursera: Is It For You?

Ok, so  following our group presentation, the Professor spoke briefly about Coursera. For those of you who might have forgot, or perhaps weren’t there (shame, shame), Coursera is “a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free” (www.coursera.org/#about/howitworks). And by top universities in the world, we’re talking about institutions like Stanford, MIT, Duke, the University of Michigan, and many more world renowned educational institutions.

We failed to mention Coursera in our presentation for a couple reasons, namely because I was the individual responsible for researching the collegiate aspect of eLearning and eTraining, and the research I found (in my mind & in the mind of our group) related to Coursera and its range of class offerings were new and exciting, but were also unproven. Coursera has not even been around a whole year yet. It’s true, however, that Coursera has just fewer than 3 million users, and it offers a wide array of top quality educational courses. All things considered, though, there is definitely a level of subjectivity as it relates to the appeal of taking classes through a system like Coursera. What I mean by that is that although the classes are free to anyone and everyone, the benefits of taking these courses are marginal. There are no formal certifications offered upon completion of these courses, nor will it earn you transferable credits for a comparable course offering at a traditional college or university. So that leaves students the sole gratification received from gaining knowledge and increasing your skill levels in certain academic disciplines as the key motivating factors for completing these courses.

With respect to Coursera and its founders, though, it is highly possible that their formula for education could be a trendsetter in all aspects of formal education, from kindergarten through graduate school. In fact, the Coursera founders set out with a vision in mind that people shouldn’t be limited in the quest for an education by how much money an education costs. They feel that anyone should be able to earn whatever level of education they desire no matter their financial situation. It seems to me that they fail to realize, however, that what they are essentially doing is only shifting the paradigm from a requirement of monetary capital to the need for time-based capital. In other words even though it’ll be free, your new concerns will consist of having and/or making the time to complete courses, and whether or not there are sufficient consequences to not making the time needed to complete your coursework in a timely fashion, if that makes sense. Before, it was you or your parents’ hard-earned money on the line pressing you toward completion. In this hypothetical learning environment, will there even be a significant motivating factor there to spur you along?

So with all that in mind, and knowing that I have a captive audience due to the fact that some of us still need to fulfill our blog comment requirements, I wanted to use this opportunity to ask you to respond to a few questions.

First, if an entire [college] education was free via an online provider like Coursera, would you have enough self-motivation to stick to it and complete your degree in a timely manner? Out of curiosity, what would be those motivating factors?

Second, given the fact that Coursera currently offers no certification for class completion, would you still be interested, today, in taking one of the courses they offer in an effort to grow your base of knowledge?

Finally, do you see this trend toward free educational offerings good or bad for both education and our society? Why, or why not?

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out our blog.

 

Source: http://www.coursera.org

The Electronic Playing Field

While considering the various potential applications of the multitude of e-Training and e-Learning programs, education and the workforce are the primary areas that come to mind. Although the classroom and the job floor are among the most important areas that utilize electronic forms of training, they are not the only ones. Many individuals also engage in e-Training for leisure and recreational purposes. As opposed to racking up hours on the playing field, athletes of nearly all sports use technology to refine their skills more conveniently.

Golf is one sport that has embraced e-training and e-learning with open arms. Many players may practice every aspect of the game without even stepping a foot outdoors. There are now virtual simulators that allow players to tee-off from a driving range style platform. Instead of hitting the ball hundreds of yards into an open field, the ball is hit into a screen which displays the vision of a grassy fairway. Technology in the simulator will allow the screen to show the projected path of the ball as well as the speed and distance traveled. In addition, these simulators have the capabilities to walk golfers through dozens of virtual courses, all complete with 18 holes, sand traps, water hazards and unpredictable weather conditions. 

The introduction of this technology has enabled individuals to practice their sport without having to worry about the factors that would normally hinder their play. For example, golfers are able to:

• Play on courses without having to pay fees.
• Golf indoors during unfavorable weather conditions.
• Save the time and energy associated with traveling through 18 holes of play.
• Save on expenses such as supplies and gas needed to get to the course.

In addition to golf, other sports have also incorporated similar technologies of their own. This will surely lead to an increase in the skill level of players throughout all sports. Technology is steadily increasing the competitive edge of athletes by allowing them to practice virtually anywhere and any time.

Sources:

http://www.sportsentertainmentspecialists.com/TruGolfSimulators/technique-prestige.html

http://www.sportsentertainmentspecialists.com/MultiSportSimulators/6-sports-simulators.html

e-Training: Saving Lives in the Military

Many organizations in a vast array of career fields are applying electronic learning and training techniques to standard operations. This is largely due to increases in efficiency and effectiveness as compared to traditional training methods. In some cases, however, virtual training offers far more than convenience and cost savings. In fact, in occupations such as those found in the various branches of the military, e-training is used to save lives.

It is no surprise that a "newbie" on the job typically does not posses the knowledge that it takes to perform at a high level. This presents major problems to individuals such as those preparing to execute highly detailed mission objectives and those attempting to operate fighter jets. When you add in the possibility of having to accomplish these tasks in an extremely hostile environment filled with people aiming to kill you, you have a recipe for disaster. Throwing a trainee into an environment such as this would most certainly end in failure, or worse. Luckily, there are virtual training methods in the military that are tailored to specific dangerous jobs.

In the Air Force, fighter pilots use specialized flight simulators to develop and refine all aspects of operating this advanced type of machinery. These simulators create an environment that is nearly identical to that of a real fighter jet. The virtual setting consists of a cockpit as the centerpiece of the room. Inside the cockpit, the locations of all the buttons and gauges are consistent with reality. This cockpit even rests on a hydraulic lift that is responsible for moving the "e-aircraft" in response to the actions made by the pilot. Also, a series of screens are situated around the cockpit in a 360-degree fashion. These screens display a seemingly real-life display, complete with virtual enemies on the ground and in the air. The flight simulation software is programmed to reenact emergency situations as well as intense battle scenarios.

Most branches of the military also require soldiers-in-training to use battlefield simulators. These simulators are highly advanced, displaying a realistic combat zone on the screen of high-tech virtual reality glasses. The environment portrayed to the soldier is programmed to change in response to the movements and decisions made by the individual. Soldiers even use "e-weapons" that mimic the size, feel, and performance of actual weaponry. These simulators are designed in an attempt to replicate the emotions of fear felt during battle as well as the need for precision in spite of these emotions. In fact, the army is actually introducing new simulators that, in a non-life threatening manner, inflict pain on soldiers who are virtually injured. This is currently accomplished by using tactical devices, air jets and air cannons.

Sources:
http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-military/index.html
http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-military/air-force.html#flight-simulators
http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-military/combat-simulation.html
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/11/virtual-explosions/