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FERPA & Classroom Recordings
Classroom Use of Panopto or Other Classroom Recordings
Recordings of lectures and other class content may be made to facilitate learning by remote or absent students, as study aids, or for other reasons. Recordings for this purpose that incidentally capture class participants are not education records for individual students. Note: Intentional recordings of individual student presentations or other activities can be considered education records for those students, and access to those types of recordings may need to be limited accordingly. Treatment of individual students’ educational records is outside the purview of this document, but more information can be found on the FERPA for Faculty & Staff page.
The following guidelines reflect best practice and ensure compliance with FERPA and other requirements.
- Inform students that a recording is being made, and for what reason(s) the recording may be reviewed, and by whom. This should be done in the syllabus, at the beginning of the semester (if each class meeting will be recorded), in specific class sessions, or prior to an event. This applies equally to recordings made outside of a particular course, such as guest lectures or presentations. A sample statement for including on a syllabus is provided below.
- Limit access to the video to other students currently enrolled in the same class. William & Mary’s Panopto lecture capture system ensures this by provisioning access to the Panopto recording through Blackboard; for other lecture capture systems, the instructor will ensure that access is limited to students enrolled in the course. No additional student consent is required for this use of the recording. Following the course, the recording should be maintained in accordance with the department’s/program’s/school’s current policies and procedures regarding retention of class materials.
- The syllabus should prohibit students’ capture or copying of the recording by any means, and sharing with others.
- Instructors who wish to use the recording outside of the current course (in any venue, including future courses) may either:
- edit the recording to remove any portion in which a student appears or blur the student’s image and distort the student’s voice, or
- obtain individual written consents from the students in the recording that allow the use of this portion of the recordings. A template for consent for educational use is provided below.
- Instructors may contact the Office of the University Counsel for further guidance.
Recommended Syllabus Statement
Class Recordings. Meetings of this course might/will be recorded. Recordings will be available only to students registered for this class. This is intended to supplement the classroom experience. Students are expected to follow appropriate university policies and maintain the security of passwords used to access recorded lectures. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments; violations may be subject to disciplinary action. If the instructor or a William & Mary office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use.