Guidelines for Recording Class Meetings
Faculty often record class meetings with students in attendance to make them available for review afterwards or for students who were not able to attend. The choice to record a meeting is a decision made by the instructor. Likewise, the choice to identifiably participate in a recorded meeting is a decision made by the student because these recordings are subject to the Johns Hopkins Intellectual Property Policy.
Depending on how they are created or edited, class recordings, along with associated transcriptions and/or chat logs, may constitute educational records that are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If a class recording includes only the instructor, it is not a student education record and FERPA does not limit its use. If a recording includes identifiable student participation in the class, then the portions containing the recording of the student(s) do constitute protected educational records under the terms of FERPA. Please contact your divisional Registrar or the Office of the University Registrar with any questions. Additional information about FERPA is available on the Office of the University Registrar’s FERPA Compliance website.
If an instructor chooses to record class meetings in which students’ participation may be captured, they must first consider the intention of the recording. FERPA does not limit or prevent the recording of class meetings that include identifiable student participation if instructors share the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs only with students enrolled in the same class for educational purposes, provided that instructors ensure access to the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs will be protected through a university platform requiring secure authentication. FERPA does, however, limit the recording of class meetings that include identifiable student participation if instructors intend to share the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs with other individuals outside of the originating class.
Recording Class Meetings to Share with Students Enrolled in the Same Class
- Instructors who choose to record class meetings for the purpose of sharing the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs only with students enrolled in the same class for educational purposes should include a statement in the syllabus or communicate the following in an equivalent method to all students in the class: “Class meetings recorded by the instructor may be shared with students in the class for educational purposes related to this class. Students are not permitted to copy or share the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs with others outside of the class.”
- Instructors may require students to identifiably participate in the course. If instructors allow students to opt out of being identified in recordings, instructors may do so provided students will be considered in attendance, offered an alternative method of participation, and not penalized in any way. Instructors who wish to allow students to opt-out of identifiable participation may choose application settings that only record the active speaker so that students who choose not to speak do not have their video recorded.
Recording Class Meetings to Share with Others Outside of the Originating Class
- Instructors who choose to record class meetings for the purpose of sharing the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs with other individuals outside of the originating class must notify students beforehand that class meetings will be recorded and transcribed. This notification may be made in the course syllabus or by an equivalent method.
- Instructors must remove all identifiable student information from the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs; or obtain the appropriate written consent of student to share the recordings, transcripts, and/or chat logs containing their identifiable information with other individuals outside of the originating class. Students may provide appropriate written consent under the terms of FERPA by submitting a Student Information Release Authorization form. Faculty or programs can request a list of students who have completed the form by emailing FERPA@jhu.edu. Please note that the Zoom recording notice is not intended to comply with FERPA and is not sufficient to meet the requirement of appropriate written consent.
- If instructors are considering using recorded student meetings outside of the originating class, instructors can pause the recording when students participate to avoid capturing their audio and video, as this will more easily allow the recording to be shared without obtaining student consent.
General Guidelines for Recording Class Meetings
- Instructors should remind students at the beginning of the class (orally or using a slide) that class meetings will be recorded and transcribed.
- Instructors should delete recordings, transcriptions, and chat logs with identifiable student participation as soon as obligations to students allow. Deletion by 120 days after the last day of the course is recommended unless the files are subject to a litigation hold as directed by the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel. Until it is deleted, any file including identifiable student participation should be treated as a student record subject to FERPA.
- When possible, instructors should disable the “local recording” option in the recording application. For most instructors, recordings, transcriptions, and chat logs should be kept in the cloud and not downloaded to a local computer.
- All requests for accommodations related to recording or captioning should be coordinated through Student Disability Services (SDS) to ensure the needed level of access and accuracy is provided.
Courses Discussing Politically Sensitive Topics with Students in Vulnerable Locations
It is also important to be mindful of students taking courses in countries where academic freedom and freedom of expression are restricted by the government. Classes which engage in critical discussions of authoritarian states might pose a risk to students through surveillance or censorship. Some applications encrypt live sessions to address these concerns; however, no technical solution can eliminate risk. Below are recommendations to minimize risk for students in courses discussing politically sensitive content.
- Consult with students about their concerns engaging in conversations or sharing course work subject to surveillance. Provide adjustments as appropriate.
- Do not record and share course conversations with students in or from vulnerable locations. Tell other students to not record and share conversations with their peers.
- Allow students to anonymously participate in discussions without identifying themselves or turning on their video.
- Consider alternative ways for students to share their ideas, such as scheduling separate office hours to discuss course content or using alternative, encrypted communication channels like Signal.
For more information on this topic, please consult the Association for Asian Studies Statement Regarding Remote Teaching, Online Scholarship, Safety, and Academic Freedom.
Application
Applies to all units of the University.
Questions
Direct questions pertaining to recording class meetings to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation.
Direct questions pertaining to FERPA to the Office of the University Registrar.
Details
Date of Last Revision: N/A
Effective Date: 3/20/2023
Related Policies/Procedures: The Johns Hopkins University Intellectual Property Policy