Recording lectures made compulsory at University of Lincoln

Academics at the University of Lincoln are seeking reassurances that lecture recordings will not be used for “other purposes” after they were made compulsory.

The East Midlands institution has introduced a new policy that mandates all lecturers to record their sessions apart from in when it would “not be appropriate”.

Declaring a formal industrial dispute in response, the University and College Union (UCU) said it was concerned the recordings could be used as evidence in misconduct investigations or to replace teachers that are on strike.

The university has insisted recording is necessary for accessibility purposes and it wanted to introduce “consistent” access for all students.

UCU has launched a boycott of lecture recording “until the university recognises their right to opt out of recording and provide alternative adjustments”. 

The dispute is also calling for the university to introduce “adequate protection” against recordings being reused without the lecturer’s consent.

The issue of replacing teaching missed during strikes has become a key consideration in recent years, as regular industrial action has become more common across the sector. Students at other universities have won compensation due to missing teaching and lecturers have faced punitive penalties for not replacing sessions that have to be cancelled. 

UCU said if recordings were released to students to replace lecturers who were on strike it would risk “significantly undermining academics’ ability to lawfully withhold their labour”.

“Lincoln management insist that recording all lectures is necessary and that it will use ‘normal management processes’ to address non-compliance,” branch chair Katie Hunt said

“We take that as a threat of disciplinary action unless we submit to our lecturers being recorded. Compulsory recording is not the only way to provide inclusive learning environments. We can fulfil our equality obligations through a range of accessible teaching materials and alternative adjustments, which is what staff have done for many years.” 

A university spokesperson said it was “committed to providing an inclusive and high-quality learning experience for all our students”.

The policy “has been introduced to ensure students have equitable access to recorded teaching materials, recognising the important role these play in supporting learning, revision and assessment preparation, as well as helping students who may be unable to attend sessions or who benefit from revisiting taught content”, they added.

It introduces a “consistent” approach to the university where previously some lectures went unrecorded as “we firmly believe that students should not face different levels of access to these resources depending on who teaches them”.

“Choosing not to record teaching sessions risks creating inequalities in students' access to valuable learning resources.”

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com