Approved by the: Amended by the: Approved by the:

University Senate - February 24, 2000 University Senate - November 16, 2000 Administration - December 1, 2000 Board of Regents - no action required

Preamble

The faculty of the University of Minnesota encourage students to take notes in their classes, laboratories, and the many and diverse other instructional settings in which they participate as they pursue their education at the University. Taking notes is a means of recording information but more importantly of personally absorbing and integrating the educational experience.

It is recognized that sharing of notes among classmates occurs occasionally, especially among friends if one misses a class or if there is a shared academic project or other legitimate collaboration among students in a class. The faculty also recognize that collaborative note-sharing and discussion helps students learn.

However, the organization, preparation, and presentation of materials in a class or other instruction setting represents the intellectual effort of the faculty or instructor. Faculty have an interest in protecting this intellectual effort and in assuring the accuracy of any public representations of their course lectures. The sale or broad dissemination for commercial purposes of class notes by students without faculty permission violates these interests and is considered an offense against the academic community.

Regulations

1. Students may not distribute, via the Internet of other means, lecture notes or instructor-provided materials for compensation or for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the instructor.

2. The provisions of this policy are enforceable as University rules under the University of Minnesota Statement of Standards of Student Conduct, and violations may result in warning, required compliance, confiscation, probation, suspension, or expulsion.

3. If the faculty of a department or collegiate unit, as a group, or individual faculty in a particular course, have assented to or authorized the distribution of lecture notes or instructor-provided materials, such a practice does not violate this policy.

4. This policy is effective Spring Semester 2001.