U-M classes are overwhelming being taught remotely this semester. This means that some instructors may, for a variety of reasons, wish to record their classes. The Safe Computing website has guidelines for instructors who plan to record class activities.
Recordings where students can be identified—from in-person sessions or remote instruction via Zoom, BlueJeans, or any other videoconferencing application—are:
- Regulated by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
- Subject to state privacy laws that prohibit or limit recording conversations without consent.
Students may be considered identifiable on class activity recordings when they are participating verbally or visually, providing commentary, using a chat feature, or making a presentation. Teaching and learning activities include, but are not limited to, lectures, discussion groups, advising sessions, labs, and so on.
Check Recording Class Activities: (Some) Rules of the Road on the Safe Computing site to get guidelines for instructors who plan to record class activities; best practices for notifying students before recording; information about sharing the recordings, including when and how to obtain written consent; and tips for how to record only an instructor’s video and audio.
Questions? Send them to privacy@umich.edu.
