Zoom for Teaching & Learning/ 2020 

Academic Policies in Effect for Spring 2020 guide instructors to prioritize asynchronous instruction and to record synchronous course meetings. Why? 

By providing students with multiple ways to access recordings, faculty increase the inclusivity and accessibility of the learning experience for all students.  We encourage faculty to consider the range of needs of their students -- time zones, learning preferences, and access to technologies. 

Many of the questions raised are addressed here.

Does the Zoom corporation own Brown’s Zoom session recordings to use them for their own purposes? 

No. Brown has a contract with Zoom that states that Brown retains ownership of any content or data originated by Brown and stored or transmitted using Zoom’s services. 

Who can access recorded Zoom sessions saved to the cloud with the Zoom Canvas integration for a course? 

Only those already authorized to access your Canvas site will be able to access the Zoom recordings tool in your Canvas site.  A student could share the URL of a Zoom recording but only those who are logged in with their Brown credentials can view the recording.     

Zoom cloud recordings cannot be downloaded by anyone but the recording owner.

Do chairs, deans or others have access to class recordings to review at will?

No.  Only application administrators and course participants have access to the Canvas course sites and  integrated Zoom cloud recordings.  

What can instructors do to prevent the redistribution of Zoom recordings?

By default, Zoom cloud recordings can only be viewed by those who are logged in with their Brown credentials. 

 Zoom cloud recordings cannot be downloaded by anyone but the recording owner. 

How can instructors ensure that only participants in their courses can view Zoom cloud recordings? 

Zoom recordings can be distributed using the Panopto Media Library integrated into Canvas. By default, videos accessed from the Panopto Media Library cannot be downloaded and can be viewed only by course participants. 

Instructors may email dld@brown.edu to enable Panopto Media Library for Zoom recordings.

What can instructors do to prevent interference from those outside of course participants? 

Recommended options include: 

• Turn off “join before host.” Your participants will not be able to join the meeting until you’ve started it. 
• Restrict sharing screen to host-you may allow others to share as needed during your meeting.  The screen sharing restriction was enabled by default for all Zoom education accounts (including Brown's) in late March 2020, but can be changed in your settings.
• Do not publish your Zoom meeting address/url on publicly available sites.

For more information about security settings, visit the Zoom Enhanced Security Settings article.  

Should instructors password protect the Zoom course meeting?  

We do not recommend password protecting your Zoom course sessions. This may cause confusion and could be a barrier for your students.

Are Breakout Sessions recorded? 

By default, Breakout Sessions are not recorded. For most use cases, we do not recommend recording Breakout Sessions.

Why do instructors need to record class sessions if the course does not have a student who needs accommodations and is registered with SAS (formerly SEAS?)  

Again, we encourage faculty to consider the diverse needs of their students. Providing students with multiple ways to access recordings increases the inclusivity and accessibility of the learning experience for all students.

Can instructors delete Zoom cloud recordings and recordings in the Media Library?  

Yes. However, as much as is feasible based on the course content, we recommend that instructors allow students access to the recorded Zoom sessions for the duration of the course.  This year, there may be a number of students who need access to recordings after the Spring 2020 semester to complete the course. 

Do instructors need to get written consent from their students to record Zoom class sessions?

Instructors do not need to get signed consent from students, provided that the recording is not distributed outside of the registered participants. However,  we would like to offer a few reminders: 

•  Please let your students know that you are recording the sessions. Put this information in your revised syllabus and remind students at the beginning of your class session. 
• Continue to work with your students to meet their needs. Students may want to disable their video or rename to first name/last initial in these sessions. Refer them to the Remote Learning Guide for information.
• Do not distribute Zoom recordings of class sessions to anyone outside of the registered participants. 

What should students do if they are not comfortable with their face or name being recorded while they are participating in a meeting?

By default, course participants' names are not displayed in the Zoom recording. Students who are not comfortable being recorded should communicate with their instructors.
Suggestions in the Remote Learning Guide include turning off their video during a Zoom session and/or editing their Zoom profile name to "First Name, Last Initial.”

Should instructors allow students to record Zoom class sessions locally? 

• Instructors should not allow the local recording of class sessions by anyone. We recommend that instructors make use of the Zoom Canvas integration and record to the Zoom cloud. This is less work for instructors and students; downloading is disabled; and Brown login is required to view the recordings. 
• Students with a documented disability must register with Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as SEAS) and may be approved for a reasonable accommodation that allows for recording of a lecture for their own personal use. If Student Accessibility Services approves such an accommodation, the instructor must allow the recording for this specific purpose. Contact seas@brown.edu or 401-863-9588 for information.