effective 11/2018

Classroom Recording Policy

The audio or visual recording of class lectures, discussions, simulations, and other course-related activity by either students or instructors is governed by this class recording policy. Albright College’s policy on class recording balances the needs of students with disabilities, the intellectual property concerns of its instructors, and the privacy of its students.

Class Recording by Students

Any audio or visual recording made by a student during a class, regardless of the recording device, requires the instructor’s prior written consent and the student’s signed agreement with the terms of this policy. Under no circumstances shall student class recordings be used in the evaluation or sanctioning of instructors or students. Violations of this Class Recording Policy may be directed through academic dishonesty procedures or to the Office of Community Standards, and may involve civil or criminal violations.

If the student’s request is made pursuant to an approved ADA accommodation, yet the faculty member does not feel comfortable with the request, the faculty member and student should consult immediately with the Director of Student Accessibility and Advocacy  to see whether an alternative accommodation will suffice. Federal law states that students with documented disabilities should be allowed to record class activity, if necessary to ensure equal access to participation in the school’s programs. The Office of Student Accessibility and Advocacy  will determine if class recording is an appropriate academic adjustment, auxiliary aid, and/or service in light of each individual student’s documentation. Students without documented disabilities may also request to record class activity. In the latter case, the instructor will have sole discretion to determine if recording will be allowed.

Prior to a student recording of any class activity, the student and the instructor must sign a recording agreement and file it with the Office of Student Accessibility and Advocacy  (if the recording is an approved disability accommodation) or with the Academic Dean’s office (if not an accommodation). Recordings must be made for the course-related use of the individual student and cannot be used for any other purpose by the student or the College, nor be shared with another student. Recorded material may be referenced in written assignments for the course, and if so the student must cite it appropriately. Beyond that use, recorded material, including comments made by other students as well as the instructor, is not to be replicated, shared, or disseminated in any way, including but not limited to websites, social media or networking sites, email and transcription, without the instructor’s written permission.

At the end of the semester, unless the instructor agrees in writing otherwise, student recordings must either be destroyed, stored by the Office of Student Accessibility and Advocacy  (if made pursuant to a disability accommodation), or stored by the instructor (if he or she so chooses and the recording is not pursuant to an accommodation). If stored by the Student Accessibility and Advocacy Office, it will be kept until the student has graduated or for five years, whichever is sooner, and may be accessed by that student only.

Students are informed by notice in the College Catalog of this recording policy, but in exceptional circumstances such as cited below, the instructor has leeway to tell a given class directly that recording will take place. While it is important to shield the disabled status of students, instructors have authority, either spontaneously or in advance, and with regard to both non-disabled and disabled students, to prohibit student recording of personal student information if the instructor deems the material of the day or other aspects of a given class or its participants to be particularly sensitive (for example, a discussion of personal life challenges in a psychology class). Any apparent conflict of such a decision with accommodation needs should be discussed with the Director of Student Accessibility and Advocacy  as soon as possible. An equivalent accommodation should be provided if reasonable to do so.

Class Recording by Instructors

Instructors shall have the authority to record and disseminate activity that occurs within their own classes for legitimate pedagogical and/or assessment purposes, including but not limited to the evaluation of students and/or instructor performance. When possible, the instructor should notify students in the course syllabus that they will be recorded, and in no case shall instructor recording proceed without notifying the students in advance that they are to be recorded.

Adapted, with permission, from University of the Redlands