Student Evaluations of Teaching: the Kaplan Arbitration Ruling
On June 28, William Kaplan, the Arbitrator appointed to resolve the issue of Faculty Course Surveys (FCS) and related matters, including the use of student evaluations of teaching (SET) for promotion and/or tenure decisions, between the Ryerson Faculty Association and the Ryerson University, rendered a decision which highlights the limitations of the use of SETs, and the importance of a well-rounded review of faculty teaching.
The APUO prepared a summary of the arbitration ruling and provides a brief analysis of its potential impacts at the University of Ottawa. The text is available in full at the following link.
Course materials and copyright
Some of you have contacted us expressing concerns about students redistributing audio recordings, videos, photos, and course materials without the authorisation of professors. These actions violate your intellectual property rights and the Canadian Copyright Act. The APUO offers the following sample statements for granting or withholding permission for the recording of lectures as examples of text that you may include in your course syllabi.
Sample 1: Professor forbids recordings and redistribution of course materials
Recording lectures in any way, including the taking of photographs, is prohibited in this course unless specific permission has been granted by the professor. The educational materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lecture notes and slides, handout materials, examinations and assignments, and any materials posted to Brightspace, are the intellectual property of the professor. These materials have been developed for student use only and are not intended for wider dissemination and/or communication outside of a given course. Participation in this course constitutes an agreement by all parties to abide by the relevant University Policies, and to respect the intellectual property of others during and after their association with the University of Ottawa. Students creating unauthorized audio and/or video recordings of lectures, and/or redistributing or providing unauthorized audio, video, photographic or textual material of lecture content violates the professor’s intellectual property rights, and the Canadian Copyright Act.
Sample 2: Professor permits audio and/or video recordings but with no distribution rights
For this course, students may create audio and/or video recordings of the lectures for their personal use. Such recordings are intended to permit lecture content review so as to enhance understanding of the topics presented. They are not a substitute for attending class meetings. Please be advised that since audio and video recordings are permitted, students’ voices and/or images may be recorded by others during the class. Please speak to the course instructor if this is a concern for you. When creating audio and/or video recordings of the lectures, students agree to the following terms and conditions:
- Recordings are not to be distributed through any on or off-line distribution channel without the expressed permission of the professor.
- Recordings are not to be shared with other classmates without the expressed permission of the professor.
Participation in this course constitutes an agreement by all parties to abide by the relevant University Policies, and to respect the intellectual property of others during and after their association with the University of Ottawa. Non-compliance with these terms violates the professor’s intellectual property rights and the Canadian Copyright Act.
Posters of a racist-Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic nature
The APUO strongly denounces the racist Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic posters that were seen on our campus in late November/early December. The posters are part of a context in which we are witnessing an increase in hate and discrimination-based speech and crimes around the world. The APUO believes that discrimination and any acts rooted in hatred and intolerance have no place at the University of Ottawa.
We express our solidarity and support for the communities targeted by the hateful message promoted through these posters.
The Canadian Association of university Teachers and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations
In November, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denouncing the adoption of the back-to-work legislation, putting an end to negotiations between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post, and ordering an immediate return to work. The APUO firmly supports CAUT’s position and reiterates that free collective bargaining is a right.
For its part, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) shared a press release in which it expressed concerns about the Ford government’s decision to cancel the Université de l’Ontario français project. OCUFA is adding its voice to that of the APUO, which, on November 26, strongly condemned the cuts affecting post-secondary education and the Franco-Ontarian community.
APUO office during the holidays
Finally, we wish all of our members a happy holiday. Please note that the APUO office will be closed from Friday, December 21, to January 2, inclusively. The office will reopen with our regular 8 am to 4 pm hours on Thursday, January 3, 2019.