Class Recording Guidelines

Recording class lectures, presentations, and demonstrations is helpful for those students who have a necessary, temporary absence and assists all students in reviewing material and preparing for assessments. The following guidelines should be followed when recording classes.

Privacy Considerations

If a class is being recorded, students must be notified. If the recordings are only accessible to students in the class, there are no privacy concerns, but if an instructor intends to use the recordings after the end of the semester, all student images, names, chat, and other data must be deleted. If all student data is not deleted, students must provide written consent to use or share the recording outside of that class.

Sample Syllabus Statement:
Video and audio recordings of class lectures will be part of the classroom activity. The video and audio recordings are used for educational use/purposes and only may be made available to all students presently enrolled in the class. For purposes where the recordings will be used in future class sessions/lectures, any type of identifying information will be adequately removed.

Video Storage

Instructors must securely store the recordings and destroy them at the end of the semester. All Zoom cloud recordings are automatically uploaded to Kaltura, which provides unlimited storage. Detailed instructions for accessing Zoom recordings in Kaltura are available. It is also possible to edit, embed, and share all of the class Zoom cloud recordings from Kaltura.

Recording Work Created by Others

Instructors may make video clips of short portions of DVDs and Blu-Rays to provide for in-class or out-of-class viewing. Instructors can also create clips using Kaltura Capture. The Kaltura Knowledge Center has instructions for creating these clips in Kaltura. Instructors are encouraged to rely on licensed video already provided by the Penn State University Libraries for out-of-class viewing. The Libraries also have subscriptions to a significant set of streaming audio options for Penn State users. Please contact your liaison librarian or the Libraries’ Music & Media Center for help determining if the audio or video content needed for teaching is available through the Libraries. If it is not, the Libraries may be able to purchase streaming access for additional media.

For assistance with copyright-related issues, please fill out the Copyright, Publishing, and Open Access form or book an appointment with a librarian from the Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright.

Student Class Recordings

Students are not allowed to record class sessions without permission.

Sample Syllabus Statement:
According to University Policy, students must get express permission from their instructor to record class sessions. Screenshots showing instructors and students are considered recordings. Even if permission is granted, student-initiated recordings must be used only for educational purposes for the students enrolled in the initiating student’s class. Recordings may be used only during the period in which the student is enrolled in the class. Authorized student-initiated recordings may not be posted or shared in any fashion outside of the class, including online or through other media, without the express written consent of the course instructor or appropriate University administrator. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of class recordings may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws.