Lecture recording

Purpose and scope

York St John University expects staff to record expository, 'broadcast' elements of teaching so students can review core content and revise effectively. This aligns with our Core Inclusive Practices, our Inclusive HE Framework, complies with the Equality Act 2010 and respects academic freedom. The Policy applies across all York St John campuses to all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes and to taught components of Level 7 and Level 8 research degrees.

Recordings support learning but do not replace attendance. Normal attendance expectations still apply and concerns may be addressed through Support to Study.

What we record and when it is released

Staff record the broadcast portions of teaching: elements where core concepts are presented and on which students would ordinarily take notes. Screen content should be captured when used but video recording of the lecturer is optional.

Staff should make clear which sessions will and will not be recorded (through Moodle, module handbooks, or brief in session announcement). Recordings are normally released on Moodle within 2 working days. If a delay is necessary (for example, due to essential edits), students will be informed.

Students' own recordings

Students may make audio recordings of lecture type content for note-taking as a Core Inclusive Practice. No Learner Adjustment Plan is required for this.

When a session involves confidential material or high levels of self‑disclosure, staff may instruct everyone to stop note‑taking and recording.

Students' recordings are for personal study only and must not be shared externally, posted online, or uploaded to external or commercial generative AI tools. They should be deleted when no longer needed.

Misuse of recordings by students may lead to disciplinary action.

Exceptions and exemptions

Recording may be paused or not undertaken at all for specific, permitted reasons. These include:

• Where an activity is not a lecture in the sense defined by the policy
• Where sensitive personal disclosures are likely
• Where confidential information is discussed
• Where a guest or external speaker has not consented
• When copyright‑protected media are played

The following are not considered valid reasons not to record:

• When a session contains challenging and or sensitive curriculum content (this should be covered by an appropriate content note)
• Personal reluctance to be recorded
• Concerns about individual intellectual property (IP)

Exemptions should be agreed with Associate Heads (who will log the decision), communicated to students and accompanied by a brief summary of core content on Moodle if no live recording occurs. Exemptions are reviewed annually by School Quality Panels and do not automatically roll over.

Creating, sharing and access

Microsoft Teams is available in general teaching rooms to capture recordings, and Microsoft Stream is used for hosting. Recordings can then be embedded and accessed through Moodle.

Editing is not generally required unless confidential or personal data are captured inadvertently. Where a substantial edit would make a recording unhelpful, it may be withdrawn and replaced with an individual summary recording. Any delay will be communicated to students.

Recordings must meet accessibility requirements with captions and/or a transcript or summary (see Captioning Policy).

Staff may also create short, custom recordings to explain assessments or reinforce core content. These should be concise and kept up to date.

Consent and participation

Session attendees should be notified in advance through Moodle and reminded at the start of a session. If student contributions form part of a recorded session, staff may proceed with confirmation or pause/stop the recording during discussion.

Guest lecturers, external speakers and BSL interpreters must give explicit consent to be recorded using the University's Lecture Recording Consent form (available through Schools or copy on the Staff Intranet). Completed consent forms will be stored locally by School Operations Managers. External contributors retain their rights; their materials may be used only for defined educational purposes with their permission.

Data protection, privacy, copyright and intellectual property

York St John University processes personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. For data protection concerns, contact the University's Data Protection Officer.

All recorded material is subject to copyright. Staff should ensure permissions are in place, use openly licensed or Creative Commons content where possible, and avoid capturing copyright protected material.

Recordings produced to support learning are considered part of module materials and are owned by York St John. Staff and external contributors may hold performers' and moral rights and their right to opt out of recordings is respected. The University will not make commercial use of recordings without permission. Former staff require written permission to reuse University owned recordings.

Use, reuse and retention

York St John recordings should not be shared outside the University without permission and must not be uploaded to unapproved platforms, including public video sites and generative AI tools.

Access is provided through Moodle or Stream to enrolled users for the duration of students' studies. Recordings are removed when all students can reasonably be expected to have completed their programmes.