The on-line dimension of the IP Law course is as part of an on-going experiment in creating as much educational engagement as possible for new generations of students. Open tools are used as they tend to be easier and more scaleable with less obsolescence. The also have the philosophical advantage of being aligned with values of openness so important to both legal and educational institutions.
There is another important, even surprising, advantage to having having an open website. That is that learning about Intellectual Property Law becomes unbounded by the constraints of when and where the physical classes are given. This in itself naturally encourages a broader sense of the course and its subject matter. It also provides the potential to define the course and its educational mission in terms of the community of those interested in it.
There are also salutary practical benefits to the open-endedness the website embodies. As an example “News of the Week” has never had a “week off” and will soon be going into its second full academic year. Months of information relevant to the subject matter have now been tracked. Coupled with the website’s search engine a useful research tool results – available to everyone and oblivious to whether the course is actually offered during a particular semester or not.
Accordingly, while the core of this course should and will always be the students at UBC who have registered for it, we welcome the participation of all members of the educational, legal and intellectual property communities. The openness of the website makes this both possible and practical. We would love to hear from you and have you be part of the community of this course. We truly welcome your comments, thoughts and replies.
Anyone can reply to a post simply by doing so and following the process that pops up.
Finally, it is more than worth noting that this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License allowing for all content and videos to be reused and remixed. It is hoped that this site will be seen as Open Educational Resource and that its contents can make some contribution to further scholarly and educational materials in the area.
Graham & Jon
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