Recording Course Meetings
Recording and sharing your class lectures and in-class activities can make it easier for students to review class content or catch up after absences. However, there are many factors to consider. Here we offer some guidance when it comes to recording your classes.
Recording course meetings is optional
You are not required to record your courses. It is your prerogative to decide the best way to support your students’ learning. We recommend that you have a plan for supporting students who are unable to attend class, but recording class sessions may or may not be part of that plan.
Recordings should not broadly replace in-person attendance
Communicate to your students that the recordings are intended to supplement in-class learning, provide flexibility for students with extenuating circumstances, or accommodate specific students with a disability. Recordings should not be a replacement for attending class in person. Consider strategies such as in-class learning activities and attendance policies to engage students and encourage attendance.
Student permission to record is not required
You do not need to obtain consent from students if the streaming and viewing of the recorded sessions are limited to in-class use, such as within the Canvas course site. However, we encourage you to provide advance notice and be transparent with students about whether the course will be recorded. The consent to use of photographic images policy provides more information.
Do not share recordings publicly
You should not post or share recordings beyond your Stanford Canvas course site. This is due to statutory and regulatory compliance issues concerning student privacy and copyright associated with publicly posting recorded lectures. Zoom and Panopto are tools within Canvas for securely posting videos for your students.
If you have a compelling reason to share the content outside of your class (i.e., make it public), you will need to obtain consent from the appropriate Dean’s or Vice Provost’s office.
Stanford retains all intellectual property rights
Course meeting recordings remain the intellectual property of Stanford University.
Students should not record without permission or share recordings
Students may not record audio or video of class meetings without the permission of the instructor (and guest presenters where applicable). The recording and broadcasting courses policy provides more details. If the instructor grants permission, students may keep recordings for personal use only and may not post, share, or otherwise distribute recordings.
Students who need class meetings recorded for the purposes of a disability-related academic accommodation should contact the Office of Accessible Education.
Resources and support for recording are available
Several campus units provide classrooms, software tools, equipment loans, and support for recording course meetings.
General-use tech-enabled classrooms
Many general-use classrooms are equipped with cameras, microphones, and other recording equipment. Contact the Classroom Technology Support team for more information.
School of Engineering tech-enabled classrooms
Some classrooms in the School of Engineering, notably some auditoriums, are fully equipped to record course meetings. Visit the Stanford Center for Professional Development’s webpage for more information.
Remote lecture capture software
Once you have the classroom and equipment readied, the university provides the video software solution Panopto for publishing your recordings to your Canvas course. Another suitable option is to use Zoom for recording and publishing. This remote lecture capture website provides further information about Panopto as well as comparisons to using Zoom.
Consult with academic technology experts
Academic technology experts at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) can help you navigate your options and determine what the best solution for your unique teaching situation might be. Submit a consultation request with CTL for support.