As ITS receives questions from faculty about Zoom, we are adding them to this Frequently Asked Questions list:
- Has ITS received any types of assurances from Zoom that the company will be able to meet unprecedented demand?
- What does Zoom do to our data (faces, names, course content as it's being transmitted)?
- To whom does Zoom sell and/or transmit the above data?
- Am I right that the students, or anyone else listening/viewing one's lecture via Zoom can record it?
- If one takes the asynchronous route and video-records one's lectures, then: a) Where do the video recordings reside? b) Who controls them? c) Can students download those videos onto their own machines?
- How much should faculty be concerned about unauthorized users and/or students screen sharing inappropriate content in a live Zoom session, also known as "Zoombombing"?
- Can my students in China attend live Zoom sessions and watch Zoom recordings?
- How do you recommend setting up office hours with my students to meet over Zoom?
- How do I set up a meeting room to conduct Office Hours in Zoom?
- How do I set up a Student Room in Zoom that they can use without me?
- When I Share My Screen in Zoom, Powerpoint “takes over” my whole computer and I can’t see the students anymore!
- How can I share the audio from Youtube or other online videos with my classes in a Zoom session? They see the video but can't hear sound.
- Why am I seeing my Zoom meetings in my Nexus Gradebook? How can I get rid of it from appearing in the Gradebook?
- I'd like to record a Zoom session to the cloud, where I am the primary active speaker video for all participants. Can this be done?
- Not a Zoom question, but related: Despite my best intentions, I think I’ll only have 3 weeks of my course prepared by the first day of class. What do I do?
- How do I increase the quality of my connection?
- Need Help? Book an Appointment with a Specific Learning Design and Digital Innovation (LDDI) Team Member or Submit a Request Through the ITS Service Catalog
1. Has ITS received any types of assurances from Zoom that the company will be able to meet unprecedented demand?
As ITS became involved in discussions around the potential for moving online, we did reach out to Zoom to get some assurances that they are prepared to scale quickly in anticipation of not only our College going online but many colleges/universities going online. Zoom offered the following information:
Our status page offers information around our IP address updates and this includes additional server capacity for increase bandwidth for various regions. We have resilient disaster recovery capabilities, including active-active disaster recovery for real-time processes to help ensure that backup active servers are available as well. Zoom maintains 50% excess capacity in all aspects of our infrastructure to accommodate our growing business and to meet peak usage requirements. We are confident in our ability to provide service and scale based on our current and future customer needs.
2. What does Zoom do to our data (faces, names, course content as it's being transmitted)?
Everything is encrypted as your data is being transmitted for participants using the Zoom client. None of your interaction is saved unless you record the meeting. Under the contract we have signed with Zoom (via the NY6), we "retain ownership of any content or data ("Customer Data") originated from Customer and stored or transmitted using the Services." Read more: "The Facts Around Zoom and Encryption for Meetings/Webinars".
3. To whom does Zoom sell and/or transmit the above data?
Zoom does not sell the above data.
4. Am I right that the students, or anyone else listening/viewing one's lecture via Zoom can record it?
Only the host of the meeting can record the meeting in Zoom. But, there is no way to prevent a student or anyone listening/viewing your lecture to record it, for example, on their phone by pointing it at the computer screen.
5. If one takes the asynchronous route and video-records one's lectures, then:
a) Where do the video recordings reside?
It depends on where you would like it to reside - you can keep it up on Zoom where you originally recorded it, or you can put it up on Ensemble platform.
b) Who controls them?
You control them as you are the one that creates them. There are settings in both Ensemble and Zoom that can limit who can see the video. The best way to control who can see the videos is to post the link or embed them in Nexus.
c) Can students download those videos onto their own machines?
You can change the settings both in Ensemble and in Zoom to prevent users from downloading the videos.
6. How much should faculty be concerned about unauthorized users and/or students screen sharing inappropriate content in a live Zoom session, also known as "Zoombombing"?
We recommend faculty follow these recommedations to secure virtual class sessions usiing Zoom.
7. Can my students in China attend live Zoom sessions and watch Zoom recordings?
Yes.
Attend Live Zoom Sessions: Students in China should go to https://zoom.com.cn/download to download the app. Students in China can’t simply click on a meeting link from his or her professor–s/he will need to start the Zoom China app and enter the meeting ID into the app. The meeting ID is typically a nine (9) digit number, which is usually at the end of the Zoom meeting Join URL (i.e., https://union.zoom.us/j/123456789).
Watch Zoom Recordings: If students in China have trouble viewing Zoom recordings, ITS has tested the solution provided by Zoom and it appears to work successfully. To view videos recorded in Zoom, students need to copy the URL provided by the professor and change the beginning of the url from
https://union.zoom.us/
to
https://success.zoom.us/
Leave the rest of the URL as provided by the professor.
This should bring up the Zoom video for the student to view. If faculty have a password associated with the meeting (which is recommended) students will be prompted for the password, which students should be able to find in Nexus. If students in China have any questions, please direct them to contact the ITS Help Desk by visiting https://helpdesk.union.edu or by emailing helpdesk@union.edu.
8. Can I set up office hours slots that my students can sign-up for online?
Great question! There are two ways we recommend setting up office hours slots online. The first recommendation is to use your Google Calendar to create appointment slots. Using Google appointment slots is terrific because it integrates with your student's, as well as your, respective Google Calendars. Alternatively, you could set appointment slots through Nexus using the Scheduler Activity. The Scheduler does not integrate with your Google Calendar, so you would need check Nexus and see who has signed up. If you need assistance setting up either of these methods, please book an appointment with LTE staff below.
9. How do I set up a meeting room to conduct Office Hours in Zoom?
We recommend creating a separate Zoom meeting via Nexus called, <Your Name> Office Hours, including the days of the week and hours you want to be available. Click the setting [Enable waiting room] in the Meeting Options. This will allow you to manually admit students as they appear in your waiting room so that your conversations are private.
10. How do I set up a Student Room in Zoom that they can use without me?
You don't need to to! All students have licensed Zoom accounts and can schedule meetings with up to 300 participants for a meeting that lasts up to 24 hours. Instruct them to go to https://union.zoom.us to get started!
11. When I Share My Screen in Zoom, Powerpoint “takes over” my whole computer and I can’t see the students anymore!
There is a setting for that! In your Powerpoint application, go to the top menu bar and select: [Slide Show] —> [Set Up Show]. Click [Browsed by an individual (window)]. When you teach you class, put your slides in Present mode before class begins in Zoom. When you are ready to share, the window will already be in the view you want students to see.
12. How can I share the audio from Youtube or other online videos with my classes in a Zoom session? They see the video but can't hear sound.
Zoom screen sharing allows you to share the desktop, window, application or audio/video. Zoom allows you to also send computer audio to the remote attendees when sharing a video or audio clip. Prerequisites: Zoom Desktop Client for Mac or Windows. Please refer to this link for complete instructions.
13. Why am I seeing my Zoom meetings in my Nexus Gradebook? How can I get rid of it from appearing in the Gradebook?
Go in and Edit Settings of the Zoom Pro LTI tool you setup in your Nexus course website.
Scroll down to the Privacy section and click on it. One of the options is to Accept grades from the tool. Make sure this option is unchecked. Choose [Save and return to course] or [Save and Display].
14. I'd like to record a Zoom session to the cloud, where I am the primary active speaker video for all participants. Can this be done?
Faculty can utilize Zoom's Spotlight Video feature if they desire to only have his/her video visible upon playback. However, all participant audio is still captured during a Spotlight Video Zoom cloud recording. During the live session itself, participants are able to see one anothers video and switch back and forth between gallery and active speaker view. Click here to watch a short video that demonstrates the Spotlight Video function (as well as how it differs from the Pin Video function).
15. Not a Zoom question, but related: Despite my best intentions, I think I’ll only have 3 weeks of my course prepared by the start of term. What do I do?
Try using a “living syllabus.” Publish your syllabus as a Google Doc and set the sharing for [View, anyone with a link]. Add that link to your Nexus site. Tell students that you are using a “living syllabus” so that you can be agile and flexible for the term, responding to course needs as they come up. Add as much content as you have for the weeks and provide a rough sketch for the additional weeks, adding content as you can.
16. Connection Quality Recommendations
If you are experiencing any network issues during Zoom sessions (e.g., interruptions, latency, frozen screen), check for the following:
- Make sure you are running the latest version of the Zoom app.
- If you are working from home, do you have family members online too? Other people on your home internet at the same time, will cut into your available bandwidth.
- Are you using a hard wired, ethernet cable to connect your computer to the internet or wireless/wifi? Wireless connections should be avoided for the host, if possible. This is often where instability issues arise–particularly at home. Home routers may be older and/or may not cover the whole home adequately for a good stable connection.
- When wireless is necessary, bring your computer as close as possible to your wireless router or hotspot connection. Note: Zoom recommends an internet speed of 1.5 mbps (megabits per second for both download and upload) for Gallery View option or 720p video. Additional bandwidth recommendations can be found at Zoom Bandwidth Requirements (conduct a speed test such as https://www.speedtest.net/ to determine your bandwidth).
If you still experience connectivity issues, try adjusting your computer/Zoom with the following suggestions:
- Close unnecessary applications on your computer.
- Turn off virtual background.
- Turn off camera entirely.
- Switch to Active Speaker View versus Gallery View.
- Turn-off Screen Sharing when not needed.
- Avoid downloading files during session.
- If the connection is extremely poor, turn off the camera, microphone and computer speakers and dial into the meeting on your phone.
- Make someone else with a strong connection a co-host and ask them to present your materials.
17. Need Help? Book an Appointment with a Specific Learning Design and Digital Innovation (LDDI) Team Member or Submit a Request Through the ITS Service Catalog
Once you book an appointment with a specific LDDI Team member, they will contact you with a Zoom link for your meeting.
Kevin can help you with Inclusive Pedagogy Online, as well as the following technologies: Explain Everything, Nexus, Zoom, Ensemble Anthem, Perusall and more.
Book an appointment with Kevin
Sonia can help you with Explain Everything, Google Appointments, Nexus, Zoom, Ensemble Anthem, Sway, and Perusall.
Book an appointment with Sonia
Kesheng can help you with Nexus, including the Nexus Scheduler (setting up office hours), Explain Everything,Zoom, Ensemble Anthem, Sway, and Perusall.
Book an appointment with Kesheng (Note! Kesheng is modeling the Nexus Scheduler activity to sign up for appointments with her. In order to sign up for an appointment with her, please click on the link, login to Nexus, and click "enroll me" in the "ITS Learning Technologies + Environments Recorded Trainings" site (if you have not already done so yet). The rest of the LTE staff is using Google Appoinments).
Ginny can help you with Explain Everything, Nexus, Zoom, Ensemble Anthem, Sway, and Perusall.
Book an appointment with Ginny
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Submit a LDDI Support Request
Submit a request for help through the ITS Support Catalog.