Virtual Science Teachers

Licensing & Use of Virtual Science Teachers Content

 

Virtual Science Teachers (VST) is committed to providing free, high-quality science resources that support classroom instruction and scientific literacy. To protect this work while ensuring it remains widely accessible to educators, we use a standard open license for our original content.

 

Our License

Unless otherwise noted, all original content created by Virtual Science Teachers is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

You can view the full license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

This license explains how our materials may be used, shared, and adapted.

 

What You Are Welcome to Do

Under this license, teachers, schools, and educational organizations may:

  • Use VST resources in classrooms, schools, and districts
  • Share materials with students for instructional purposes
  • Display or project resources during lessons
  • Embed VST content in learning management systems (LMS) for instructional use

As long as you:

  • Provide attribution to Virtual Science Teachers

  • Use the content for non-commercial educational purposes

  • Share any adapted versions under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

Attribution

When using VST materials, please include attribution such as:

Virtual Science Teachers – www.virtualscienceteachers.org
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

 

What “Non-Commercial” Means

Non-commercial use includes:

  • Classroom instruction

  • Teacher professional development

  • School or district use

  • Nonprofit educational programs

  • Grant-funded educational projects where content is not sold or paywalled

Non-commercial use does not include:

  • Selling or reselling VST materials

  • Uploading VST content to paid platforms or subscription services

  • Bundling VST resources into paid courses, products, or training programs

  • Using VST materials to generate advertising, subscription, or access fees

  • Rebranding or presenting VST content as your own

If you are unsure whether your intended use is permitted, please contact us. admin@virtualscienceteachers.com

 

Commercial Use and Partnerships

Commercial use of Virtual Science Teachers content requires prior written permission.

This includes use by companies, publishers, paid platforms, or for-profit training programs.

For licensing, partnerships, or collaboration inquiries, please contact admin@virtualscienceteachers.com.

 

Third-Party Content

Some resources on the VST website include content from third-party providers, such as PhET Interactive Simulations or other embedded tools. These materials retain their original licenses and terms of use and are not covered by the VST Creative Commons license.

Users are responsible for following applicable third-party licensing terms.

 

Why We Use This License

Using a Creative Commons license allows Virtual Science Teachers to keep resources free and accessible to educators, provide clear guidance on responsible use, protect against misuse or unauthorized commercial exploitation, and support collaboration and adaptation in education.

This approach aligns with our mission to support teachers as they do the critical work of building a scientifically literate society.

 

Questions

If you have questions about licensing or appropriate use of VST materials, please contact admin@virtualscienceteachers.com.