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FACT2 Statement on Webcam Requirement for Remote Instruction

With the dramatic rise in synchronous remote instruction in response to the global pandemic, many faculty have expressed concern that many students choose to not activate their web cameras. There are, though, many good reasons for not requiring that webcams be activated. The SUNY FACT2 Council approved the following recommendations on December 8, 2020 to provide some guidance to faculty on this issue.  pdf of Webcam Recommendations

 

FACT2 Statement on Webcam Requirement for Remote Instruction

Synchronous online learning technologies pose new challenges with respect to student privacy and equity. To raise awareness of the challenges facing students in digital environments, the FACT2 Council makes the following observations and recommendation:

  • Students may wish to maintain privacy and not share a view of their living quarters or home identity with their classmates and instructors.
  • Students may have low-bandwidth or mobile connections that will not provide stable or affordable video connections.
  • Although some students may be able to use virtual backgrounds, this will not work for students who use phones, tablets, and laptops with processors that do not support virtual backgrounds.
  • Noisy environments can also interfere with student use of their microphones. Alternative student interaction can take place using chat, polls, and other similar alternatives.
  • Class attendance and participation can be tracked using active learning techniques without requiring students to turn on their cameras.

Therefore we endorse City University of New York’s Guidelines on Requiring the Use of Cameras during Live Classes:

As is the case with many colleges and universities that have chosen online and distance learning modalities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty utilizing Zoom, Blackboard Collaborate and other digital technology to deliver course curriculum/material must be sensitive to issues of privacy. To that end, faculty offering classes through web conferencing digital technology like Zoom cannot require that students turn on their cameras during live classes, unless there is a pedagogical need to do so.

Further, we recommend that any requirement of student live webcam use be disclosed to students prior to course registration and included in the syllabus, along with information on how to seek a reasonable accommodation for disability-related limitations on webcam use.

This recommendation is intended to raise awareness of privacy, equity, and inclusion issues. The ultimate decision regarding student camera use rests with individual faculty members.

Faculty are encouraged to work with local support services for campus policies, resources, and support.

 

December 8, 2020

Symposia

The first FACT2 Symposium was held in November 2014. Since then our symposia have covered a wide spectrum of interests.

FACT2 Online Symposium: Responding in real-time at SUNY to a global crisis

Managing the COVID-19 Crisis in the Spring and Planning for Fall

Held May 28, 2020

Confronted with a worldwide pandemic mid-way through the academic year, the SUNY Community responded by quickly pivoting to remote learning.  This special event critically examined the many challenges and decisions that comprised the response and looked ahead to how we move forward learning from the process and how this experience has changed higher-education.

 

 

Resources for this event are:

 

FACT2 Online Symposium recording

 

FACT2 Online Symposium Slides:  Part 1 and Part 2

FACT2 Online Symposium Summary pdf