Preparing to launch Panopto at UCL

This Media Transformation project is being delivered by the Media Environments team as part of the Education Change Portfolio.

The purpose of this project is to: 

• improve and standardise the student learning experience 

• reduce staff workloads by automating many manual tasks 

• enhance digital accessibility across UCL 

• streamline UCL’s educational media into a single, integrated service through Panopto. 

Trial with staff and students

Throughout Term 3, we are trialling Panopto and the new equipment setup with the Institute of Ophthalmology and the School of Pharmacy. The trial aims to help ensure the platform meets staff and student needs ahead of the full launch in September 2025. 

Panopto Showcase event

You can register now to join our Panopto Showcase from 3pm on Thursday 12 June, featuring a live demonstration of the platform’s capabilities. Come along to learn how Panopto can support and enhance teaching, learning and engagement at UCL. The event will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

What users should be aware of

Two important areas to be aware of during this transition are content migration and no in-room scheduled recordings during Terms 3 and 4:

1. Migration of existing content

What will be migrated?

All Lecturecast recordings created between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2025, including those stored in module sections and personal libraries, will be copied to Panopto. Each recording will include the camera feed, presentation feed and audio as recorded in the original. Panopto will generate new transcripts and closed captions.

Older recordings (before 1 August 2022)

If you still use recordings created before 1 August 2022, please download and store them securely. Options include OneDrive, an S Drive, or SharePoint. They can be uploaded to Panopto when the service is available. You can find user guidance by visiting Lecture Recording in Terms 3 & 4.

Access to Lecturecast

Lecturecast will remain accessible until the end of its contract on 31 August 2025, giving time to download any needed files.

2. No in-room scheduled recordings in Terms 3 and 4

As part of preparing for Panopto’s introduction:

• From 28 April 2025, scheduled lecture recordings will no longer be available in Lecturecast-enabled teaching spaces.

• Cameras and microphones in rooms will remain active, so you can continue recording sessions manually using Microsoft Teams or Zoom. You can find user guidance by visiting Lecture Recording in Terms 3 & 4.

• Important: Any new recordings made during Terms 3 and 4 will not be included in the mass migration to Panopto. Staff will need to manually reupload files to Panopto when the new platform launches.

Find out more

If you have any questions, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

To read more about Panopto, visit Introducing Panopto on SharePoint.

Our Media Environments team is committed to ensuring a great media experience for students and staff. If you would like to contact us, please email: Media Environments.