Third Party or Publisher Content

COS Philosophy

Third-party or publisher content providers routinely ask students for personal identification information through a registration or login process. In addition, third-party content providers may choose to compile and analyze student assessment and demographic data for commercial purposes (such as textbook development).

These practices potentially jeopardize our students' privacy. As educators, we are legally and ethically required to safeguard the confidentiality of student data. Our commitment to student privacy is well-documented through our Board and Distance Education Policies and Procedures.  The following Third-Party Content Policy is consistent with the spirit of these policies and with the requirements of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

Definition

COS defines third-party content as commercial, web-based publisher content, including course packs, some E-textbooks, and external Websites, which require student personal identification information and grades to exist outside of the Canvas CMS, and/or which require students to access assessments and learning content outside of the Canvas environment.

The following items are considered acceptable forms of third party content and do not need pre-approval:

  • Some Publisher Quiz cartridges uploaded into the Canvas environment and delivered via Canvas quizzes. If you aren't sure about your Quiz accessibility, contact Maria Elena Fernandez, fernandez@siskiyous.edu for assistance.
  • Accessible Open Educational Resources (OERs) which are integrated into your Canvas course. Contact our campus OER Liaison, Jude Baldwin, jbaldwin2@siskiyous.edu or the campus ZTC Coordinator, Ron Slabbinck, slabbinck@siskiyous.edu for more information or assistance.
  • Accessible E-Texts or accessible PDF textbooks, which the student has purchased and owns, and which do not require students to access the commercial website to view the text or any supplemental learning materials. Note: Students must not be required to provide personal identification or create an account to use the E-book.

If you are not sure if your E-texts or PDF texts are accessible, please contact the Alternate Media Specialist, Karen Chandler, chandler@siskiyous.edu