Members of the Duke community should review Duke’s policies and relevant federal and state laws before recording classroom activities (whether in person or online), conducting research with personally identifiable information, or doing other activities that may compromise privacy rights and norms.

Some considerations you should be aware of

• If you intend to record classroom activities, you should alert all participants before doing so.
• For any course activities (like public blogging or recording of classroom activities) that might result in personally identifiable information (such as name, Duke ID number, or information that can reasonably be used to distinguish or trace a participant’s identity) being disclosed to people not normally part of the course, students must be given options that allow them to protect their identities from disclosure. For example, the ability to participate pseudonymously or anonymously, or to not be visible or audible in any recordings or publicly posted materials.
• If a recording is made, it can be shown to other students in the class (for example, those who were not able to participate in real time because of time zone differences or other reasons); however, for privacy reasons it may not be shared publicly or to anyone not enrolled in the class.
• Duke’s existing policies about classroom recordings still apply in online classroom spaces like Zoom – these may include both privacy and intellectual property considerations. Be aware that unauthorized distribution of a recorded lecture is a cause for disciplinary action by the Duke Judicial Board and potentially subject to penalties under other laws and processes.

Relevant policies and other information

• Duke University Privacy Statement
  • Duke Privacy for Students
  • Duke Privacy for Research
  • Duke Privacy for Faculty and Staff
  • Duke Privacy for Alumni
• Duke Values and Code of Conduct
• Duke Student Conduct policy on computing and electronic communications
• Guidance from the US Department of Education regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other privacy issues
  • FERPA and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Protecting Student Privacy While Using Online Educational Services: Requirements and Best Practices
  • FERPA and Virtual Learning
• North Carolina Recording Law

Guidance specific to Zoom meetings and classroom use

• Zoom Meetings: Security and Privacy in your Meetings
• Protect your Zoom meetings

If you have questions about how to interpret and apply these policies and laws in your particular Duke-related research and teaching activities, contact scholarworks@duke.edu and we may be able to help.