Recording as an accommodation to support access to lecture material is not new. However, there have been some changes in how it is recommended. To clarify, the accommodation provides that students are audio recording lecture information only. Video recording, photos, recording of seminars, personal peer discussions or sensitive topics is not recommended nor supported by our office. Students are made aware of this when accommodations are discussed.

Over the last year, as a result of significant exploration into the best note-taking options for students, SAS has worked alongside other Ontario universities to pilot the Genio note-taking web application with students registered with our services.

Genio is a note-taking web app designed to replace notetakers for accommodated students. It enables students to create a complete audio recording and transcription of the class, add individual notes to the recording transcription, and import slides or screenshots to their notes.

Only accommodated students registered with SAS and given the note-taking accommodation will be provided with access to Genio.

Students using Genio in your class will be listed as “Permission to Record Lectures” in Oasis.

Genio has been vetted and meets all the security and privacy standards required for educational technology at Brock University. Students can keep personal notes as would be the case in any lecture, but the audio file transcription cannot be shared. Student only has access to the audio file transcription while they have an active account for the course duration.

Genio is for personal study purposes only. Genio does not allow for downloading of the recordings made in the tool, ensuring that the material cannot be shared or uploaded.

We recognize that some courses involve sensitive or vulnerable discussions. Recording in these settings is not automatic and requires additional review and consideration in advance, as outlined in our recording agreement, to help maintain a safe and respectful learning environment. 

The responsibility for recording lies with the student to manage independently. There is no setup required by the instructor. General best practices for audio in lecture environment, such as use of microphone, will improve accuracy and effectiveness. If you have further questions, please contact us at SAS.

Students must sign a recording agreement, developed in consultation with Brock University’s Legal Services, before the accommodation is recommended. The recording agreement confirms their understanding of lecture material as intellectual property, the inability to share with anyone else, the requirement to delete at end of term, and the inability to record course content other than lecture information (e.g., seminars, discussion, etc.)

It is important to know that ownership and intellectual property rights never transfer to Genio; the content legally belongs to the faculty member, just as it did before it was captured in the platform. 

We all share a commitment to foster an inclusive, accessible, harassment- and discrimination-free learning environment where students can succeed. Academic accommodations are determined by Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and put in place to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to their education. This is a legal obligation the University has under the Ontario Human Rights Code to provide accommodations to students where requested and justified.​

Instructors may initiate a reassessment of the accommodation plan identified by SAS as outlined in the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy and the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Procedures on the basis of undue hardship or essential course requirements.​