Spring Break
Courses offer online textbook alternatives
Issue date: 10/9/08
Although the use of online resources at Hopkins has become common practice since the introduction of E-Reserves in 1993, questions of legality as well as efficiency continue to be raised due the tendency of technology to evolve faster than the law can keep up, causing clashes with copyright law and intellectual property.
Some of the most common online resources used by Hopkins students are the Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Library's E-Reserves and the WebCT program. E-Reserves allows professors to grant access to excerpts from textbooks and journal articles online through the library.
Abby Collier, head of the Reserves section of the MSE library, wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter that, "MSE library staff collaborate with the JHU's General Counsel's office to work within copyright laws."
Staff members at the MSE Library occasionally work with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to comply with regulations, as well as individually requesting permission from publishers.
Postings to WebCT occasionally become more complicated. While technically photocopying sections of a text and posting them to WebCT does not constitute a copyright infringement, the use of password protection limits distribution. Because of this, WebCT postings are not generally considered the best option for professors. For this reason, the reference staff at the MSE Library recommends using E-Reserves instead.
Another online resource gaining prominence is Online Web Learning (OWL), a Web site based on course textbooks. Questions are assigned at the end of each chapter; Students have five tries to answer each correctly.
One of the main classes using OWL is Introductory Chemistry.
"In principle, this kind of set-up should provide students a better means for keeping up with the material," Chemistry Professor David Draper wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter.
"I mean, it depends what the professors put into it, but I haven't had any problems with the system," student Shantini Persaud said.
Some of the most common online resources used by Hopkins students are the Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Library's E-Reserves and the WebCT program. E-Reserves allows professors to grant access to excerpts from textbooks and journal articles online through the library.
Abby Collier, head of the Reserves section of the MSE library, wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter that, "MSE library staff collaborate with the JHU's General Counsel's office to work within copyright laws."
Staff members at the MSE Library occasionally work with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to comply with regulations, as well as individually requesting permission from publishers.
Postings to WebCT occasionally become more complicated. While technically photocopying sections of a text and posting them to WebCT does not constitute a copyright infringement, the use of password protection limits distribution. Because of this, WebCT postings are not generally considered the best option for professors. For this reason, the reference staff at the MSE Library recommends using E-Reserves instead.
Another online resource gaining prominence is Online Web Learning (OWL), a Web site based on course textbooks. Questions are assigned at the end of each chapter; Students have five tries to answer each correctly.
One of the main classes using OWL is Introductory Chemistry.
"In principle, this kind of set-up should provide students a better means for keeping up with the material," Chemistry Professor David Draper wrote in an e-mail to the News-Letter.
"I mean, it depends what the professors put into it, but I haven't had any problems with the system," student Shantini Persaud said.
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