Recording lectures may be approved as an accommodation when a disability impacts a student's ability to effectively access, process, retain, or document information presented during class. Audio recordings are intended to supplement class participation and note-taking by providing another way to review course content.
This accommodation may be implemented in a variety of ways depending on a student's preferences, learning style, access needs, and the technology they find most effective. Some students may prefer to use a recording application on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, while others may use a personal digital recorder or check out equipment through SAS. SAS also provides access to note-taking technology that incorporates lecture recordings into the note-taking process, allowing students to connect their notes to specific portions of a lecture for later review.
When authorized by SAS, audio recording is a recognized accommodation designed to provide meaningful access to course content. For additional information regarding disability access related to this accommodation, please refer to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, C.F.R. Part 104 and California Education Code Section 78907.
Students interested in this accommodation must be registered with SAS and meet with a SAS counselor during their Welcome Meeting or schedule an appointment with a SAS counselor to discuss the need for this accommodation if it has not been previously authorized.
During this conversation, you and the SAS counselor will discuss how your disability impacts access to classroom lectures and determine whether audio recording may be an appropriate accommodation.
Audio recording accommodations can be implemented in a variety of ways depending on
a student's preferences, access needs, and the technology they find most effective.
Students may choose to use:
- A recording application on a smartphone, tablet or laptop
- A personal digital audio recorder
- A digital audio recorder checked out from SAS (subject to availability)
SAS also provides student access to note-taking technology that can record lectures
while helping students organize and review information. The application SAS provides
students uses lecture recordings to create notes, allowing students to listen and
participate in the lecture or compare their notes to the notes created through the
application.
Students interested in exploring recording technology or equipment options are encouraged
to contact SAS to schedule a meeting with the SAS Access Specialist to determine which
tools may best support their learning preferences and disability-related access needs.
Information related to this accommodation is located on the back of the student's accommodation form (labeled: Recorded lectures). Audio recordings are intended solely for the student's individual educational use and are designed to support equitable access to course content. Students utilizing this accommodation are expected to:
- Use recordings only for their individual educational needs.
- Maintain the privacy and confidentiality of recorded material.
- Respect the privacy rights of classmates and instructors.
- Respect copyright protections and intellectual property considerations related to course material.
- Provide their accommodation form to instructors when they intend to utilize this accommodation.
Students may not release, share, duplicate, distribute, post, sell, or otherwise use recordings or transcriptions without appropriate authorization.
The recording accommodation may be discontinued if a student fails to comply with their expectations and depending on the circumstances, students who are alleged to have violated the expectations above are subject to a Standards of Student Conduct investigation.
In situations where highly sensitive or confidential personal information is being discussed, an instructor may request or require that recording be paused for that specific portion of the discussion. This includes clinical, practicum or lab settings where patient, client or personally-identifiable case information may be shared as part of instruction.
When recording is paused:
- The interruption should be limited to the confidential portion of the discussion.
- Information that students could not access because recording was paused should generally not become the basis of a quiz, exam, or graded assignment.
In clinical or practicum placements, recording restrictions may be broader than classroom discussions. Clinical sites and healthcare facilities often prohibit recording of an kind during rotations, in accordance with HIPAA and facility-specific confidentiality policies.
Students and faculty who have questions regarding confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property concerns are strongly encouraged to contact SAS for guidance and support.
Students approved for the Recording Lectures accommodation have been authorized by SAS to record classroom lectures as a disability-related accommodation. Recording lectures allows students to review information at their own pace, revisit complex material, and access course content in a way that supports their learning and information processing needs. Information related to this accommodation is located on the back of the student's accommodation form (labeled: Recorded lectures).
Privacy and Confidentiality Considerations
Students authorized for this accommodation are expected to use recordings solely for
their individual educational use and to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of
recorded content. Students may not release, share, duplicate, distribute, post, sell,
or otherwise use recordings or transcriptions without appropriate authorization.
Do Other Students Need to Consent to Being Recorded?
Other students in the class are not required to consent to being recorded, and this
is not a requirement instructors may impose. A classroom discussion involving multiple
enrolled students generally does not meet the legal definition of a confidential communication
under California's recording-consent law, and Education Code 78907 does not condition
the accommodation on classmate permission. The privacy and confidentiality expectations
described on this webpage and on the back of each student's accommodation form, which
restrict students from sharing, distributing, or publishing recordings, are the mechanism
that protect the interests of the instructor and other students in the class.
For courses that involve highly sensitive, confidential, or personal information, instructors are encouraged to meet with the student to discuss when recording is appropriate and when it may need to be paused. Any interruption should be limited to the specific confidential portion of the discussion, and information that students could not access because recording was paused should generally not become the basis of a quiz, exam, or graded assignment. Where a clinical or practicum site’s no-recording policy applies, it supercedes the standard classroom accommodation, and the instructor should work with the student and SAS to explore alternatives.
Questions or Concerns?
Faculty members who have questions regarding the implementation of this accommodation
or concerns related to privacy, confidentiality, or intellectual property are encouraged
to contact the SAS counselor listed at the bottom of the student's accommodation form
or SAS at (760) 795-6658 or sas@miracosta.edu.
