Dear Colleagues,
Beginning in spring 2025, all classes conducted in Course Capture eligible rooms(link is external) will be recorded automatically in an effort to support student access to instructional material and reduce the barriers instructors face in making recordings available. By default, these recordings will be accessible only to instructors; students will not receive access to course recordings unless instructors directly publish the videos to bCourses or adjust Course Capture settings to do so. All instructors will have multiple options for sharing recordings with their students(link is external), or they can choose to keep them completely private.
Course Capture recordings can enhance the learning experience by supplementing lecture-style instruction, offering greater flexibility and accommodation for diverse learning needs. Additionally, they provide instructors with a valuable repository of content for future use. We recognize that there are concerns about how Course Capture affects class attendance. Research, Teaching, & Learning (RTL) has provided tips on using Berkeley-supported essential tools(link is external), such as Student Response Systems, to enhance in-class engagement, as well as attendance tracking. Additionally, the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) has strategies on encouraging attendance(link is external) that may be useful.
Instructors who do not want to participate in the Course Capture service can opt out and their lectures will not be recorded. The opt-out process will be straightforward, including the option to opt out permanently. An informational email, which will include the opt-out instructions, will be sent to instructors who are teaching in Course Capture eligible classrooms around December 16th and prior to the start of every semester thereafter. Please note that several enhancements and automated options are also being implemented to give instructors greater control over their Course Capture settings. For classes with captioning accommodations, the Disabled Students' Program (DSP) will ensure that course capture recordings are automatically retrieved, professionally captioned, and processed to meet student needs. This streamlined process guarantees accessibility for students requiring captioning.
The Course Capture Resource Guide(link is external) outlines resources, enhancements, and the opt-out process.
If you have any technical questions at this time, please open a ticket by emailing coursecapture@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail). If you wish to discuss your thoughts or have general questions about this new model, please contact Erfan Mojaddam, Deputy Chief Academic Technology Officer and Director of Learning Technologies and Spaces, at erfanm@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail).
Sincerely,
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Oliver O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Erfan Mojaddam
Deputy Chief Academic Technology Officer
and Director of Learning Technologies and Spaces
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