Virtual Classroom Policy

What is the Virtual Classroom policy? 

This policy clarifies your rights and responsibilities when your teaching and learning is delivered digitally and recorded.  It makes similar arrangements to those for lecture recording on Media Hopper Replay.

How are virtual classes run? 

Your lecturers will discuss the digital teaching etiquette and expectations with you at the start of each course.

Do we have to show names and faces?

 You, your lecturer and your fellow students should normally be identifiable by name during a virtual class.  This is to help develop academic community and keep the learning environment secure.  It can be helpful if you turn on your video feed when talking, but it’s not required.

What if I don’t want to be recorded? 

If you don't want something you want to say during a class to be recorded, you can ask the lecturer to stop the recording before you speak.  If you don’t want anything you say in a class to be recorded, you’re advised to let your lecturer know well in advance of the class.  Digital meetings with your personal tutor or student support team will never be recorded without written permission (e.g. by email) from you and everyone else in the meeting.

Is it just audio and video that’s recorded?

 No, text chat is also normally recorded on Collaborate and on Zoom.  Your lecturer should be able to tell you whether the text chat is anonymous or not at the start of the class.  Your lecturer may in addition have access to a record of the attendance list and any polls taken during the class.

Can I make my own recording?

 Yes, under the University’s Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy you may make an audio recording of any of your teaching.

What can I use recordings for? 

You may only use recordings of your teaching for your own personal study.  Any other use or wider sharing of a recording without permission is a breach of copyright law and the University’s Code of Student Conduct.

What is the Virtual Classroom policy? 

This policy clarifies your rights and responsibilities when delivering and recording teaching and learning in online or hybrid digital classes.  It makes similar arrangements to those for lecture recording on Media Hopper Replay.

Which platform should I use for teaching? 

Collaborate is the University’s teaching and learning platform, integrated with Learn and Moodle.  This means, for example, that recordings and class lists are linked automatically between Collaborate and Learn or Moodle. Zoom* is also available for teaching and is integrated with Learn.  Teams is provided for meetings, events and other activities but is not integrated with Learn or Moodle and Information Services do not currently support delivery of teaching on Teams.

*Note that recordings made on Zoom may be transferred out of the UK/EEA to the USA or other countries and that Zoom may be required to disclose staff and student personal data within the recordings to regulatory authorities in these countries without your or your students’ consent.

Introduce your students to virtual classes. 

You should take some time at the very start of each Course to discuss with your students how virtual classes for that Course will be run and when and why they might be recorded.  This might include the reasons for recording, how the recordings will be used and ways to opt out of being recorded.  Information Services have produced an information slide that may help with this.

Do we have to show names and faces? 

You and your students should normally be identifiable by name during a virtual class, to help develop academic community and keep the learning environment secure.  It can be helpful for students to turn on their video feed when talking, but it’s not required.

Do I have to record? 

If you’re giving a lecture in a virtual classroom that you would normally deliver on campus, you should record it as usual unless you have a good reason not to.  You’re not expected to record other teaching but can do so where you have a good reason to.

Who can view recordings? 

By default, only the staff and students on the Course are allowed to view recordings. 

How is recording started and stopped? 

Recording can’t be scheduled automatically for virtual classes.  You should announce when recording is started, paused, resumed and stopped.

What if a student doesn’t want to be recorded? 

Students who don't want to be recorded should ask you in advance of the class, or during it, to stop recording during their contribution and restart afterwards.  [On Collaborate, this will lead to the creation of a series of recordings in separate files.  This is outwith the University's control.]  It may sometimes be appropriate for them to nominate a proxy within the class to speak for them.  Student support meetings must not be recorded without written permission from everyone in the meeting.

Is it just audio and video that’s recorded?

Text chat is normally recorded on Collaborate and public text chat is normally recorded on Zoom.  You can set whether the chat is anonymous or not when you set up the Collaborate session, and should also be able to download attendance lists and poll data after the class.

How long are recordings kept? 

Collaborate currently retains recordings for 18 months and you may delete your recording at any time.  You can find out more in the Blackboard Collaborate - Data Retention Policy.  Zoom recordings are currently held indefinitely unless you delete them, and are recoverable for 30 days after deletion.

Reusing recordings

Reusing recordings within educational resources is permitted under the policy.  The lecturer is strongly advised to consult with the students in the recording before doing so, especially for interactive classes, in case a student wishes to object to appearing in the resource.

Schools should ensure visiting speakers sign a standard agreement prior to being recorded by the Virtual Classroom service.  The standard agreement provided here should be used when the speaker is delivering a lecture or other teaching session as part of a University taught course, and it clarifies and protects the rights of both the speaker and the University.

The Course Organiser should arrange for the completion of the External Visiting Lecturer Agreement by downloading it from here:

As with any other University contract, the relevant agreement is signed on behalf of the University Court in accordance with the University’s Delegated Authorisation Schedule.  This will normally be the Head of School.  If your School or College has any specific processes and procedures around the approval of visiting lecturers, these must be followed.

There are similar standard agreements for recording using Media Hopper Replay.  If none of these standard agreements are appropriate for your situation, you should contact the IS Helpline for further assistance.