Lecture Capture

Branch Meeting held on Wednesday 1st July 2020

Motion carried with a majority:  Passed: for 81 members, against 2, abstentions 4.           Amendments in bold passed by Branch Committee

This branch notes:  

  1. Sheffield Hallam University is pushing ahead with plans to introduced lecture capture (LC) from the autumn term 
  2. Management have communicated that this move has been endorsed by the Board of Governors, but there has been no meaningful negotiation with staff who will actually have to implement this policy 
  3. There are widespread concerns amongst staff in relation to the implementation of the recording of any teaching sessions; these relate to the fact: 
  4. Studies have demonstrated a link between the recording of sessions and lowered attendance[1] 
  5. Lower attendance will clearly impact most upon students from more disadvantaged backgrounds 
  6. That due to being recorded staff will alter the content of their sessions[2] due to concerns about subject matter which may be perceived as being sensitive or controversial in nature (in some instances linked to the surveillance of students under programmes such as Prevent[3]) or in relation to questions Intellectual Property 
  7. Previous studies have shown heightened levels of stress and discomfort amongst staff linked to the pressures of live recording[4] 
  8. That when staff signed contracts agreeing to hand over the Intellectual Property rights of (some) teaching materials to the institution, it was not envisaged that this would include a substantial proportion of recorded content 
  9. In the 2018 USS strikes the University of Edinburgh used recorded lectures for the purposes of strike-breaking[5], undermining legitimate and popularly supported industrial action, pursued under a clear democratic mandate 
  10. There are concerns amongst staff that a reliance on pre-recorded material could be used to reduce staffing levels in certain instances  

This branch believes:  

  1. As is now often the case, demands for the introduction of lecture capture are driven by market populism, rather than any solid evidence base that it improves student engagement or outcomes 
  2. In a sector where levels of stress, depression and anxiety linked to workload are already at epidemic proportions, any increases in the pressures faced by staff are simply unacceptable 
  3. An ‘opt-out’ policy will lead to an increased workload for those staff who must justify why the content of their sessions are not suitable for recording, and leave them susceptible to pressure from the student body 
  4. While there is a rationale for recording of sessions in some instances, the issues noted above mean that the practice of lecture capture, including students’ recordings, must be carefully regulated  

This branch resolves:  

  1. To agree to a 12 month trial of the recording of taught sessions only on the basis that it is ‘opt in’, that SHU agree that this learning resource is not appropriate for all teaching styles, that detailed guidance is provided on the circumstances where lecture capture may be more or less appropriate, that all recordings are only stored for 12 months and then deleted (as is the practice at other institutions[6]), that recorded material cannot be used for performance management, that recorded material cannot be used during periods of legally mandated industrial action and that the copyright is retained by the individual member of academic staff. 

 

[1] https://theconversation.com/lecture-recordings-mean-fewer-students-are-turning-up-does-it-matter-131988 

[2] http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/54870/1/__libfile_REPOSITORY_Content_Bond%2C%20Stephen_Staff%20attitudes_Bond_Staff%20attitudes_2013.pdf 

[3] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/students-university-police-essays-terrorism-free-speech-a9289301.html 

[4] http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/54870/1/__libfile_REPOSITORY_Content_Bond%2C%20Stephen_Staff%20attitudes_Bond_Staff%20attitudes_2013.pdf 

[5] https://www.scotsman.com/education/edinburgh-university-lecture-recordings-used-against-strikes-332569 

[6] https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.764334!/file/lecturecapturepolicyjune2018.pdf