Summary of informal member feedback on the senior management proposed changes to the lecture capture policy The general policy on recording and the loss of the automatic right to opt out Significant unease about new point 6: using lecture capture material for performance management. This was by far the most common point made in this section. The caveat ‘routinely’ does not reassure staff and the belief that they are under surveillance through lecture capture is making staff far less comfortable with being recorded. A concern frequently raised is that of student complaints that are unreasonable and/or politically motivated, and the implications for academic freedom. Staff warn that this provision could have an inhibiting effect, making them more likely to lecture from a script and less likely to teach in a more interactive, relaxed and personal manner There is some concern about bullet point 5 and the ability to make recordings available outside of the learning and teaching context in which they were made. This causes anxiety about using captured lectures inappropriately, to replace absent staff, striking staff or staff who have left. Staff believe that lectures are and should be captured for the purpose of teaching a particular course of … continue reading

This is the detailed response sent from the branch to University of Leeds senior management at the start of the consultation on the proposed changes by management to the agreed lecture capture policy. (See also the motion passed by the branch at the start of the consultation process.) Proposed new audio-video recording policy Position of Leeds University UCU General The current policy, negotiated with UCU, is generally popular and successful. It maintains a right to opt-out, subject to the existence of a counterveilling legal obligation (e.g. to provide a reasonable adjustment for disabled students) and would therefore seem, if applied properly, to comply with the University’s legal obligations under the Equality Act. If 82% of lectures are currently recorded, that means that over 82% of staff are currently prepared in principle to record their lectures (as some staff record some but not all lectures). Our members’ consultation indicated that more staff would be prepared to record lectures if firmer assurances could be given about use of those lectures outside of their immediate context (i.e. as part of a module or programme of study, in a particular year), if staff were given more control over the use of their lectures such … continue reading