Student Use of Recording Devices
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidance on the use of recording devices by students in lectures and other taught sessions.
2. Overarching Principles
2.1 Academic staff may choose to allow students to record their lecture for personal use. However, there is no obligation to do so in any case other than those authorised by the Disability & Dyslexia Team (DDT) as outlined from paragraph 2.4 onwards of this policy.
2.2 Students who are not authorised by the DDT to record lectures must request permission from the relevant academic member of staff prior to the lecture taking place.
2.3 Throughout this policy, reference is made explicitly to voice recording equipment. However, all recordings, including visual recordings using computers, phones, cameras, etc., shall be subject to the same restrictions as outlined in paragraph 2.7 of this policy.
2.4 Under the Equality Act, the University must make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, which may include the use of recording devices in lectures, seminars and tutorials. This policy outlines the University’s legal responsibilities for action by staff, as well as the obligations of students when using recording devices.
2.5 The use of recording devices (e.g. Dictaphones, mobile phones or computer-based recording devices) in lectures must be allowed by academic staff if the student has been deemed eligible by the DDT because of their condition. It could be considered unlawful if a lecturer prevented a student who is eligible to use a recording device from making a recording for personal use.
2.6 Any student entitlements will be included in the student's Teaching and Learning Support Requirements (TLSR), which is drawn up with a student when they register with DDT. The TLSR will be sent to the student’s school of study to be disseminated to relevant academic teaching staff.
2.7 Student agreements will be held by the DDT as part of their Teaching and Learning Support Requirements (TLSR) and, if a student has not signed the agreement, he or she will not be authorised to use a recording device until this takes place.
2.8 Students who are authorised by DDT to use a recording device in lectures are obliged to agree in writing to the conditions outlined in section 3 (Lectures) below.
3. Lectures
3.1 Recordings are for personal use only and must not be further distributed to any other party through any medium except for the purpose of creating a single written transcription for the sole use of the authorised student.
3.2 Both the University and the lecturer concerned own the rights to any recording made of a lecture and own the rights to the electronic distribution of a lecture. Any unauthorised commercial exploitation of recorded material is prohibited.
3.3 Any recorded material used in a written assessment must be acknowledged and correctly referenced within the student’s text, and if the student does not understand how to do this correctly, they should seek advice from academic staff.
3.4 Misuse of recorded material (including unauthorised redistribution within or outside the University, plagiarism or posting on social media) will be deemed a form of misconduct and/or an infringement of copyright. This could result in the University taking disciplinary action against the student(s) concerned under the appropriate University policies.
4. Tutorials, Seminars and other Taught Sessions
4.1 In addition to the conditions applied to lectures, the following rules must be observed:
Other students in the group must be advised by the tutor that the session is to be recorded and that their consent to this is requested. If any student does not give consent, then the student with a disability is not allowed to record the session and will have to liaise with their lecturer and the DDT about appropriate alternatives. DDT will advise students with disabilities at the point of registration of this procedure and include this in the Learning Support Agreement.
4.2 If the session is recorded, then:
Other students in the session must be informed by the tutor that the recording is solely for a student’s personal study use and that it will be destroyed on completion of the student’s studies.
On occasions where sensitive issues or personal experiences are being discussed, tutors can insist that recording stops in order to protect student confidentiality.
Where a tutor feels that a recording is negatively affecting the quality of the students’ discussion, he/she has the right to stop the recording.
Recorded lectures and/or group discussions must not be used in any way that risks or intends to bring into disrepute Academic staff or students whose comments are recorded as a part of the tutorial activity.
| Version | Effective from | Amendments | Equality analysis | Stakeholder consultation | Author | Date of review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V1 | 31/08/2025 | To provide clear guidance to staff and students on the use of recording devices in lectures and taught sessions | 08/05/2025 | DDT | Nigel Meeson (Head of Disability, Accessibility and Inclusion) | 2028 |
This Policy is reviewed by Education & Experience Committee and approved by Academic Board.