Can a professor publish his or her book in an online classroom?

Books published by professors are usually governed by publishing contracts, which often provide for the exclusive transfer of the rights to publish, reproduce, and distribute the work in the same language to the publisher. This typically prevents professor from making the book available elsewhere. In such cases, the professor, as the author, does not have the right to freely share the book with students or upload it to an online classroom. However, if the professor has not contractually transferred his rights exclusively to the publisher (or if the rights have not been transferred by law under the employment relationship), the professor may make the book available in an online classroom.