Recording Live Classes
Capture a live session and share the recording with absent students
OptiLearn records live classes on demand — start a recording during the session, and once it's finished, the recording attaches itself to the session detail page so any student enrolled in the course can watch it later. Useful for absentees, for review before exams, and for asynchronous makeup work.
Who can record
Only the host of the live session can start or stop recording. Co-hosts and participants see the live recording indicator but can't toggle it.
Starting a recording
Open the live session room
From your course's Live Sessions tab, click Join as host when the session is live. You'll land in the OptiLearn live class room.
Click Record
In the OptiLearn top bar (above the embedded video conference), you'll see a Record button. Click it to begin recording.
Confirm
A small live indicator appears showing recording is active and counting elapsed time. The button changes to a red Stop recording state.
Stop when finished
Click Stop recording at the end of class (or just leave the room — recording auto-stops when the session ends). You'll see "Recording stopped — processing…"
Recording captures the session video and audio together as one MP4. If your institution's plan doesn't include recording, you'll see a friendly error toast instead of the button activating — contact your administrator to enable it.
Where the recording appears
Within a few minutes of stopping (the exact time depends on session length), the recording becomes available on the session detail page:
- Go to Live Sessions in the sidebar
- Click the session you recorded
- Scroll to the Recording card
You'll see one of four states:
- Recording (red, animated) — capture is in progress
- Processing (spinner) — capture finished, video is being prepared
- Ready (video player) — playable inline with a Download button
- Not recorded — no recording was ever started for this session
What students see
Any student enrolled in the course can open the same session detail page and watch the recording inline. They also receive a Live class recording available notification when the recording goes from Processing to Ready, with a direct link to play it.
The notification respects each student's preferences — they may receive it as email, push, in-app, or any combination.
Tips
- Tell students at the start. A "this session is being recorded" announcement at the start of class is good practice — and required by some institutions' privacy policies.
- Stop recording before private discussions. If you're holding a one-on-one conversation after the formal class ends, stop the recording first so it doesn't end up in the shared video.
- Pair with class targeting. If the live session belongs to a course with class targeting, only students in the targeted classes will see the recording — the same scoping applies.
- Combine with announcements. When a recording is ready, optionally post a short announcement on the course page pointing students to the session detail page.
- Don't rely on it for attendance. Students may watch the recording without "attending" the live class — if attendance matters, track the live session separately from recording views.
Privacy note
Recordings live on the same secure storage as your course videos and are scoped to your institution. They are never publicly accessible — students must be authenticated and enrolled in the course to view them.
Related
- Creating Courses — adding a live session lesson type
- Notifications — controlling when students hear about new recordings