Isleptthroughclass.com pays students to post class notes

Missed that 8 a.m. biology class again? Asking other students for their notes might become a thing of the past.\nIsleptthroughclass.com, which launched in September 2007, pays students to post their notes online and allows members of the site to view them for free. The site is available to students at colleges across the country.\n“People miss class for various reasons, and I thought it was needed,” site creator Ryan Sapp said. Sapp, a sophomore from the University of Dayton in Ohio, said the site is intended for students who miss class, whether they skip or have an emergency, or for those who just want to have the notes online. \nStudents receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate for every 10 pages of current semester notes or 20 pages of previous semester notes.\nStudy guide companies, such as SparkNotes, tried to set up similar sites to pay students for sharing notes, but were shut down for copyright issues. \nSapp said his site’s note-posting policy is covered by Internet copyright laws.\nIsleptthroughclass.com only accepts notes either written or typed up by students. When a student writes or types lecture notes in his or her own words, the teacher gives up intellectual property of the information and the notes belong to the student. By turning away PowerPoint slides, lecture transcripts and old exams, the site remains legal.\n“At the lowest level, the site is basically a blog,” said Pat Rodgers, IU’s intern for the Web site.\nIf a student does submit notes that infringe upon copyright law, the site is not held liable until the notes are brought to its attention, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright act of 1998. The site must then take action and remove the offending note to avoid a penalty, said Mary Jane Frisby, a copyright law expert from Barnes & Thornburg LLP \nin Indianapolis.\n“From a copyright standpoint, there may not be illegal activity from putting these notes online,” Frisby said. \nAlthough the site might be legal, it does raise questions regarding student ethics. Some schools have policies banning students from buying and selling class notes and define that behavior as cheating. \nSally Jones, director of the Student Advocates Office, said IU’s Code of Ethics does not mention anything against buying or selling notes, but teachers may disapprove of students engaging in this practice. \n“It hinges on the permission of the faculty member of the course,” she said.\nAlthough some have criticized his site, Sapp said he has received mostly positive feedback from students and professors. Some teachers even post their own notes on his site in order to collect Amazon money.\nThe site also allows students to set up study groups, network with students in their classes and earn money. Signing up is free, though the student must be a member to see the posted notes.\nMore than 300 students from IU-Bloomington are members, and a variety of class notes are available. Most students requesting notes are in sociology classes, but other subjects are available.\nSapp said that by giving students a way to obtain notes online, the site helps students make better grades, even those who aren’t sleeping in class.\n“Times are changing and you have to adapt,” he said.