To enhance your learning and attainment and to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all, the University has continued to invest in technologies that enable the recording of taught sessions on campus. The majority of teaching spaces are now equipped to support audio capture and have been integrated with the timetable to record automatically.
Recordings of taught sessions are not intended as a substitute for attending classes but rather to help you to review, revisit and revise important topics or complex ideas. However, sometimes, depending on the nature of the lesson activity, simply watching a recording may not be beneficial; and some sessions may not always be recorded. Where a recording is available it can enhance the accessibility of sessions via features such as subtitles and volume and pace controls.
- See our tips below for how you can make the most of recordings as part of your studies
- Find more information about engaging with your studies to help you get the best out of your time at Herts
Tier 4 / Student visa student?
- Please note that Tier 4/Student visa students are required to engage in mandatory attendance checks to ensure that the University remains compliant with Home Office regulations.
- For more information see: ask.herts.ac.uk/international-student-attendance.
- Why are my classes being recorded?
- Is the recording a substitute for attending classes?
- How do I know if a session is being recorded?
- What if I don’t want to be in the recording?
- How and where can I access recorded sessions?
- Make the most of recordings as part of your studies
Use of recordings: Regulations
Privacy and confidentiality issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my classes being recorded?
Most universities recognise the value to students of recording lectures and other teaching events. The benefits include the ability to review complex ideas, to revise before an exam and, in some cases, being able to view a ‘flipped lecture’ online before a seminar or tutorial. For certain groups of students with specific learning needs, recordings can be invaluable for understanding and keeping up with their course.
Is the recording a substitute for attending classes?
No, you would be missing out on the essential benefits of engaging with your fellow students and teaching staff and any activities in the classroom that could be more practical in nature.
Research shows that students learn in a variety of ways, most importantly from interaction with their peers, and from feedback from lecturers to their questions. In certain cases, where students are unable to attend, a recording might help to indicate what material is being missed but it is not a substitute for attendance and engagement. Again, research has also shown that where attendance has dipped following the introduction of recording, very quickly it picks up again, as students realise the importance of face-to-face interaction.
How do I know if a session is being recorded?
Teaching staff will let you know at the start of the session if it is being recorded. There are also indicator lights on the lectern that change from blue to red when recording and flash yellow when paused. See the posters in the room as a reminder.
If you want to speak but do not wish to be recorded, please raise your ID card so the lecturer can see it.
What if I don’t want to be in the recording?
In most cases, only audio is being recorded so, if you don’t want your contribution to be recorded either inform the lecturer at the start or hold up your ID card when talking. This will signal to the lecturer to pause, or edit out, that section of the recording. If a camera is being used, it will normally point only towards the lecturer but, if you want to be certain, inform the lecturer at the start of the session.
If you are participating in an online synchronous session using Teams or Zoom, you may choose to turn your camera off and change your profile picture.
How and where can I access recorded sessions?
Recordings of your taught sessions will normally be available for you to view from your Canvas module site up to four working days after the teaching session has taken place. This gives the lecturer time to review, and possibly edit, the recording.
Make the most of recordings as part of your studies
See our tips below for how to get the best out of recordings and enhance how you learn and study. Doing this will help you engage better with your classes; take better notes; and revise for assessments and exams.
Attend and Engage
- Building your knowledge is a two-way process. You can make the most of your time in the lesson by asking questions of your tutor and making sure you’ve clarified any misunderstandings or difficult concepts.
- Your peers can also help you to learn more. in your lessons, such as seminars and workshops, where you will be encouraged to discuss and debate topics with other students to enhance your understanding and learning. Make the most of your fellow students and help others develop their understanding too.
Review and Recap
There are occasions where you might want to review a whole lesson from start to finish, for example, if you missed a class due to illness. However, there are some other ways you can use the recording to improve your understanding that might be more useful. Examples include:
- Adding notes to yourself to return to a particular point in the lecture later when doing revision.
- Making connections with other parts of the module, for example, additional reading materials or other classes where the same concepts have been discussed or taught.
- Making connections with other modules in the course where you can see links and overlaps to gain a better understanding of the subject as a whole.
- Noting down things that you are still unsure about and deciding how you are going to get help clarifying them – emailing your tutor, speaking to your classmates, doing some additional research or reading etc.
- Refining and restructuring your notes so that you are more organised for when you are revising for assessments and exams.
- The note-making mind map has some extra ideas to support your live and recorded note-taking.
Revise and Rewind
- Remind yourself of the key concepts and ideas across the whole lesson series by skimming through the contents.
- Alongside your structured notes, revisit those parts of the recordings you’ve highlighted as important, to refresh or fill in any gaps you still have in your knowledge.
- Take regular breaks and rests when playing back recordings and don’t try to cram too much into too little time.
- Intersperse watching or listening to recordings with other types of revision activity and study.
- Reflect on those areas where you still have any unresolved questions and take positive steps to get them answered.
Use of recordings: Regulations
The recordings are to be used as teaching materials for the sole use of students of the University to support and enhance personal learning. They must not be used for any other purpose either inside or outside the University. Recordings and parts of recordings may not be redistributed, edited, or re-used. For example, it is prohibited to add them to a website or social media platform.
- Misuse of lecture recordings will be treated as a breach of regulations and a disciplinary offence. It would also be a breach of copyright and, possibly, other laws.
- For more information please refer to Univeristy Policy and Regulation TL04: The Recording of Teaching and Learning Sessions.
Recording your own audio and taking still photographs
All students are permitted to make audio (but not video) recordings or take still photographs of material resources during teaching and learning sessions without obtaining the prior permission of the member of staff leading the session, but only and subject to the following conditions:
- if asked students should declare that they are recording the session;
- no still photographs of staff or students in the session are permitted;
- students must use their own equipment and recording devices must be kept with the student at all times and must not be placed on the staff presenter’s table unless required for any disability-related reasons; and
- the member of staff may indicate that the session or part of it should not be recorded for good reason including but not limited to because the session or part of it:
- contains confidential or personal information;
- is commercially or politically sensitive;
- includes such a degree of interaction with students that recording is not viable;
- requires a student to make a significant contribution and the student has asked for recordings not to be made; or
- is delivered by a visitor to the University who has not expressly given their consent to be recorded.
The University will retain the copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the recordings. Any recording made by a student must only be used for educational purposes in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Students may not alter or amend, share, publish, or otherwise make the recording available in whole or in part to any other person, other than for transcription purposes. Students must delete the recording as soon as they cease to be a student of the University.
Privacy and confidentiality issues
In certain circumstances the lecturer has the discretion to pause the recording or subsequently edit it; for example, if dealing with sensitive material or if students are likely to be included in a recording (for example during a discussion activity) and do not wish to take part.