Last updated: August 2023. Review date: August 2024
1. Introduction
The policy sets the framework for students and staff to make audio recordings of lectures and seminars. The main purpose of the policy is to ensure that the University is facilitating the learning of disabled students in line with the obligations of the Equality Act 2010. Because some disabled students will encounter difficulties in listening or observing a lecture and taking notes at the same time, for reasons related to their disability, allowing audio recording is a reasonable adjustment to make. The policy will also aid students whose first language may not be English and also those with an aural learning style. It will also ensure that where recordings are made, there is a framework which ensures that they are used appropriately.
2. Audio recording of lectures by students
Students are allowed to make audio-recordings of lectures for their personal use only. Students who have a disability are not required to ask permission to record lectures. This is to ensure that disabled students are not put in the position of having to declare their disability each time they start a new module. Other students should ask staff but the expectation is that this will be granted unless there are data protection issues Staff should however be aware that, because of the increasing sophistication of mobile technology it is likely that their lecture may be recorded.
If for any reason a recording of either students’ or lecturers’ voices could not be made (e.g. due to the confidential nature of the material being taught) lecturers should inform students in advance. They should make other reasonable adjustments for disabled students. Alternatives can by discussed with the Student Wellbeing Service where this is the case
3. Recordings of seminars
Students may sometimes need to record seminars or other group activity. In this situation they should inform the lecturer that they are going to do this so that students can be informed. If someone else in a group expresses justifiable concerns about the fact that they are being recorded, the group and the staff members leading the activity will need to consider other reasonable adjustments (for example, allowing the student access to other people’s handwritten notes).
4. Video recordings
This policy does not apply to video recordings. No students should make such recordings of lecturers and lecturers may refuse this if asked unless prior permission has been sought through the Student Wellbeing Service.
5. Conditions for students making audio recordings
Students may make audio only recordings of lectures, provided:
- the recordings are for personal use to aid review of the lecture, and are not considered as an alternative to attendance;
- the recording does not disrupt the lecture.
All recordings should be made for personal academic use only, and must not be uploaded to any public distribution source. Any occurrence of unauthorised sharing or uploading would be deemed as misconduct and dealt with under Student Disciplinary Procedures.
If a student wishes to share the recording with another student, permission would need to be granted by the lecturer.
6. Lecture recording by Academic Staff
If a staff member wishes to record a lecture they must inform the students in advance that they will be doing this and how the recording will be used, including uploading to the website. Students must be given the opportunity not to be identified as part of the recording. This is in accordance with the University Data Protection Policy.
7. Legal implications
7.1 Intellectual property rights and copyright implications
The copyright and intellectual property of the lecture remains the property of the University. Performance rights are not being infringed as such recordings are made exclusively for the purposes of that individual’s private study. A student may ask permission to borrow another student’s recording but this may only take place with the express permission of the lecturer.
7.2 Data protection implications
There will only be data protection implications of recording lectures and seminars if students are able to be identified. Where this is the case, students must be given the opportunity to not be identified in this way. Students should be informed that lectures are likely to be recorded by other students and to discuss this with their tutor if they wish not to be identified.