Is it necessary to obtain consent for using speech-to-text in a classroom?

My professor reprimanded a student in class (BC, Canada) for using a speech-to-text tool while taking notes during discussions, asserting that recording requires consent. Is this justified?

Based on your situation and my experience, it seems that obtaining consent might be more of a legal formality rather than a classroom best practice. Using speech-to-text without explicit policies in place can lead to ambiguity regarding what constitutes recording. In my previous role, we established clear guidelines to avoid any misunderstandings, which proved effective. While a teacher’s intention might be to protect privacy, it’s important for institutions to update their policies to match current technology capabilities and ensure that all parties are aware of what is permitted in the classroom.

Hey SurfingWave, this is a really interesting situation. I’ve been curious about how different settings interpret consent, especially when tech like speech-to-text is becoming so common. In some places, determining if this falls under a recording might depend heavily on the specifics of context and local privacy regulations. I wonder if the student and professor discussed what exactly constitutes ‘recording’ versus simply taking notes. Do you think there’s room for clarifying these kinds of misunderstandings with some sort of institutional guidance or perhaps even revisiting what consent really means in our digital age? I’m pretty stoked to hear what others think about how we should adapt our policies as technology evolves :blush: