Policy for recording live teaching to assist student study
Policy for recording live teaching to assist student study
Revision Date: 27 November 2024
Policy Owner: Vice President for Learning and Teaching
Approval Body: Academic Council (27 November 2024)
Review: 3 years
Policy Contents
Policy for recording live teaching (Lecture Recording) and Using Video to Enhance Univeral Desigh
Purpose of recordings made under this policy
Guiding principles
Retention of recordings
Consent to be recorded
Recording of teaching by students
Use and misuse of recordings
Copyright and Legal Matters
Related Documents
Contact for further information
Version control
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Policy for Recording of Live Teaching (Lecture Recording) and Using Video to Enhance Universal Design
The University facilitates the responsible recording of teaching sessions, outlining clear circumstances for recording, associated roles and responsibilities, and implications for policy breaches. This approach aligns with Goal 2: Student Success of UCC's 2023–2028 Strategic Plan, emphasising the provision of a digitally enabled and inclusive teaching experience that upholds Universal Design principles to enhance equitable access and student outcomes. While UCC remains fundamentally a campus-based institution, recognising the primacy of in-person teaching, it also acknowledges students' needs to access lecture recordings for study and exam preparation. Concurrently, the policy respects academic concerns surrounding pedagogical integrity, data protection, privacy, and the misuse of recorded materials, aiming to balance these interests through structured guidance.
For the purposes of this policy, the term “recording” refers to any audio or visual recording of a teaching session, made using a University licensed/supplied audio or visual recorder. The decision to record is at the discretion of the relevant staff member, and the University as employer supports this. Staff who wish to record their teaching are encouraged to do so using the university’s approved lecture capture software (currently, Panopto) and the technology provided by AVMS in all lecture rooms which can automatically store the recording in the correct Canvas module; instructions are available at UCC Audio Visual Services Lecture Recording.
Purpose of recordings made under this policy
1. The objective of this policy is to facilitate and encourage staff who wish to record their teaching to provide revision aids to students who have already attended class in person, or who had good reason to be absent.
2. Staff should make clear to students the inherent value of in-person attendance whenever possible, that recordings do not replace attendance in-person, and that recording live teaching does not mean that the module is “on-line.”
3. This policy covers only recordings made of live teaching which should be clearly distinguished from asynchronous recordings designed and intended to be delivered on-line.
4. The recording of live teaching and provision of said recordings is recommended to improve accessibility and support universal design principles for all students.
Guiding principles
5. UCC recommends the recording of live teaching lectures where feasible to support universal design principles by ensuring all students have equal access to learning materials. Lecture recordings are particularly beneficial for students with disabilities and international students, and recording lectures is considered the most inclusive approach. It should be adopted wherever possible to promote accessibility and equity within the learning environment.
6. While the decision to record lectures or other teaching remains at the discretion of individual staff members, UCC encourages a school or programme-level approach to ensure consistency across modules. This helps ensure uniformity between modules within a programme and aligns with the university’s commitment to inclusivity. Individual staff members retain the discretion to decide when to release any recordings the staff member makes, whether immediately or after the teaching has concluded.
7. UCC is legally required to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, as per the Equal Status Acts 2000-2021. This may include access to recorded lectures. If recordings are not provided, staff must demonstrate that satisfactory equivalent reasonable accommodations have been arranged. This policy recognises that many students who benefit from recordings may not be formally registered with Disability Support (DS), but staff are encouraged to consider the broader benefits of making recordings accessible. DS forms part of Access UCC and details can be found at UCC Disability Support. Inclusive UCC provides further guidance on digital inclusion and accessibility at Inclusive UCC.
8. The staff member making the recording, or module coordinator, may delete or edit the recording at any time.
9. Recordings are made for the benefit of students. Except in cases where individual staff members choose to include recordings in their teaching portfolios, recordings will not be used by the University to assess teaching quality or as part of the academic promotions process.
10. If staff choose to record, they should stress that recordings are provided simply as revision aids for students who attended in class. A staff member may choose to make the recordings available to all students registered on a module, or those registered with DS. There is no expectation that staff will spend time editing recordings to improve their quality. Students are advised that all recorded material is presented as is. Live recordings will not be edited or checked for completeness – they are primarily provided as an aide memoir to aid study. It must be understood that at times technology can fail and under such circumstances it may be impossible to provide recorded material.
11. It is acknowledged that some teaching may not be appropriate for recording, e.g., teaching containing confidential information or for ethical or privacy reasons. In these cases, it is fully acceptable not to record, provided that an equivalent reasonable accommodation is made for students such as DS students who require alternative access to material.
Retention of recordings
10. Notwithstanding the generality of para. 6, if staff choose to record, it is recommended that lecture recordings ordinarily be retained until such time as supplemental examinations are completed in order to assist students with course revision and examination preparation. Staff should ensure that data is retained in accordance with UCC Learning Platforms Data Retention and Access Control Policy.
11. Staff are advised to review their module content on an annual basis and decide themselves what recordings to make available to students as part of the annual ‘rollover’ of Canvas.
Consent to be recorded
14. By choosing to record, staff who teach give consent to be recorded and for the recordings to be used that academic year for the purposes of student revision and stored in accordance with the university’s data retention policies.
15. If any student is recording the teaching session, the student must ask permission, in advance, of the relevant teaching staff member/s.
16. If more than one staff member is involved in the module, the module coordinator should consult each staff member as to whether recording will take place. Recording will only take place for lectures where the staff member has agreed by opting to use lecture recording software.
17. Staff should advise those in the lecture that recording may take place whether for the whole cohort or for a select number of DS registered students. At no point should a lecturer inquire whether any DS registered students are present, as this would constitute a direct violation of the Equal Status Acts.
18. Students are provided with a notice advising them that lecture recording may occur as part of the UCC Data Protection notice for students. It is implicitly assumed that all students that remain in a lecture that is being recorded have given their permission to be recorded during the lecture.
19. The lecturer should inform students that recording of their participation in a class is voluntary to enable them make a choice whether to participate in the recording.
20. Recordings will not be included by staff in teaching portfolios except with the consent of any students or other staff recorded.
21. The Guest Lecturer Consent and Release Form should be completed by guest lecturers and will generally be retained locally for two years but should be retained for as long as guest lecture recordings remain in use. Guest lecturers may withdraw their consent to the use of their recordings at any time.
Recording of teaching by students
22. Where teaching is not being or cannot be recorded using a university system, students may request advance permission from teaching staff to record teaching if the recording is to be used solely for the purposes of studying, revising, and exam preparation purposes. This request must be made in writing to staff before commencing recording and must describe the proposed action and the recording proposed. When deciding to give written permission, staff should be cognisant of the need for other students present to be aware of being recorded (para. 18, above).
23. Students are reminded that covert audio and/or visual recording of lectures/classes is strictly prohibited.
Use and misuse of recordings
21. The University makes lecture recordings available to students for their study and exam preparation purposes. Students must only use recordings for these purposes.
22. Recordings linked with a module are to be viewed only by students registered for that module. Any other copying, editing, circulation or publication is not permitted without the express written permission of the lecturer.
23. Breaches of this policy by students are considered a serious matter by the University and will be reported to the Deputy President and Registrar and may result in disciplinary action.
Copyright and Legal Matters
27. Copyright and intellectual property rights are not changed by this policy.
28. If a lecturer uses third-party material in a presentation, for example a diagram, photograph, graphic or video from a book or from the internet, he/she should abide by copyright and other applicable laws. Acknowledgements should be present and clearly legible in the lecture material.
29. It is important to be cognisant of and abide by the University’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) when using lecture capture, as AUP parameters will apply.
Related Documents
This Policy should be read in conjunction with other relevant policy and strategy documents, particularly the following:
- Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP)
- Student Data Protection notice
- IT Policies
- Data Protection Policy
- Data Protection Commission documents
- UCC Innovation Policies, including Intellectual Property Policy
- Student Policies and Procedures, including Student Rules
- UCC Attendance Policy for Students
- Reasonable Accommodations Policy for Students With Disabilities
- UCC Learning Platforms Data Retention and Access Control Policy
Contact for further information
If you have any queries in relation to this Policy please contact the Policy Owner:
Professor Paul McSweeney
Vice President for Learning and Teaching University College Cork
Telephone: 021-490 3609
Email: vplearningandteaching@ucc.ie
Version Control
1.0 Approved by Academic Board 01 June 2022
2.0 Approved by Academic Board07 June 2023
2.0 Approved by Academic Council 16 June 2023
2.1 Approved by Academic Board 27 November 2024
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