WCP Policy on Student Intellectual Property and Permission to Use Student Work

Students hold copyright to works produced in their classes, including papers, projects, and other work (see US Copyright Law, 17 USC, Sec. 106). The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) likewise prohibits an institution (or its faculty or staff) from distributing student work without prior written consent.

Faculty may request permission to use work students produce in the class for a number of reasons, including to use as a sample in class, as an example of their teaching in their teaching portfolio, or in academic workshops. They may also want to use student work in their own presented or published research. In all these cases, instructors must seek student permission to use their work in writing; in research-related cases, instructors may need to receive permission from Georgia Tech’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Research-related uses

To use student work in academic presentations or publications, you need to request permission from Georgia Tech’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB may rule that your study is exempt—meaning you don’t have to complete a full IRB protocol—though it’s still necessary to contact IRB (irb@gatech.edu) in order get the official exempt status. If you need help with this process Andy or Melissa can answer questions.

Permission to use student work in research is often requested for specific artifacts (i.e., assignments or other work) students produce prior to their producing it. Typically, such permissions are not asked for all student work but for specific student work related to your particular research study.

Teaching-related uses

To use student work as an example in class, in your teaching portfolio or website, or in faculty development workshops, you can directly obtain student written permission using the WCP permissions form.

Note that permission to use student work for teaching-related uses should be sought after the student turns in the work. Unlike previous WCP practice, do not request blanket permissions for all student work at the beginning of the semester. Students (and faculty) don’t know what they’ll be producing at the beginning of the semester, the quality of that work, or the implications of potentially publicly sharing that work. So permission should be sought for specific, named instances of student work using the WCP permissions form.

In all cases, students have the choice whether or not to give permission and (if they give permission) whether or not to have their name used in connection with that work. Students also have the right to revoke permission at any time.

Student-facing Common Policy Statement

The following statement appears in the Common Policies for WCP courses.

Student Intellectual Property

Your instructor may request permission to use work you produce in the class for a number of reasons, including to use as a sample in class, as an example of their teaching in their teaching portfolio, or in academic presentations. In these cases, you have the choice whether or not to give permission and (if you give permission) whether or not to have your name used in connection with that work.

Conclusion

Students own the intellectual property they produce in classes, including their assignments. They need to have clear control over how that property gets used. The policy above, and the WCP permission form, help facilitate this control while giving instructors the opportunity to potentially use student work in fruitful ways.

You can use these sample forms:

1) Statement of Understanding for the Syllabus

2) Permission to use Student Work