Studying in an online environment can be quite isolating as you are not in a traditional classroom surrounded by peers. However, our Live Lessons provide an opportunity to engage with classmates from around the world as well as a teacher. We do expect that students have their webcams turned on for this at it brings a greater level of socialisation and interaction to the course. If a student wishes to not use a webcam, or is unable to use one, then they should discuss this with their teacher ahead of time.
Webcam netiquette
We do require that all teachers and students follow some basic ‘netiquette’ rules.
- All live sessions are recorded and held in a secure location for safeguarding and academic purposes in case a live session needs to be reviewed
- Staff and students should wear appropriate clothing, as well as anyone else who may be in frame of the webcam
- Computers should preferably be in an appropriate area, for example, not on a bed
- Appropriate background filters can be applied so the room cannot be seen
- Where possible, the participants background should be neutral or appropriately subject related
- Language should be professional and appropriate, including any family members/friends in the background
Use of webcams in assessment
Certain subjects, such as French, Spanish, Mandarin and English require that students have their webcams turned on for certain pieces of assessed work. This is to ensure academic honesty and should be adhered to.
Recording of Live Lessons
Live Lessons and 1-to-1 sessions are recorded and stored for 5 years for safeguarding purposes. If a video needs to be reviewed for an academic reason (e.g. academic honesty) a member of the Academic Team may do this. If a video needs to be reviewed for safeguarding purposes, then a member of the Safeguarding Team will do this.