I’m beginning my final paper for my directed study on issues related to open access to educational materials and copyright law. Here’s my working abstract:

In recent years, open access repositories have become increasingly popular tools for teaching and learning in the digital age. But copyright law remains a serious obstacle to these types of open sharing models. Further, it has created a culture of confusion and fear of legal backlash among educators and the institutions to which they belong. The result has led many to believe that locking down educational materials behind walled-gardens is the best path forward. This paper reviews recent educational and technological efforts towards overcoming these barriers. The author provides a literature review on the issues relevant to this heated debate between how to balance the rights of copyright holders with those who seek to use copyrighted materials for teaching and learning in the digital age.

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