Recording of Teaching and Learning Activities Policy

Responsibility for policy: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic
Approving authority: Academic Board
Last reviewed: September 2026
Next review: September 2031

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Application

  1. This policy applies to all staff and students of the University of Waikato.

Scope

  1. This policy governs the University of Waikato’s recording of teaching and learning activities, including in preparatory and/or pathway programmes, papers or equivalent. It applies to lecture and lecture-style activities; it does not apply to professorial inaugural lectures, public lectures and other similar events. It also does not apply, by default, to tutorials, seminars, laboratories, workshops or other discussion or participation-based teaching sessions.
  2. This policy does not apply to CCTV systems operated by the University on its premises, which are governed by the CCTV Surveillance Policy.

Purpose

  1. This policy sets out the purpose and operational requirements of the recording of teaching and learning activities at the University of Waikato.

Related documents

  1. The following documents set out further information relevant to this policy:

Definitions

  1. In this policy:

AI processing means the use of artificial intelligence tools to generate notes, summaries or learning resources from a recording, and does not include automated closed captioning closed captions means text versions of the audio content of an audio or video recording, including spoken words and sounds that are relevant to understanding the context and meaning

guest lecturer means a person who is not a member of University staff and who is invited to deliver all or part of a teaching and learning activity

lecture or lecture-style activity means a scheduled teaching session where the primary purpose is the lecturer’s presentation, explanation and delivery of core paper content, whether delivered in person or online. It does not include discussion or participation-based teaching sessions (e.g. tutorials, laboratories, workshops) unless the primary purpose of that session is the delivery of core content primarily communicated by the lecturer. The classification of a lecture or lecture-style activity must reflect its pedagogical purpose as approved in the relevant paper outline and the timetable

staff means all University of Waikato employees, whether permanent, fixed term or temporary, and includes contractors, secondees, interns and others who form part of the University’s workforce from time to time or who perform any of its activities or functions through a partnership, contract or other arrangement

student-generated content means content created or contributed by a student during a teaching and learning activity, including presentations, discussion, questions, group work, peer feedback, role plays and simulations

teaching and learning activity means all scheduled classes that are designed to support student learning, including those primarily involving student discussion or participation-based teaching sessions (e.g. tutorials, laboratories, workshops). These are distinct from a lecture or lecture-style activity for the purposes of this policy and apply only as they relate to student recording as set out in clauses 35-38 of this policy.

Principles

  1. The University is committed to enabling:
    1. equitable access to paper content and appropriate accommodations for students with accessibility needs
    2. students with English as an additional language to review content at their own pace, and
    3. learning and revision using recordings as supplementary resources.
  2. Recordings are provided to supplement and support student learning and are not intended to replace participation in teaching and learning activities.
  3. Individuals must be informed when they are being recorded; student-generated content and presentations by guest lecturers must not be recorded without being given prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to decline.

Intellectual property and copyright

  1. The ownership, licensing and use of recordings are governed by the University’s Intellectual Property and Copyright Policy.

Personal information and privacy

  1. The Personal Information and Privacy Policy and University of Waikato Privacy Statement set out the University’s obligations and responsibilities with respect to personal, private and sensitive information that may be recorded.
  2. The University will take reasonable steps to protect staff and students from the misuse of images or audio captured in recordings, including unauthorised redistribution and unauthorised use in artificial intelligence tools.
  3. Any person identifiable in a recording who has concerns about their inclusion may request a resolution from the relevant Head of School or equivalent who must respond within a reasonable timeframe and may direct that the recording be edited, its distribution restricted or other appropriate action taken.

Operational requirements

  1. Lecturers are responsible for informing and reminding students that a lecture or lecture-style activity or parts of a lecture or lecture-style activity will be recorded.
  2. An exemption from recording part or all of a lecture or lecture-style activity may be approved by the relevant Head of School or equivalent.
  3. Grounds for exemption include but are not limited to sensitive content, cultural considerations (including but not limited to tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and other culturally sensitive teaching contexts), professional body requirements or participant safety.
  4. Exemptions extending to more than three lecture or lecture-style activities within a paper, or applying to a paper on an ongoing basis, must be approved by the Associate Dean Academic or equivalent of the relevant Division or equivalent; ongoing exemptions remain valid for a period of three years, subject to review.
  5. All approved exemptions must be reported to the Education Committee.
  6. Where teaching spaces are equipped with recording technology it must be used unless an approved exemption applies in accordance with clause 15 of this policy.
  7. Where automatic recording is enabled in a teaching space staff are responsible for pausing or stopping the recording where an exemption applies.
  8. Where an exemption has been approved staff must inform students that they are not permitted to record the specified teaching and learning activity using personal or University-endorsed tools.
  9. Recordings must normally include:
    1. audio of the lecturer or equivalent
    2. displayed teaching material (e.g. slides), and
    3. video of the lecturer or equivalent, where technically feasible.
  10. If no exemption is in place, staff may pause recording for a limited period to protect copyright or privacy, or to present or discuss sensitive material.
  11. Recordings must normally be uploaded to the relevant Moodle page within 24 hours of the lecture or lecture-style activity; a longer release time may be used where staff have a reasonable and documented reason and have considered the impact on students, including equity and accessibility impacts, but release must not be delayed beyond five working days without the approval of the relevant Associate Dean Academic or equivalent.
  12. Where the upload of recordings is prevented by a technical failure the upload obligation is suspended until the technical issue is resolved and staff must notify students of the delay and the reason for it.
  13. Moodle pages must clearly state any approved exemptions from this policy.
  14. If a lecture or lecture-style activity is not recorded due to an approved exemption or technical error, staff must provide students with equivalent learning materials to support continuity of learning.
  15. Prior permission must be obtained for the recording of presentations by guest lecturers; guest lecturers retain ownership of their materials and may decline the recording of all or part of their presentation.
  16. Where a lecture or lecture-style activity is expected to include identifiable student-generated content staff must give students prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to decline being recorded consistent with the protection given to guest lecturers under clause 28 of this policy.
  17. AI-generated notes, transcripts or other learning resources may only be generated from an institutional recording where the staff member who delivered the lecture or lecture-style activity has confirmed that the recording contains no identifiable student-generated content.
  18. Where an institutional recording contains identifiable student-generated content it must not be submitted for AI processing unless separate consent has been obtained from and recorded for the student(s) concerned prior to processing.
  19. Clause 31 of this policy does not apply to recordings made by individual students, where the recording and any AI-generated output is used solely for that student’s own study and is not shared, published or distributed to any other person.
  20. Closed captions will be enabled automatically wherever technically available.
  21. Where automated closed captioning is inaccurate, staff are not required to manually correct captions unless otherwise required under accessibility obligations.

Student recording of teaching and learning activities

  1. Students may make personal recordings of lecturer-delivered content of teaching and learning activities for their own study purposes using personal devices or University-endorsed tools unless:
    1. an approved exemption applies, or
    2. a staff member has expressly advised that recording is not permitted for that activity.
  2. Students must not record other students, student presentations, discussion, group work or other student-generated content without the express permission of those students.
  3. Staff have the authority to direct a student to stop recording or to pause recording at any point during a teaching and learning activity, including where student-generated content is being shared.
  4. Personal recordings must not be shared, published, copied, downloaded for further distribution or distributed to any other person without prior permission from the relevant staff member and, where applicable, other participants.

Access to and use of recordings

  1. Access to recordings is restricted to students formally enrolled in the paper; all staff, students and others who attend classes, but who are not enrolled (‘auditors’) must be excluded from access.
  2. Recordings must remain available to students for the duration of the occurrence of the paper in which they are enrolled.
  3. Students may only use recordings for their own personal study and research purposes.
  4. Recordings must not be shared, copied, distributed or uploaded to any external platform, except where this is required for the operation of a University-authorised accessibility or learning support tool integrated with the University’s recording platform.
  5. The misuse of recordings by students will be treated as a breach of the Code of Student Conduct and may result in disciplinary action under the Student Discipline Regulations.
  6. The University must ensure that recordings are securely stored and managed in accordance with the Information and Records Management Policy.
  7. Staff may only access recordings for the purpose of:
    1. teaching and support related to the paper
    2. administration of the recording system
    3. subsequent occurrences of the paper, or
    4. legal compliance.