Protecting Your & Your Students’ Privacy

Hosting and recording synchronous sessions can have many benefits. The recordings:

  • closely resemble the physical classroom experience;
  • help students to schedule their “class-times”, and
  • allow recordings to be readily available for review purposes and/or to assist those who cannot actively participate in the synchronous class (i.e. time zones differences, inadequate Internet bandwidth, and caregiver responsibilities).

With these benefits come some additional considerations, especially with respect to protecting your and your student’s privacy. 

From an ATIPPA Perspective

  1. Students must be informed by instructors/facilitators that sessions are being recorded.
  2. If students choose to not be recorded, they must be provided the option to turn off their video functionality.

In courses that require participation for assessment purposes, Instructors should be prepared to discuss alternate options with students who choose not to be recorded.

Some Helpful Tips

#1. Regardless of how the session is recorded, if student participation can be captured, you MUST advise them that the recording is happening.

Suggestion: If you use a PowerPoint to facilitate your lecture, consider adding an opening slide in each presentation that reminds you and your students that the session is recorded.

#2. Consider adding information in your syllabus advising students about the recordings and how they will be shared (e.g. shared only in the Brightspace site, for this course offering)

Suggested Wording: “All classes for this course, unless otherwise notified, will be recorded. Comments and questions by those present in the class may be captured in the audio of the recording. Additionally, student presentations/participation may be captured on video. Recordings will be used only for course delivery and will be available to students until classes end. Questions or concerns about the use of recordings in this course should be directed to your instructor.

#3. Make sure your students are aware of how the recordings are being shared/accessed.

It is strongly recommended that access to recordings only be made available through the Brightspace course site. This will help to ensure that only students registered in the course have access to the recordings. 

Prepared in consultation with Memorial’s Information Access and Privacy (IAP) Office.