Teams meetings provide a Live Transcript feature that creates a downloadable record of audio as text, with speaker attribution. You should be aware of the following:
- There is no way to technologically restrict students starting / downloading a copy of a Teams meeting Live Transcript during a Teams meeting.
- Once started, a text transcription of audio with speaker attribution will be available to all meeting participants regardless of who initiates the transcript.
- When recording a Teams meeting, the live transcript will auto-generate, it is not possible to disable.
Are students permitted to start a Teams meeting Live Transcript?
Students can submit a request to the university Disability Advisory Service regarding their need to make a recording of live interactive sessions online or any other teaching activity. DAS will advise the most appropriate assistive technology for the individual request / access requirement, in line with the university Student Recording Policy. Once a request has been approved, a student should notify the School of their requirement to make a live electronic transcription.
You should initiate a Teams meeting Live Transcript on behalf of a student who has provided a registered access requirement. All Teams meeting participants will see a pop-up notification when the transcription has been started; you should verbally inform students that:
- Teams Live Transcript is occurring for a registered access requirement.
- All audio will be recorded as text with speaker attribution, if participants choose to hide their speaker attributions the transcript may not be very useful to the student with the access requirement.
- A transcript will generate in the meeting window, students can hide the transcript panel if desired (students must not press ‘Stop Transcript’ as this will cease the Live Transcript recording).
- A copy of the Teams meeting Live Transcript will be available for all to download after the meeting, students must abide by the university policy for acceptable use of the copy (i.e. do not share, it is for personal use only).
If an unauthorised Teams meeting Live Transcript is started during your session, you should:
- Inform the session you are stopping an unauthorised Live Transcript recording, and follow up with the student after the online meeting has ended.
- Meeting owner can delete Live Transcript if required, however there is no record of who/how many downloads occurred prior to deletion.
Is there any technical guidance for using Teams meeting Live Transcript?
- Instructions and screenshots available via Microsoft Support: View live transcription in a Teams meeting.
- Teams Live Transcription is currently only available for Teams Scheduled meetings. It is not available for other Teams meeting types, but the Microsoft roadmap indicates possible future release.
Guide last updated on October 25, 2021
