by Kathryn Tyler, Learning on Screen, UK
When you started working in education, copyright might have been something you assumed someone else would deal with. A librarian, perhaps. Or a policy tucked away in the staff handbook. But copyright is not a side issue, it’s central to how we teach, especially in a digital-first world.
Navigating copyright successfully has become a core skill with the shift to blended and online learning. Virtual Learning Environments like Moodle and Blackboard have made it easier — and more tempting — to embed rich, multimedia content into courses. Clips from Netflix or YouTube, recordings from TV, even podcasts and radio segments: they bring lectures to life, help students engage critically, and offer diverse perspectives beyond the textbook. But too often, the question of “Can I use this?” only comes after the content has been uploaded to the VLE, or included in a recorded lecture.
And that’s where the problems start.
The confidence gap
Recent surveys tell a consistent story: educators lack confidence when it comes to copyright. The foundational UK Copyright Literacy Survey revealed that over 70% of respondents felt unsure what they were legally allowed to use in teaching materials, and in 2023, the authors of the original survey launched a new Copyright Anxiety Study which suggests that copyright anxiety is growing.
This isn’t surprising. The rules feel complex. The language is legalistic. And exceptions like
‘illustration for instruction’ or ‘fair dealing’ are notoriously open to interpretation. Add in the fact that what’s legal to watch online isn’t always legal to use in teaching, and you can see why so many educators simply cross their fingers and hope for the best.
But ignorance isn’t a defense — and that’s where the real risks lie.
Why it matters now
At a time when universities and colleges are under scrutiny for everything from value-for-money to digital accessibility, copyright compliance has become more than just a legal issue. It’s a reputational one.
We’ve seen institutions forced to remove entire lecture libraries because they contained infringing material. We’ve heard stories of rights holders issuing takedown requests or demanding compensation. And most worryingly, we’ve seen staff lose confidence in using media at all — retreating from rich, audiovisual teaching for fear of ‘getting it wrong’.
This is a shame. Because used well, media can transform learning experiences and outcomes — especially for students with different learning needs. It can foster critical thinking, improve
engagement, and reflect the real world in ways that text alone cannot. But only if we empower educators to use it legally, ethically, and with confidence.
What we’re doing about it
That’s why Learning on Screen have developed a free copyright compliance checklist and launched a new online, on-demand copyright course designed specifically for educators. It strips away the jargon, focuses on real-life teaching scenarios, and makes clear what’s allowed under UK copyright law — and what isn’t.
It covers common questions like:
- Can I show broadcast clips in a recorded lecture?
- Is it OK to embed a YouTube video in our VLE?
- What’s the difference between an ERA licence and fair dealing?
- What can students legally submit as part of a media assignment?
The aim isn’t to restrict creativity — it’s to support it. We want to give staff the confidence to use moving image and sound in powerful, pedagogically sound ways, without fear of overstepping the mark.
Our free Copyright Compliance Checklist can be downloaded here. You can also access some free lessons and learn more about our new Navigating Copyright Successfully here.
Final thoughts
Copyright isn’t going away. If anything, it’s becoming more central to how we think about teaching in a digital age. We need to stop treating it as an afterthought, and instead build it into the design of our courses, the training we offer, and the systems we use. Because the consequences of getting it wrong — for staff, for students, and for institutions — are too big to ignore.
Author
Kathryn Tyler, Chief Revenue Officer, Learning on Screen, UK
