The University is introducing a retention policy for Panopto content from 1 September 2022. This document outlines the policy and how it affects users.
What is changing and why?
The supplier for the University's lecture capture service, Panopto, is introducing changes to its licensing model that will have significant cost implications for stored content. The University is therefore taking action to ensure that only necessary content is stored; this will ensure that lecture capture remains viable, and cost-effective for teaching and learning. That action will start in September 2022.
What is the retention policy?
The new policy outlines automatic movement of Panopto content between three states: live, archive and deleted. This will be as follows:
- On 1 September 2022, all live content created on or before 31 August 2022 will be automatically moved into the archive overnight. This covers all Panopto recordings in course and personal folders (also known as 'My Folder').
- Users wishing to use or retain content in archive may move this content back into the live area manually.
- On 31 August 2023, all content held in the archive on this date will be permanently deleted. This means that any user who wishes to retain content created on or before 31 August 2022 must take action to restore it from the archive before 31 August 2023.
- This cycle will thereafter repeat annually, so that content from the previous year will be automatically moved to the archive on 1 September, where it will be held for one year before permanent deletion. For example, content created between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 will be moved to the archive on 1 September 2023.
Recordings held in archive are not playable, but may still appear within their original locations (for example, embedded in Moodle), or within the Panopto folder. Users attempting to play back the recording will see a message indicating that the content has been archived and be offered the option to restore the content.
You should only restore content from the archive that you intend to re-use for teaching and learning with your next cohort of students. Please refrain from restoring content for other purposes, such as maintaining a course history or allowing cohorts to access previous years’ material, because this would have significant cost implications for the University. This practice will be prohibited in the Panopto acceptable usage policy (AUP). You can download recordings that aren't intended for reuse with an active cohort and store them in a personal storage solution, such as your University OneDrive account.
UIS is discussing improvements to the archiving system with Panopto that may be implemented before the first deletion date. We’ll provide further updates as this develops.
What do I need to do?
Archiving and deletion will take place automatically. If you do not wish to retain any content, no further action is necessary.
If you have content you wish to restore from the archive, you will need to access Panopto between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 to restore it to the live system. Restoration generally can take up to 48 hours depending on the recording length and system load, but usually happens quite quickly. We’ve prepared instructions on how to restore content.
If you would like to retain a copy of a recording that isn't for use with an active cohort of students, you can download the video as an MP4 file and store it in a suitable repository – for example, in your University OneDrive account. Note that Moodle shouldn't be used for video storage. If content has already been archived, you'll need to restore it first and then download it.
Where do I get help?
The Lecture Capture team has prepared instructions for users on how to manage recordings, and will send reminders at key dates. We’ll also share a new course rollover policy and guide, which will cover Moodle, Panopto and Turnitin, as soon as it becomes available. For further assistance, please contact lecturecapturehelp@uis.cam.ac.uk.
This article was originally published on 13 July 2022.