Online education and studying via weblectures

Guidelines for weblectures

The weblectures (recordings) of the lectures are intended as support for students who have to miss lectures, as extra help in preparing for examinations and for students who fall under the 'Adapted Studying' regulation and need extra facilities for a long period of time.

The following applies to web lectures:

All lectures in the Bachelor's programme are recorded as weblectures.
The weblectures are made available to all students via Brightspace two weeks before the examination period by the lecturer.
A weblecture is only the recording of the lecture. There is no live streaming and no interaction with students at home. (Individual) student requests to record additional courses as weblectures cannot be accommodated.

Only lectures are recorded, so no seminars/ work groups or other forms of education. This is determined on the basis of the teaching methods in the EER.

Faculty policy on weblectures

In principle, lectures are not recorded. In specific cases, an exception can be made for students who fall under the 'Adapted Studying' regulation. If, as a student, you think you are entitled to this, schedule an appointment with the study advisor well before the start of the semester. The study advisor can then request the lecturer(s) to record the lecture and make it available to the student in question, but the decision on this lies with the lecturer(s) in question.

Guidelines for weblectures

Bachelor and pre-Master education

In the bachelor's and premaster's courses, the following applies:

All lectures are recorded as weblectures if recording equipment is available in the room. Work seminars are not recorded. For regular students, the recordings are made available via Brightspace 1 to 2 weeks before the (re)exam, so they can be used when preparing for the exam. All examinations also take place on campus.
Recordings of lectures in courses on research methodology may be made available immediately so that you can practice your skills in a targeted way. The lecturers in these courses decide whether or not to make the recordings available immediately.

In exceptional cases, no recordings are made in a course, or the recordings are made available immediately to all students. You can find the procedure for each course in the course manual.

Master's education

In the master's courses, lectures are not recorded by default. If a lecturer chooses to make recordings, these are made available 1 to 2 weeks before the (re)examination.

An exception are courses on research methodology: lectures are recorded, and lecturers in these courses decide whether or not to make the recordings available immediately.

The procedure for each course can be found in the course manual.

Exemptions

For students who fall under the 'Adapted Studying' regulation, lecture recordings will be made available as soon as possible after the end of the lecture. Students with exceptional situations may also be granted earlier access. The students advisors determine which students this applies to, not the course coordinators. Report to your student advisor if you are faced with personal circumstances.

The following cases have no basis for exceptions:

one-off (short-term, non-chronic) illness;
holiday;
internship;
part-time job;
schedule overlap;
travel time

Guidelines for weblectures

Lectures, seminars and practical teaching such as Rotas take place physically at the university. As it is not possible for everyone to be physically present (all the time), the teaching of some subjects is recorded as web lectures.

View the weblecture policy for the Faculty of Law 2026-2027

Click to download a visual summary of the Faculty's weblecture policy

Weblectures are recordings of lectures made available in Brightspace. Most lecture halls for at least 50 students have the facilities for this. Weblectures are recorded once every two years in principle.

Explanation

Weblectures are a service for students to consult while working on assignments, to prepare for tutorials, and before exams. Students can follow the material at their own pace. Even when a lecture cannot be attended, for example due to illness, the material can still be viewed and listened to via a weblecture. For a study programme, weblectures can be used when a lecturer (unexpectedly) cancels or for information for new or different lecturers within the course.

Recording Weblectures

A weblecture is recorded once every two years for all bachelor's and master's lectures.
The lecturer can object to the recording.
The lecturer can request more frequent recordings than once every two years.
The lecturer indicates this request or objection in the scheduling survey.
The Education Coordinator, in consultation with the lecturer and Scheduling, plans which subjects will be recorded in which year. This is recorded in OSIRIS. The facilities are limited.
Weblectures are kept for 2.5 years. The lecturer receives an email notification that the weblecture will be removed, unless the lecturer replies that the weblecture should be kept longer.

Objection to Recording Lectures

This can be due to the following:

Recording is not allowed due to the sensitivity of the lecture content. For example, in some security courses or when patient data is discussed.
The lecturer has a better alternative for students to learn the material. For example, with knowledge clips, online modules, or peer instruction.
The lecturer considers the lecture format not suitable for weblectures. For example, because there is a lot of interaction with students.

Making Weblectures Available

The lecturer makes weblectures available via Brightspace.
Within three working days, the lecturer receives a link to the recording.
No later than five working days after the lecture, the lecturer places it in Brightspace.
The lecturer places old recordings in Brightspace no later than five days after the lecture if no weblecture is recorded that year.

Other Provisions

Limited recording facilities: In all cases, lectures are only scheduled in a lecture hall with the appropriate facilities if feasible. In case of capacity problems, the education coordinator, in consultation with the director of education, determines which lectures have priority. If the evaluation shows that prioritisation is necessary, the OBC will address this.
Manual control (recording assistance): manual control of cameras is expensive and not possible in all lecture halls and is therefore no longer automatically requested by schedulers. The lecturer can indicate in the scheduling survey that camera manual control is desired. If it is not feasible to
schedule a lecture with manual control, the lecturer will be informed.
It is important for lecturers to remember to turn on the microphone themselves when they are not assisted by a student assistant with manual control.

The Faculty of Social Sciences has made a deliberate choice to not set any standard guidelines for the use of weblectures within the faculty. Weblectures are considered an additional service for students. Weblectures can function as additional study materials, as a tool to increase students’ self-management, and as an aid for students who, for instance, are tasked with care work or have any (learning) disabilities. Weblectures are not meant to be replacements of in-person lectures. On-campus presence and direct contact with lecturers and fellow students are important aspects of students’ academic development.

Each study programme in our faculty is free to make their own decisions as to whether and how weblectures are used. It is not obligatory for lecturers to record their lectures; this is only done following consultations and mutual agreements with the programme management and the lecturers. However, it is important that the study programmes are clear about what students can expect in terms of the use of weblectures. Therefore lecturers are requested to publish their choices and considerations in the course manual.

These recommendations are based on research into weblectures that was conducted by the Faculty of Social Sciences.