One common notetaking support is the ability to audio record. This recording can be done with a variety of devices. For in-person classes, students generally bring their own device, but when the class is already being recorded or there is an option for recording, then this is not necessary.

Importantly, when students do have this accommodation, students need to abide by certain conditions. Students need to sign an agreement with SAS stating that they understand and agree to the following:

Before recording:
- Faculty must be notified prior to any classroom recording.
- The student and faculty should meet to discuss recording requirements and potential limitation or concerns prior to any recording.
When recording:
- Ensure the recordings can be done in a way that is not obtrusive.
- Professors may request the recordings to be turned off if there is sensitive information where all students are asked to refrain from notetaking or if the professor deems it pedagogically inappropriate.
- Preclude recording of student presentations, unless necessary for learning as agreed with faculty member.
After recording:
- The recordings are strictly limited to the personal, educational use of the student.
- Recordings should be stored in a safe location and if stored digitally should be stored as sensitive information. Please see: Acceptable Use Policy for Information Technology Resources < University of New Hampshire (unh.edu)
- Students may not share the recordings with other faculty, students, or any other individual unless given specific permission by the faculty and anyone who might have been recorded or present for the recording.
- The recordings and/or quotes from the recording cannot be published, distributed, uploaded to social media platforms, or sold.
- Students are required to delete recordings after the completion of the course or relevant academic task.
- Faculty may specifically request for a recording to be deleted.
- In the event of a dispute or concern, SAS may request access to student recordings.

Key Things to Know

Prior to recording students must sign the Audio Recording Agreement and talk with their instructors. As needed, SAS can confirm this agreement has been signed with instructors.
Violations of the Audio Recording Agreement conditions will be governed by the rules of academic conduct at UNH.
SAS does not approve a specific method of recording audio. For instance, a student may choose to record through their mobile device or a specific recorder. The type of recorded used should be discussed by the student and instructor. As needed, SAS can help make additional arrangements.

Student Responsibilities

Students are responsible for…

Meeting all general accommodation responsibilities as outlined as outlined on the SAS Website.
Identifying the need for notetaking support.
Signing and agreeing to all terms within the SAS Audio Recording Agreement.
Discussing audio recording with the instructor prior to audio recording within the course.

Implementation Recommendations

As an instructor implementing this accommodation, we recommend that you...

Talk with students about how they will record audio in the class.
- What device will you use to record audio?
- Is there anything else you plan to use your device for?
- Do you plan on recording during virtual sessions?
- If there is a time that audio recording is not possible (these are only times when any notetaking is inappropriate), what other strategies do you use for notetaking?
Instructors should notify students about the potential for recording. This is the case for recording more generally, but also true if students might record as part of their accommodations. Generally, this is done through a syllabus statement about recording (Pages 15-16: Syllabus Guidance | Office of the Provost (unh.edu) or through an announcement to the class that is similar to the syllabus statement.
If there are concerns about audio recording or how to facilitate usage within the classroom, talk with SAS as soon as possible.
Outline any specific instances when audio recording may be unreasonable for your course to the student. Please note that the instances when it would be unreasonable to implement this accommodation are those in which any student notetaking is unreasonable. For instance, this could be moments where students are sharing personal narratives or survivors are sharing their stories. In these cases, it would be appropriate to inform all students to stop taking notes.

Common Questions

What if I do not feel recording is appropriate in my course?

If there is a pedagogical reason why recording is not appropriate, then you may ask the student to not record particular portions of the course. Since recording as an accommodation is generally provided when note-taking presents challenges, situations where recording will be inappropriate are also ones where you might advise all students to refrain from taking notes. In the rare circumstances where note-taking is permitted but recording is not, please discuss ways in which the student can still continue to access notetaking supports. If you have any questions about when a notetaking accommodation might be inappropriate, please contact SAS for additional supports.

If a faculty member feels audio recording might not be appropriate in their classroom, they can work with SAS to pursue other options including:

Recording the lecture independently and sharing it directly with the student or uploading the recording to the UNH media site.

Identifying a student willing to share their notes with the class.

Designating a note-taker for each class and having that person share notes with the class. 
Sharing detailed instructor notes from the course.

Do students have the notify instructors prior to recording?

Yes. Students are required to notify their instructor before recording. Consent must be provided.

Can a student be asked to stop recording?

Yes, but only if:

The request to the student is specific to a circumstance where notetaking would not be appropriate.
Other students are also informed that notetaking is not appropriate

Please talk with SAS as soon as possible if there are concerns about utilizing the notetaking support.

As a faculty member, do I have to notify other students there will be recording of the course?

Yes. You should inform other students that there could be recording happening in the course, but it is also important to be sensitive to the privacy of accommodations when you do so. As a general practice, we recommend that information about possible recording is included in the course syllabus. If information is not included in the syllabus, then please consider ways in which students in the class can be informed, but privacy for the student recording can also be taken into account.