Preparing for teaching in a blended learning context

FAQ's on the UoP Content Capture Policy

How will content capture work alongside promoting in-person attendance?

Content capture is about capturing the core content, not all content, nor the entire session. It is to help those who cannot attend for whatever reason, and to help revision. Despite people’s concerns, in fact the students who do not attend are not necessarily the students who engage with the captured content, those who attend are those who also engage with captured content. We are also putting in place strong messaging around student engagement and attendance, and the relation between attendance, engagement and good outcomes.

Is the expectation that all lectures will be recorded and uploaded?

This remains a content capture policy, not a lecture capture policy. We ask that all staff use a variety of appropriate means to capture the core content of all taught sessions and upload those to Moodle for students to access. This can be short video or audio recordings, narrated powerpoints, short written summaries of the main points made during a discussion, and so on. This does not mean recording all lectures.

What if I have difficulties with recording my sessions? Not all the teaching rooms are set up to record.

Due to the flexible nature of content capture there is no need to always choose to record. We only ask that the core content of the taught session is captured via a suitable means, perhaps a short written summary, a Padlet, a narrated PowerPoint might be more appropriate than a recording. Staff in DCQE are available to provide training and support in content capture as well as the information available on this website https://sites.google.com/port.ac.uk/preparingforteachingonline. For information, Information Services is running a rolling programme of works to improve the technology in teaching rooms.

Why is there a section in the Policy about “reasonable adjustments” for students with disabilities, because students with disabilities have always been permitted to record video and/or audio themselves, for their own purposes?

It is important that we are all aware of the need to provide accessible transcripts or subtitles and our ‘anticipatory’ duty under the Equality Act 2010. In addition this policy clarifies that students are not allowed to video record due to the need not to infringe on other attendees’ rights and third party intellectual property rights. Video recording which might capture other students was felt to be a barrier to student interaction, and should be undertaken by staff who have a duty to ensure copyright, citations, and when best to pause recordings or use audio-only.

How will staff “consent” in relation to the storing and proliferation of recorded lectures be managed? Is the default position that all staff provide their consent to the university using their recorded lectures forevermore?

As staff upload their captured content, whether that is a video/audio recording or another form of content capture, to Moodle they will provide their consent for the material to become part of the resources for the students on that course. The material must remain available for the students until the end of the course and it is kept in line with the University Retention Schedule, Section 11.10, before it is deleted. The University Retention Schedule sets out how long documents are kept and they might be requested in the case of a review, investigation or appeal for example.

If students or staff proliferate recordings or other captured content outside of the university, or these are found to be hosted for profit or otherwise on the internet, what action will the university seek to take? Will the disciplinary sanctions resulting from the use, modification or distribution of recordings without permission apply even if it is a recording of yourself?

The university always seeks to remove illegally hosted content. The sanctions will be used if it is identified that a member of staff or student provided the content. Staff and students are prohibited from sharing any recordings or taught content, in any format, outside of the University. Staff may only use, modify, publish or share restricted-access recordings or excerpts with the express permission of the university (from the Head of School/Department).

How does the “opt-out” process work? Do staff have to fill out an “opt-out” request for each session they would like to “opt out” of, and provide notice? What would be done once someone has opted out? What happens if a staff member refuses to record a lecture, then can the university ask someone else to do it?

Due to the flexible nature of content capture there should be very little reason to opt out of content capture, as the policy simply requires the capturing of the core content of the session. This does not necessarily mean a video or audio recording, it could be a written summary of the core points of a discussion, or a padlet, or another relevant means of capturing the core content. However if a session cannot be captured in any way then permission can be sought. This will need to be considered on a case by case basis and thus the opt-out is on a case by case basis. In this case the Head of School/Department, from whom permission is sought, could ask someone else to capture the core content of the session where they feel this is appropriate.

What does section 7 mean in less legalistic language? Does this mean that staff will forever forego their rights to be identified as the creator of the recording, and no longer be credited or acknowledged for their work? What should occur if special category data is recorded? If I put materials together that I then present in a pre-recorded content capture, does the University own my content capture and I own the material?

We have to provide in the policy an explanation of how intellectual property rights are dealt with from a legal point of view in relation to content capture. In general terms, the intellectual property in material that you produce as part of your employment (for example lecture slides) will automatically belong to the University as set out in your contract of employment.
There is a specific set of rules which apply to the intellectual property in performer’s rights which the clause sets out. Your consent is required in relation to performer’s property and non property rights associated with the content capture. By uploading material to the VLE you provide the University with the required consent as set out in clause 7.
You will have to ensure that you are happy with the content you are uploading, that you have the right to put it there, and that as you have created it as part of your role as an educator it becomes part of the teaching materials to which students have access.
You should think carefully about what you capture, e.g. special category data should not be recorded, you should pause any recording when you are likely to capture such data, or modify the recording afterwards to cut out that part of the recording. If you think carefully about how you record or capture content then your role as creator of the recording or the captured content can be/is included - for example on your slide, document, in your introduction.

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