What are note sharing websites?
There are several commercial note-sharing or course-sharing websites on the Internet. For example, Course Hero, OneClass, and StuDocu. These sites allow students to share study materials such as their own lecture notes. Unfortunately, students are posting materials provided by their professors or sharing their previous assignments and tests, which is in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy and Copyright. These websites provide incentives such as monetary reward for students to post content that would increase user visits to these sites.
It is helpful to educate students on the ethical and legal uses of your course materials. Education may help prevent students from posting course materials on the Internet. Here are some strategies:
1) Talk to your students about the course materials
At the start of a term, mention to your students that the course materials provided by you or posted on the LMS are for their own educational use and should not be shared on the Web or externally.
2) Include a © symbol and/or statement on the course materials
Add the copyright symbol, your name and date that you created the material. You may also include a statement to clarify what students can and cannot do with your material. Here is a suggested statement:
"The materials provided in class and in Blackboard are protected by copyright. They are intended for the personal, educational uses of students in this course and should not be shared externally or on websites such as Course Hero or OneClass. Unauthorized distribution may result in copyright infringement and violation of GBC policies."
3) Cite any third-party sources used in the course materials
Provide attribution to the sources you are using to demonstrate good scholarly practice and academic integrity to your students.
4) Suggest learning support services available
In addition to seeking coursework help from you and other professors, refer students to
GBC Library for research and citation help Tutoring and Learning Centre for learning support
