After the pivot to remote instruction, course sharing sites have become a concern among SCU faculty in multiple departments and schools. Course sharing sites, like Chegg, allow students to upload study materials (e.g., lecture notes, assignments, and exam questions), as well as download "expert answers" to be used on a variety of assessment formats. Unfortunately, students are not always aware they are violating academic integrity and infringing copyright law when they are sharing their course materials.
However, as students' workloads have increased during the pandemic, it is important to recognize that students are trying to stay on top of their studies by finding supplementary materials to enhance their understanding of the course content. It is important for faculty to review what materials are deemed acceptable for use in their courses.
Here are resources for faculty that address concerns about course sharing sites and share information for how to remove course content from these sites:
- Course Sharing Websites (with resources curated by the SCU Library)
- Copyright Services Guide: Course Sharing Websites (from Sheridan College)
The university recognizes this is an ongoing concern among faculty and part of the new realities of teaching and learning online (and beyond). We continue to develop resources for faculty and students as these concerns evolve.