A student comes to the dean’s office to complain about a professor’s temper/political rants/harassment/dementia/use of profanity/racism/(you fill in the blank). The student notes, “I have a voice recording app on my phone, as well as a video camera. I am going to start documenting these events. If you won’t do anything about this, I am going to upload this to the Internet. I don’t care what the syllabus or the student handbook says about recording in class, I’m fed up with all of this behavior.”
You’d be amazed at how often such threats come up. Certainly there are legal issues attached, but once such a recording or video is uploaded, it’s a part of the infamous “permanent record” that now has fresh meaning in the age of digital records. I’m surprised, in fact, that such uploads haven’t happened more frequently.
We all have heard the lessons of e-mail and social-networking sites: always assume that everything you write is public; don’t say anything that you would not want repeated. Perhaps we need to extend that lesson to the presence of smart phones in our classrooms: always assume that everything you say and do in class, including your gestures, will be recorded and reviewed.
Have you seen an increase in recorded materials being used in student complaints?
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9 Responses to Permanent Records
raymond_j_ritchie - December 13, 2009 at 11:35 pm
And some wonder why there is no trust of students these days! It is very hard to try to be a dedicated teacher if there is no trust and you are in danger of being denounced at any moment. But being obviously wary of students earns you complaints on student evaluation forms that you do not relate to students and you are cold and remote. Everyone loses.
jffoster - December 14, 2009 at 6:16 am
In a violin shop, the wood and glue do not “evaluate” the Master Luthier. Student pilots in ground school do not evaluate senior captains. And “associates” do not evaluate the managers and CEOs of WalMart.
firstyearttguy - December 14, 2009 at 7:27 am
While anyone can make an occassional ‘gaffe’ in class that wouldn’t look good on a 30 second youtube clip, I wonder why other professors are so hostile to the idea that what they say in class is part of a public record that can be used to evaluate them. If one is frequently injecting politics or borderline racist/sexist attitudes into one’s lectures, why shouldn’t that be something that is evaluated? Surely a consistant record of such behavior is evidence of inappropriate use of the classroom and should be remedied. The claim that such misuse of the classroom is somehow covered under ‘academic freedom’ or ‘academic expertise’ brings shame to us all.You are not in danger of being ‘denounced’ unless you are clearly out of bounds, and even a freshman knows when certain obvious boundaries have been crossed.
zagros - December 14, 2009 at 7:42 am
It is completely wrong to say, “you are not in danger of being ‘denounced’ unless you are clearly out of bounds” since taking things out of context can definitely be used against you. Only if the record is complete and unaltered should it be examined. After all, professors often must undertake controversial subjects in the context of teaching a subject. For example, in literature, to not discuss the politics and racism/sexism of certain authors would do a disservice to students. For example, how do you discuss Huckleberry Finn without referencing the seemingly racist dialogue? It is VITAL to discuss it, especially since Twain was actually anti-racist.Furthermore, how does a professor deal with the invariable student question, which might end up being used simply to provide fodder for the Youtube video? For example, what does the science professor do when a student argues that the theory of evolution is bunk because his Bible tells him so?What about courses such as sociology or political science, which REQUIRE that we discuss politics, racism, or sexism?No, this is not an acceptable mechanism for evaluation. Evaluation must and can only occur when the entire context is understood. A Youtube video made by a student may provide evidence that monitoring of the situation by higher administration is warranted but it should rarely be used as the basis of any actual evaluation itself.
dank48 - December 14, 2009 at 11:07 am
Anyone else reminded of other societies in which children were encouraged and enabled to denounce teachers, parents, and any other elders who deviated from current orthodoxy? I had a teacher in Germany in 1969 who said that, all those years later, she still automatically turned off the radio whenever someone knocked on her door. Nice atmosphere we’ve got here. I’m surprised more instructors don’t set up their own recording system. If I were, heaven forfend, teaching again, in this climate, I’d make sure I had a record of every session, unedited and ready for comparison with whatever a student might come up with. For one thing, editing digital records is so easy that the only defense would be the raw footage.
malvais - December 14, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Actually, while I also fear being misjudged by an unbalanced or vengeful student (which happens on RateMyProfessor.com anyway, and which colleagues read regardless of their lack of scientific merit), on the other hand I think this is a great idea. If only I’d had my camera phone every time I was sexually harassed by a professor in grad school. Seriously. Accountability is needed in academia. Everyone knows this. Not the same as evaluation, and it’s true that statements and gestures can be taken out of context, but if the harassers I had to put up with had known they were being recorded, they might have kept their traps shut. And spared me a lot of very serious anguish.
vlghess - December 14, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Do two wrongs make a right? That seems to be the argument I’m hearing: because bad things sometimes happen in classes it’s OK for students to violate “no-recording” rules…If what’s happening in the classroom is egregious, surely more than one student will complain, at least in formal course evaluations. “Outing” isn’t a solution, and can become extortion…
llgrasmick - December 15, 2009 at 11:17 am
I grew up in a very small town. I learned early in life that anything I did or said was “part of the public record” of the town. As my mother used to say, “Just don’t do anything you’re ashamed of and you won’t have anything to worry about.”A few years ago, I was uneasy about teaching a class that is recorded and videostreamed to students all around the country. It felt uncomfortable to have every word I said in class to be recorded, where it could be viewed later and “held against me.” The rest of the class happens via online Blackboard discussions and e-mails — which are also a part of the permanent record.I’ve gotten more comfortable with it over time, but it still makes me uneasy. I keep remindng myself of my mother’s words, “Just don’t do anything you’re ashamed of and you won’t have anything to worry about.”
amnirov - December 16, 2009 at 11:23 am
I encourage students to record my lectures. I record as many classes as I can to post to the course’s blackboard site. Why would anyone be afraid of the scrutiny? Are people randomly spouting off nonsense in class?Number 3 is actually really funny.Yes, dumbass, of course the wood and glue evaluates the master luthier. If the wood splinters and the glue doesn’t stick, then someone’s getting the ax.