Recordings of teaching are an integral part of Sheffield Hallam University’s offer to students and can have a significant impact on student learning and their overall university experience. As they allow students to rewatch material, view subtitles, change playback speed and volume, etc., they are particularly valued by students who need this level of control, such as disabled students, international students and those studying in noisy environments like commuter students.
Whether they take place on campus or online, any sections of taught sessions that introduce new material are to be recorded and made available to students in line with the Code of Practice for Recording of Taught Sessions. This Code of Practice has been developed with staff from across the university and the Students’ Union and applies regardless of the technology used for recording. Sections of sessions where new material is not being introduced do not need to be recorded, including student discussions and other activities; and recaps/summaries of already introduced material.
Recording equipment has been fitted to all pool classrooms and most specialist spaces and can be used with a range of recording technologies, including Panopto, ScreenPal and Blackboard Collaborate. Guidance, including a "quick-start checklist", has been produced to support the recording of classroom teaching.
Summary of Code of Practice for Recording of Taught Sessions
The recording of teaching is covered by a code of practice and staff should familiarise themselves with it, however some of the key points are summarised here:
- Newly introduced material should be recorded – if the same information has been provided previously then it does not need to be recorded.
- Student involvement in sessions, such as discussions or activities, does not need to be recorded as it will not involve new information .
- Automatic captions are acceptable unless there are specific requests or requirements for them to be manually checked and corrected.
- The university typically owns the intellectual property of recordings, but staff retain ‘performance rights’ which means that recordings can only be used with the cohort for/with whom they were made unless the staff member agrees to allow wider use.
- Recordings should be released to students within a week in order to ensure that it is timely and allows students time to review prior to the next session.
- Where a recording of the new material is not feasible, such as for legal, ethical or privacy reasons, an equivalent alternative should be provided instead.
For further details, please read the full Code of Practice for Recording of Taught Sessions (DOCX, 53.8KB).
