Re-using your own projects in schools ?? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 09:41:32 pm
content: Say you were in university and had to do some big project like write a computer program, or a poem even. If for some reason you have to do the course over, or perhaps you could use the project in another class......is that normally allowed ?What if you failed some project and a course or you couldn't finish, so next semester you want to do the same project and fix it or complete.Or you don't have time, or care about re-using your own project for any reason.I guess it depends on the school and the people invovled, but I just thought of this so I'm just wondering. I haven't been in school for years, and I never had any projects to do, in the little while I was in university.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 10:15:02 pm
content: It depends on a lot of things. Different countries and universities have different requirements. Doing the same project again for the same course that you failed is probably fine. Presumably you can improve on it, since you have failed the first time. Using for a different class should be also fine, and long as you are adding relevant stuff for that class. In most cases you are not starting from scratch anyway, so starting from your own old project should not be a big deal.One thing that may catch you off guard is that at least in the US many universities assert that any IP you have created during the coursework belongs to the university. It is probably not a huge deal in most cases, but if you invent something decent, and then go on to build a business based on that project, you may be in for a surprise.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 10:42:04 pm
content: The main thing is to talk to your professor so you have a clear understanding of what's allowable under his/her and the school's policies. When I took some classes at a state university years ago, the rule (as I recall) was that you couldn't re-submit "assessable work" from one course for a grade in another.

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 12:53:57 am
content: I guess this isn't not only highly dependent on the universities regulations, but the individual professor. Never had a course that required a project that could be failed unless you actually didn't do anything, but those projects where always new per semester and done in a team, so I guess if a team didn't actually deliver something to pass, they all would've needed to do a new project once they retook the course.But most professors didn't require you to redo already passed assignments like worksheets or programming assignments if you had to retake their course.

author: Vovk_Z
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 02:13:52 pm
content: Quote from: AlbertL on August 29, 2021, 10:42:04 pmThis is a general (or typical) university rule all over the world, I think. But there may be a possibility to do it in a "easy way": to change a name of a project but not a whole project (a life-hack from developing countries), if a professor is not too strict.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 02:59:54 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on August 29, 2021, 10:15:02 pmI agree with everything you said, except that comment about a university owning the IP created by a student. See for example:https://www.ucop.edu/research-policy-analysis-coordination/policies-guidance/intellectual-property-ex/intellectual-property-as-a-student-at-the-university-of-california.htmlNow, if a student is working with a professor who is funded entirely by the university (i.e., no Federal funds), the university will usually own that professor's contribution. There may also be agreements with the student that limit his/her ownership. If the research is funded by Federal or corporate grants, IP ownership will certainly be spelled out in those grants. One such arrangement is for the university to own the IP, but the employed researcher is entitled to a certain percentage of any revenue. I know of at least one instance in which a graduate student had a great idea based on his/her work. The student (in theory) quit school before actualizing that idea and eventually profited greatly from it.In general, however, I interpret the original question as related to copyright rather than royalties from inventions. In that case, the creator of a work (i.e., student) owns the copyright unless there is a written agreement to the contrary.EDIT: My comment is from the perspective of American law. Canadian law may be different.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 03:47:53 pm
content: It is interesting. My statement based on some lawsuit that happened a few years back, but I can't find the details now. And I think at a time news outlets stated that IP is owned by the university. But yes, it looks like major universities state that IP rights are with the student as long as no significant funds or university resource were used to develop the IP.

author: sandalcandal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 05:42:11 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on August 30, 2021, 03:47:53 pmFrom what I know this is 100% true if you are an undergrad paying tuition fees but if you are a PhD student getting a stipend from the institution then the situation is very different.I wonder how it works for those on undergrad scholarships? Probably the same as normal undergrad unless you are doing work where you are paid/contracted as uni staff.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 06:37:26 pm
content: QuoteThat is/was a matter of much debate in the US. Basically, our universities wanted it both ways ... salary for some reasons and scholarship for others. As a classic example, consider the NCAA's football "scholarships." They wanted to indenture the athletes and prevent them from selling endorsements all the while universities were profiting from doing the same. Our SCOTUS just decided in limited favor of the athletes.In my day (1960's), the issue came down to income taxes (gifts are not generally taxable) and "welfare" eligibility, particularly if married. Most grad students stipends, say $199/mo, qualified one for welfare. If salary, the uni's would also have to meet minimum wage. The solution was that you had to pay taxes (minimal) and were not eligible for welfare as it was deemed voluntary poverty.I don't know what the results are today with "retail" tuitions in the $50,000/year ($24/hr for 2080 hours/year). However, in the US, copyright belongs to the creator unless there is awrittenagreementto the contrary. As for the TS, I suspect there is no such agreement, unless this is one of those generic "what if" questions to which there is no generic answer.