Fair Use Rights in the Digital World: A Phenomenological Study of Instructional Technology Specialists

The aim of this study is to reveal an insight into the awareness and experiences of IT specialists about fair use in Turkey. A phenomenological design was employed and the criterion sampling method was used in this study. A total of nine specialists volunteered to participate. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Information seeking behaviors of the participants in this study displayed the transformation in knowledge acquisition activities. Although ICT specialists have the ability to develop, operate and maintain ICT systems and tools, they are not required to develop e-content. The findings indicated that they actively use web repositories for the needs of digital content and a group of IT tools (e.g. LMS and CMS) for learning and learning management. On the other hand, the findings revealed that, even if they are qualified staff in educational technology and implementing effective policies regarding the technology integration into classroom, the majority of those interviewed had low level of awareness about fair use principles. These results provide potentially important implications for educational institutions developing efficient in-service programs to raise the awareness among faculty members and undergraduate students about copyright and fair use in higher education.