Prof told to pull podcasts
9/18/2006 3:46:07 PM, by Nate Anderson
A North Carolina professor who offered his course lectures as paid downloads has been asked to suspend the service while the school decides whether it is appropriate. Robert Schrag, a North Carolina State communications professor, had begun making his lectures available for download by students and the general public alike, according to a university paper. Schrag charged $2.50 a lecture—he received part of the money, while the rest went to the download site.
Now Schrag has been asked to suspend the practice by university administration while the school struggles to develop a comprehensive policy for the use of this sort of intellectual property. While some students objected to paying for the lectures, Schrag told the Chronicle of Higher Education that the complaints are without merit. "We're talking about the price of a draft beer," he said. "You go to a concert. Your tuition buys you access to the concert, it doesn't buy you the CD." Of course, if the concert costs $597.88, you might expect the CD to be included.
This isn't big business; Schrag made only $11 before the lectures were pulled, and he says the money simply goes toward defraying his recording and editing costs.
Podcasting raises a host of questions for those within the Ivory Tower. Should lectures be available to the public, who will pay only a fraction of the tuition price for the same in-class material? Are professors allowed to profit or charge for work done in the service of their schools? Will students come to class, or will "class" become 45 minutes on a Stairmaster with an iPod clipped to the waist? These questions have taken on prominence as professors wonder if the new technology is helping or hindering their mission to educate...
arstechnica.com |
