Copyright of blogged student work
When I blogged my PLE article, I have to admit that I didn't really care whether or not I had the right to do so, given that it was a submission to a masters degree course. Today I thought I'd find out for sure. All Australian universities publish policies about using copyright material produced by others. But I have only found a couple of universities (not the one I attend) who explicitly state that students are the copyright owner of the works they create. It is no wonder that it has not been entirely clear. So for material that I create, I have exclusive rights over its publication and distribution, including via the Internet. I see no indication that by submitting it for evaluation in a course, I am precluded from doing anything else with it. It is rare to see student submissions published elsewhere, including blogs. I wonder if this is due to reticence of students who may expose flawed perspectives, or self-censorship due to the perceived institutional authority, or the mistaken belief that the university actually holds certain rights? Do university faculties want you to believe you control your works? If you were explicitly told that you own your student works, maybe you'd be more motivated to organise your own PLE and recognise its value.
Published under a Creative Commons License
