Teachers are important members in society who educate and inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
So it can be disappointing for students to go into a new school year to find teachers using copyrighted lecture notes for the semester.
College professors should craft unique lesson plans not only to build a sense of camaraderie and engagements with students, but to avoid legal issues.
Professors are not allowed to upload copyrighted material to Canvas, so students that work at a slower pace than the professor won’t be able to revisit the notes after class.
Although the professor can assign textbook readings or websites to further supplement the lecture, a student would not be able to have their instructor as a resource while they review the material.
Another problem that stems from copyrighted lecture notes is that the professor may lose credibility in the students’ eyes.
Students look forward to hearing about how an expert will convey the subject. So when a professor reads off of a textbook or from copyrighted slides, it leaves them feeling jaded.
And with the cost of tuition rising, students may feel cheated knowing they could have learned the same thing from simply purchasing a $100 textbook.
Professors using original notes might build a stronger connection to their students starting from the first class.
Students would feel confident in their instructor’s mastery of the subject.