Recent efforts to change the teaching profession and teacher preparation include a number of innovations to use portfolio assessment, value added measures (VAM), accountability metrics and other corporate education reform ideas. These approaches may provoke considerable potential legal consequences. Traditional constitutional and civil rights…

There are significant privacy, intellectual property, copyright and disclosure risks associated with the ill-considered use of social networking sites, however, the implementation of regulatory actions may also undermine the social and emerging educational utility of social networking sites for young people. Inevitably the burden of dealing with…

As new technologies emerge on campuses, how can colleges avoid legal land mines? What are the areas of greatest risk, and how should higher-education leaders deal with them? In this article, three experts offered their advice at the Technology Forum: Beth Cate, associate general counsel at Indiana University, on data privacy and security; Steven…

Sound technology policies can spell the difference between an effective website and an online nightmare. An effective web development policy addresses six key areas: roles and responsibilities, content/educational value, privacy and safety, adherence to copyright laws, technical standards, and use of commercial sites and services. (MLH)

A review of the literature useful for public relations researchers and students explored the primary legal concerns that public relations practitioners face, including first amendment rights, insider trading, regulations when working with foreign organizations, disclosure, privacy, copyright/trademark law, advertising, and defamation. Public…

The Law Division of the proceedings contains the following 8 papers: "Trademarks and the First Amendment: The Anatomy of a Conflict" (Retha J. Martin); "Exit Polls and Other Bad Habits: An Analysis of First Amendment Considerations Concerning Policy Recommendations to Control or Prohibit Media Election Forecasts" (Niels…

The proliferation of computer processing applications on college campuses has created new legal risks for higher education institutions. The history of computer use on campuses, an overview of computer law, and a discussion of the role of the university attorney are presented. (SF)

A characterization of the following major legal and political issues surrounding the Internet provides a framework for the future development of the Internet and cyberspace: free speech (libel); intellectual property rights (copyright); jurisdictional questions; and privacy. (AEF)

Dental educators, it is suggested, become vulnerable to student lawsuits if they ignore legislative changes and judicial decisions that affect all academic units in higher education. Issues involving contractual considerations, privacy and grading, and recent copyright revisions are reviewed. Knowledge of these issues will better prepare the…

The Media and Law section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 11 papers: "Independent State Constitutional Analysis of Public Concern and Opinion Issues in Defamation Litigation, 1977-1993" (James Parramore); "The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992: Will Sun…

Provides guidelines for the development of campus computer policies, focusing on legal issues related to adult material, harassment, privacy, commerce, and copyright. Notes that computer use policies and practices need to evolve in concert with the changing computer culture. (MDM)

Multimedia presentations offer educators and other communicators new avenues to reach audiences, but they combine a variety of legal hazards. Producers of multimedia can end up on the receiving end of lawsuits based on the many facets of copyright, privacy, and defamation law, as this guide illustrates. Copyright gives authors, composers,…

The Law section of the Proceedings contains the following 10 papers: "The Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994: Does Congress Have the Constitutional Authority to Override State FOI Laws by Regulating Access to State Driver's Licenses?" (Joey Senat); "The Truth Hurts: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress as a Cause of…

This paper considers questions related to the integrity and accessibility of new electronic information resources. It begins with a review of recent developments in networked information resources and the tools to identify, navigate, and use such resources. An overview is then given of the issues involved in access and integrity questions. Links…

The increasing presence of electronic materials, databases, and networks in society's institutions raises a number of new questions related to copyrighted and intellectual property in cyberspace environments (e.g., How will the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law and practice be extended to electronic situations?). Such questions have…