Collections & Remixes: Quick Reference Guide for Educators

Introduction

Understanding the distinctions between collections and remixes is essential for educators working with open educational resources. This quick reference guide provides clear definitions, licensing considerations, and practical attribution examples to help you confidently use and share Creative Commons-licensed works in your teaching materials.

What is a Collection?

A collection is a set of independent works gathered together without modifying the original items. Each work remains unchanged and is presented as part of a group.

Example: An anthology of poems, a gallery of photos, or a playlist of songs.

Licensing Considerations for Collections

• The collection itself can have its own license, but each included work keeps its original license.
• You must provide attribution for each work according to its license.
• You cannot apply a license to the collection that restricts the rights granted by the original licenses.

What is a Remix / Adapted Work / Derivative Work?

A remix (or adaptation or derivative work) is created by modifying, combining, or transforming existing works to produce something new.

Example: Translating a book, editing a video with new audio, or combining several images into a collage.

Licensing Considerations for Remixes

• The new work must comply with the licenses of all source materials.
• Some licenses (like CC BY-ND) do not allow adaptations.
• You must attribute all original creators and indicate if changes were made.
• Figure 1.1., The CC License Compatibility Chart can help creators determine if their source material licenses allow remixes.

• Figure 1.2., The CC Adapter’s License Chart can help creators determine which CC license should be applied to a remixed or adapted work.
  

  

Recommended citation: Collections & Remixes: Quick Reference Guide for Educators by Christine Rickabaugh is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.