Intellectual Property in Academia

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an asynchronous online workshop?
2. Should I log in at a specific time?
3. Who will be the participants in this workshop?
4. What if I don't know very much about the subject of copyright?
5. What are the expectations for participant conduct and engagement in these programs?
6. How will the workshop be delivered and what are the technical requirements?
7. How will I log in to the workshop and navigate it?
8. How much time will this involve?
9. Is this like a self-paced course?
10. Will enrollment be limited to encourage one-to-one coaching?
11. Does the registration fee include one-to-one coaching after the workshop?
12. Will the workshop be largely case-based or experiential?
13. Will reminder e-mails be sent to the registrants toward the beginning of the workshop?
14. Will print materials be distributed for this workshop?
15. What is the Center for Intellectual Property's policy on cancellations and refunds for program registration?

1. What is an asynchronous online workshop?

An asynchronous workshop takes place entirely online via the World Wide Web (Web). Participants review the materials online, participate in a computer-based conference, and use electronic mail to communicate with the instructors individually. Although the asynchronous workshop does not include a face-to-face component, it does offer participants more in-depth review of the materials, more consistent access to the instructors, and a longer period of time to discuss the issues that are the focus of the workshop series. For this workshop, participants from throughout the United States will be engaged in an online learning environment led by a leading expert in intellectual property issues. This expert will be responsible for leading approximately three weeks of activity from her specialty perspective, which will involve a structured presentation of issues with supporting materials plus facilitated discussion, followed unstructured online discussion among the participants hosted by the expert.

2. Should I log in at a specific time?

There is no specific time schedule for activities. Rather, it is an ongoing, continuous seminar in which participants are active at times convenient to them. Participants are able to view one each others' comments to the discussions as well as the materials delivered by the workshop leaders and materials prepared by the Center for Intellectual Property and Copyright in the Digital Environment.

There is no "real time" or "live" presentation. It will be conducted entirely online via the Web using a threaded conference discussion as the means to offer interaction with the instructors.

3. Who will be the participants in this workshop?

The intended participants in this workshop are the variety of higher education personnel who are now dealing with technology's impact on plagiarism, academic integrity, and faculty ownership of course materials such as faculty, academic administrators, librarians, distance education specialists, and academic counsel.

4. What if I don't know very much about the subject of copyright?

To get you started, we have put together a help section entitled Copyright Primer: All You Need to Know in Just 21 Questions. The primer gives background information about copyright as well as information on special circumstances concerning copyright ownership, copyrighting your own work, and copyright and the Internet.

The primer will be available online through a link on the Workshop Welcome page one week before the beginning of the workshop. You may also review the primer in the Learning Objects section of the CIP .

5. What are the expectations for participant conduct and engagement in these programs?

The CIP online workshops are professional development programs that serve a national and international audience, with a large number of participants coming from the higher education arena, but also from the legal profession and from various business/industry sectors. As such, both the CIP and our program participants adhere to and expect high standards for appropriate conduct, language, and behavior that are consistent with an institution of higher learning and a model 21st-century workplace.

At the discretion of CIP and UMUC personnel, inappropriate or illegal conduct that violates these standards may result in the removal from the program of the offending participant. Disruptive behavior is behavior that interferes with the learning and teaching environment and/or administration of the program by the Center for Intellectual Property. Examples of such behavior are:

• Verbally intimidating, threatening or abusing any person or persons;
• Physically intimidating, threatening, abusing or assaulting others;
• Interfering with the learning and/or environment by disruptive behavior or lewd or indecent expressions or conduct as defined by law;
• Making inappropriate demands for time and attention from faculty, staff and/or students.

While participating in CIP programs, we appreciate your cooperation in creating and sustaining an environment for respectful dialogue, thoughtful discourse, generous sharing of knowledge, and genuine learning.

6. How will the workshop be delivered and what are the technical requirements?

The workshop will be delivered via WebTycho, a customized program developed by University of Maryland University College, to facilitate course delivery via the World Wide Web. The WebTycho system works in conjunction with a Web browser to provide an interactive classroom experience.

The following are the minimum technical requirements for running WebTycho, the course delivery program.

• A 486 processor (or equivalent for Macintosh) minimum with a supported operating system
• A 66 MHz CPU minimum
• A 28.8 Kbps modem minimum
• 16 MB RAM minimum to run a supported Internet browser
• 40 MB hard drive space to install and run a supported Internet Browser
• A supported Internet browser
• An Internet Service Provider (ISP)
• An active e-mail account

* Additional technical requirements are provided by visiting UMUC 360 Support (http://support.umuc.edu) and clicking in the left hand navigation on WebTycho Support>>Technical Requirements.

Portions of these programs will may also occur using Wimba Live Classroom and Wimba Voice Tools.

• Information on using Wimba and the technical requirements
• Running the Wimba Live Classroom Setup Wizard
• The Wimba Live Classroom Participant Guide

* Additional information on the Wimba Live Classroom Setup Wizard is provided by visiting the UMUC 360 Support KnowledgeBase and following this path: UMUC Support>>Other Applications>>Wimba>>Live Classroom>>Student>>Getting Started.

7. How will I log in to the workshop and navigate it?

Once you have registered, we will roster you as a participant in the workshop. We will issue you an initial password, which you can change after you first log in to the WebTycho system. WebTycho is available at http://tychousa.umuc.edu.

One week before the beginning of each workshop, we will post on the Announcements page a link to a guide on how to navigate, read materials, read responses to discussion questions and post your own responses. We will notify you by e-mail when the guide has been posted.

In the meantime, you can take a tour of WebTycho by logging in to the system as a guest.

8. How much time will this involve?

The workshop is asynchronous, so it does not need to be "attended" at specific times, or even on specific dates. Participants should anticipate that it will take approximately five hours per week to review the course materials, do the exercises and participate in the online discussion. The five hours can be done daily, at intervals during the week or all at once. We recommend that you spread out the time over the course of the week because this enhances the experience—but that is your choice.

Presenters will post materials and discussion questions at the beginning of a session, and respondents will have a full two-week window to respond/discuss/direct questions to the presenters and other participants.

9. Is this like a self-paced course?

To some extent, but not exactly. Workshop leaders will present information throughout the session in a logical sequence. Because it's online, you will see a "transcript" of the materials. You are expected to participate and be actively engaged with the material, the instructors and your fellow workshop participants. The advantage of the online environment is that you can participate whenever it's most convenient for you.

10. Will enrollment be limited to encourage one-to-one coaching?

The enrollment is limited but extensive one-on-one coaching is not what we envisioned when we put together the workshop. Instead, we are trying to provide some opportunity for individual questions/concerns while discussing the issues more generally for the entire class.

11. Does the registration fee include one-to-one coaching after the workshop?

That is not part of the course goals.

12. Will the workshop be largely case-based or experiential?

The workshop is designed to have both a case-based presentation format and opportunities for experiential learning. You should anticipate both if you decide to register for the workshop series.

13. Will reminder e-mails be sent to the registrants toward the beginning of the workshop?

Yes, reminder e-mails will be sent about a week prior.

14. Will print materials be distributed for this workshop?

At this time, we are not planning to provide a print course pack. You can, of course, save and print materials from the workshop while it's in session.

15. What is the Center for Intellectual Property's policy on cancellations and refunds for program registration?

Please review our policy here. Thank you.