Table of Contents
Before You Begin
You may need to move your course online for many reasons. The resources below provide one option for teaching over the internet.
- Set priorities. Teaching online is not the same as teaching face to face. Decide which parts of your course work best in live online sessions and which parts can be done asynchronously. For example, if you normally have discussions in class, consider whether the Discussions tool in Canvas can be used instead of holding every discussion in Zoom.
- Use tools you already know. If there are tools you already know how to use, start with those. Only introduce a new tool if you need it or if you feel comfortable learning it on your own.
- Communicate with students right away. If the class format will change, tell students as soon as you can. Canvas Announcements and the Canvas Inbox are simple ways to reach everyone. Most importantly, tell students where they should expect updates from you. If email will be your main communication method, say so clearly. Also explain how the course structure will change.
Using Zoom to Teach Online
Zoom works well from your office or any other quiet place. It lets you use your device's camera and microphone to connect with students who are using their own devices. Most laptops have built-in cameras and microphones. Many desktop computers need a separate microphone and camera. Logitech is generally a good choice if you or your department need to buy a webcam with an included microphone.
The Basics of a Zoom Meeting
Before you teach with Zoom, take time to practice. You can use the meeting link you created, or you can join this Test Meeting.
If you have not used Zoom before, Zoom will prompt you to install it the first time you click a Zoom meeting link. You can also download it anytime from Zoom's Download Center.
When you test your Zoom meeting, try the following:
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Test your microphone and speaker connection. When you join the meeting, click Join computer audio. Right below that button, click Test speaker and microphone. Once you confirm that your microphone works and you can hear audio, click Join computer audio.
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Mute or unmute your microphone. Use the microphone icon in the lower-left corner of the Zoom window. When you are unmuted, speak and make sure you see the green audio bar move inside the microphone icon.
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Turn your camera on or off. The camera icon is directly to the right of the microphone icon. Make sure your camera turns on correctly. During class, keep your camera on as much as possible.
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Mute all participants. If you are teaching a large course, you will almost certainly need to mute all students. Students can unmute if needed, but muting everyone by default helps keep the focus on the instructor.
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Share your screen. Use screen sharing so students can see your PowerPoint, your Sakai course, a website, or anything else on your screen.
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Record your meeting. Click Record, then choose Record in the cloud. (This option is located under More (•••) on the right side of the toolbar.) After recording starts, you can pause it by using the same button.
If you plan to record your meeting, make sure you are logged in to Zoom before you start. If not, you may see this error message when you click Record: "Please request recording permission from the meeting host."
You can also use Zoom as a way to pre-record your lectures if meeting in person is not required or not possible. Join the meeting, press record, teach, and then send the link to your students after you receive the email from Zoom.
Zoom will begin processing the recording. When processing is complete, the recording will automatically transfer to Panopto. The full process usually takes 1 to 2 hours. -
Share the recording.
After the recordings are imported, Panopto makes it easy to organize and share. Panopto also helps viewers quickly find content within a meeting through Smart Search and video thumbnails, as well as a transcript of the recording you can use to navigate.
Advanced Features for Teaching in Zoom
Zoom has several features that can make your class more active and engaging. Do not focus on these at first. First, get comfortable with the basics. Once you are comfortable using Zoom, consider these options:
- Breakout Rooms: Breakout Rooms let you split your Zoom meeting into up to 50 separate sessions for students. They work well for think-pair-share activities and small-group work.
- Annotating the Screen: The annotation tool has been enabled across all accounts, so you do not need to enable it yourself. You can draw on a shared screen or on Zoom's whiteboard. You can also use the Spotlight tool as a laser pointer so students can follow your mouse more easily.
- Polling: Use polls to ask simple multiple-choice questions during the meeting and keep students engaged. This feature must be enabled by the Zoom meeting creator, which is typically you.
- Non-Verbal Feedback: Students can place an icon beside their name to communicate with the host and other participants without interrupting class. For example, clicking Raise Hand places a hand icon beside the student's name. This feature can be enabled by the Zoom meeting creator.
Sharing Zoom Best Practices with Students
Most students have used video chat tools such as FaceTime, Google Duo, Zoom, WhatsApp, Hangouts, or Skype to talk with friends and family. That is different from using web conferencing for academic work. Do not assume students already know how to use Zoom in a class setting. You will need to help them.
- Remind students to download and install the Zoom app well before the first class meeting.
- Share the Zoom Student Guide with your students. Feel free to download and adapt the document.
- During the first class session, give students a short tour of the Zoom interface. Show them how to mute and unmute themselves. Remember: this may be the first time your students have ever used Zoom.
- Decide whether you will require students to keep their web cameras on for the entire class or allow them to turn cameras off. Set that expectation as a class rule during your first Zoom meeting.
- Remind students to be mindful of what is happening behind them when their web cameras are on, especially other people who may appear in the background without realizing it.
- Show students how to get your attention. In small classes, some instructors ask students to raise a hand on camera. Others ask students to unmute and simply speak. In larger classes, you may want to use Zoom's built-in nonverbal feedback buttons.
- Demonstrate how students can maintain eye contact by looking at their web cameras, not their screens.
- Set basic rules for how you want students to use the Chat box. Consider disabling private chat unless you want students to be able to send one-to-one messages to other students.