Online notes services are touting slogans such as “earn while you learn” in an attempt to lure students to sell their class notes for a quick and easy buck.

But here’s something Iowa State students should really take note of: Selling notes without instructor approval is a violation of university policy.

ISU has a policy specifically prohibiting students from selling notes without the consent of their professors or instructors.

“Our policy is designed on the basis that we believe it’s unethical for students to sell their notes,” said Paul Tanaka, director of University Legal Services. “Rather than take legal action against notes services, we’re attempting to put control of the issue in the hands of the faculty.”

Despite the policy, most students working for notes services do so without their professors ever knowing. That’s because the services do not release the names of their employees.

Note-taking services are not new to the academic scene, but their expansion to the Internet is generating complaints on campuses across the nation.

Oran Wolf recently started a notes business, StudentU, www.studentu.com, a Web site that provides lecture notes to students free of charge, with all revenue generated through advertising. The site currently employs note takers at 62 universities, including ISU.

The site is an extension of the notes services Wolf worked for as a student at the University of Texas at Austin.

“I wanted to take the idea to the next level by making the service available to students everywhere,” he said. “The Internet seemed like the logical place to do that.”

Complaints about such sites have been two-fold. One complaint is based on the worry that students may use them as a substitute for attending class; the second concerns legality. Some universities and professors feel the services violate copyright law.

“In some respects, I believe that the material professors present is their own intellectual property,” said Philip Appleton, associate professor of astronomy. “I don’t feel that people should be allowed to use that material for profit.”

Wolf said he doesn’t believe his site or others like it are violating any copyright laws.

“What we’re doing is offering students’ interpretations of what they learn in class,” he said. “And probably 90 percent of what professors present is interpretation of material they learned from their professors. So very little of the material is actually original.”

At least one university has considered a lawsuit to prevent Web sites like StudentU from posting course notes online.

According to a 1994 article in “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” the University of Florida in Miami lost a suit against a notes service on its campus. A U.S. District Court ruled that the service was not infringing on any copyrights in its operation, according to an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Tanaka said copyright law can be fairly unclear, and courts tend to rule on a case-by-case basis.

“Each case really needs to be looked at individually,” he said. “Just because one suit finds no copyright infringement doesn’t mean another will do the same.”

Barbara Mack, associate professor of journalism and mass communication, has notes from two of her courses on StudentU.

“My viewpoint on theses services is pretty simple,” she said. “I’m willing to support them if they’re helping students to succeed.”

Last year, Mack helped students ensure the accuracy of notes they were taking for Notes, 111 Lynn Ave., a local notes service for ISU courses.

“If they’re going to do it, I don’t have a problem with it,” she said. “But I want to make sure their notes are accurate.”

Appleton has chosen to post all of his course notes on his own Web site.

“By doing it myself, I can assure complete accuracy,” he said. “Also, I really don’t believe a student should have to go to a third party to purchase notes.”

Mack and other professors said they would caution students against skipping class and relying solely on notes services.

“You need to be in class to fully benefit from classroom interaction and discussion,” she said. “Without that, a student won’t succeed in a course.”