A teacher friend of mine has a student who wants to record her lessons

[kyzen]

It's a college level class. She has a student who wants to record audio during her class, and post it on his blog online, so his friends and other students can get at it.

She doesn't want him to do it, because

a) She doesn't want people to not come to class, or come to class and good off because the recordings will be available online

b) She doesn't want to feel like she is under even more pressure to toe the thin politically correct line that's very present in colleges these days

Any thoughts on this? Would the student even be able to legally do this without her consent?

 

[Hyperblaze]

if she says not to, then technically speaking I do not believe the student is allowed (legally).

As a teacher, she should automatically be PC in whatever she says when she's in her work environment, recording or no.

 

[BigJ]

Honestly I don't know.

My guess (and that's all this is) is that it may be legal to record for personal use, but he sure as shit won't be able to distribute it without permission from the teacher. It may be even stricter where you are not allowed to record without permission from the party you're recording.

That said, how can you record a lecture if recording devices aren't allowed in class

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

In my experience, a professor/instructor can confiscate any recording devices brought to class, if they specifically mention not to bring them, without any repercussion.

 

[kyzen]

Originally posted by: Hyperblaze
if she says not to, then technically speaking I do not believe the student is allowed (legally).

As a teacher, she should automatically be PC in whatever she says when she's in her work environment, recording or no.

The problem with being "PC" in college though is that some of the more politically active students are eager to argue about *anything* they can that they feel infringes on her rights. Last year a student cited several opinion/talk shows as sources for a final project, my friend asked the student to find factual sources, not opinion shows, and the student argued with her and her boss, claiming my friend was biased against the political party that these shows are commonly associated with.

She also has a fairly strong feminist leaning, and while she doesn't advertise it to her students, the subject focus that the college has her teaching this semester ties in with that pretty well, so she doesn't want audio files cut up into out-of-context clips and distributed.

 

[gururu2]

the teacher is an employee of the institution, not a spokesperson for it. even if she would be for it, the school would forbid it. the student could easily be expelled for doing it without school approval.

 

[Savij]

She can say no. I'm pretty sure that since it's a lecture it's implicitly copyrighted by her. He has to have her approval before he can do it. What she should do is give the student a project/job doing it for her, cutting it up, keeping the best parts and making them available as study tools for students.

 

[da loser]

that's what the dean is for

 

[FoBoT]

students should ask if they can record and only use it for their own personal use

 

[sandorski]

There are many reasons that the student should notbe allowed to do so. Copyright being one of them, but she has raised legitimate points as to why.

edit: forgot to type important words

 

[RESmonkey]

I say she has all the right to say no.

 

[sjwaste]

Usually the school will have a policy, most schools' policy is that permission to record is at the instructor's discretion. So even if they have a legal right, they can still get in trouble w/ the school if they violate that policy. Have her contact the dean's office if she doesn't already know.

At my law school, the instructor's policy is required on the syllabus in every course.

 

[Analog]

I am a professor, and I allow this only if I'm asked.

 

[esun]

I agree she has the right to say no. I question her reasons, though. Like others have stated, she should try to be PC in class. I also believe that making unnecessary excuses to force students to come to class (e.g., won't post notes online, won't webcast, grade based on attendance, etc.) are crutches used by poor professors who can't get students to come just based on the quality of their lectures. If you give them a reason to come to class (i.e., you are a good lecturer, you interact with the class, etc.), then the recording will be what it's supposed to be: a useful supplement for students wanting to review material, or a way for students to catch a lecture they had to miss due to unforeseen circumstances.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Savij
She can say no. I'm pretty sure that since it's a lecture it's implicitly copyrighted by her. He has to have her approval before he can do it. What she should do is give the student a project/job doing it for her, cutting it up, keeping the best parts and making them available as study tools for students.

It's only copyrighted if SHE records it.

Simple solution -
1. Record it herself
or
2. Fail the student

 

[RadiclDreamer]

When I was in college you had to have consent of the instructor

 

[everman]

You must have consent to record.

 

[waggy]

I recorded them all. though i did have to sign something saying i wouldnt give them out (have a severe hearing loss)

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: kyzen
It's a college level class. She has a student who wants to record audio during her class, and post it on his blog online, so his friends and other students can get at it.

She doesn't want him to do it, because

a) She doesn't want people to not come to class, or come to class and good off because the recordings will be available online

b) She doesn't want to feel like she is under even more pressure to toe the thin politically correct line that's very present in colleges these days

Any thoughts on this? Would the student even be able to legally do this without her consent?

She produced the lesson, she wrote it out, she holds the copyright, as vague as it may be. Furthermore, the school, by it's very nature, enjoys the protection of these laws, and probably has a clause in it's manual covering this very subject.
If she specifically forbids recording, any subsequent recording is actionable, and subject to seizure.