Online Teaching and Learning
26 Creating Community with Zoom Settings
Alexandra Bitton-Bailey
NetiquetteCreate a Profile & Have Your Students Do It Too! | Build a Safe Zoom Class Community | Accessibility and Inclusivity | Using Zoom to Make Learning Magic
Create a Profile & Have Your Students Do It Too!
- Post a picture and edit your personal reaction setting (to mirror you)
- Select a screen size (preferably 16:9 like most PowerPoints)
- Add a virtual background
- Manage your settings when entering a room. I prefer to mute and hide my camera when I first enter a room. It gives me a few moments to set myself up
- Be cautious when screen mirroring (especially if your background has words)
- There is also a handy feature to help touch up appearance this can help with poor lighting and camera quality
Build a Safe Zoom Class Community
A strong sense of community will enhance your online class and contribute to student success. Taking measures to make sure your class is free from disruption and intrusion can help! Here are a few ways to achieve these goals:
In the UF Zoom web portal check your advanced meeting settings. You can learn more about your profile and basic meeting settings in the Zoom Learning Center In “meeting details” select the meeting options that will best fit your class format:
- Allow joining before the host.
- Allow screen sharing.
- Allow or limit chat.
- Allow or limit annotations.
- Allow recording.
- o Use theSpotlight feature which allows you to record only the presenter,
- o Ensure privacy and security, by installing the latest Zoom Client, and
- o Follow the security recommendations provided on the Keep Zoom Secure page
Prior to Class
Before class starts, use the waiting room feature to prevent Zoom bombing, but be strategic. For instance, you can add an image or logo and a description. Make the image either something representative of your course or you and make the description a curiosity-inspiring question so students are thinking and solving problems as they wait to be admitted to the class. You can also collect classroom data from Zoom such as attendance, poll, quiz, and survey data, recordings and transcripts. The Zoom Learning Center offers “Collecting Classroom Data” to help you identify useful information and retrieve it.
During Class
Encourage camera use but do not require it. Often students prefer to turn off the camera in the large class but turn it on in breakout rooms. Keep in mind that students may have connectivity issues that prevent them from using the camera. They may also have a device that does not allow for virtual backgrounds and they may not wish to show their personal space. You might also suggest they create or use a Zoom avatar. You can learn more about Zoom audio and video basics in the Zoom Learning Center including information about backgrounds and filters.
Coach and model online netiquette. For some netiquette guidelines, you can use in your course check out the teach.ufl.edu website. Use this Netiquette Guide as a starting point to clarify your course policies regarding expected student behavior.
Creating Community Engaging Students
Zoom can help to create memorable learning experiences through some of the interactive features. Polls, Quizzes, Whiteboards, and Breakout rooms can help you:
- Use the focus mode to minimize distractions and keep students on track,
- Annotate on a shared screen to add clarity and involve your students,
- Use breakout rooms to connect students in small groups,
- Poll students to gauge engagement, understand your audience, create a sense of community,
- Quiz students to assess understanding, and
- Brainstorm, plan, collaborate on whiteboards (learn to use whiteboards)
To learn more about how to use Zoom effectively, visit the Educator Guide to using Zoom in the classroom or the 21 Features to Enhance you Zoom Workplace Experience.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
Consider accessibility when presenting and recording. Become a conscientious host by making accessibility a priority in every meeting or webinar you can learn more in the Zoom Learning Center where you can sign up for “Accessibility Features for Zoom Hosts”. You can enable closed captions, which allows your notetaker to transcribe what’s being said in real-time. You can also enable Automatic Live Transcription, but keep in mind that it should be used for accessibility, not for accommodation.
Recording your lectures can also help create a useful resource for your students. Recordings can be shared and even edited to create an accessible learning tool for students. The Zoom AI companion can also help you create a summary of your chats as well as other useful tools to help with efficiency. You can sign up for Getting started with AI Companion in the Zoom Learning Center.
Remember that students access the Zoom interface from different kinds of devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, so your verbal descriptions should account for those differences.
For more information on using Zoom visit other chapters in the UF Instructor Guide. Topics covered include:
- How to Pre-Load Students into Breakouts
- Can Students Use Zoom?
- Recurring Zoom meetings
- Does Zoom Have Polling Options?
- How can I enable raise hand and other non-verbal features?
- How do I play a video in Zoom?
- What do I do if students are muted in the Breakout Rooms?
- How do I see my students?
Using Zoom to Make Learning Magic
Join us as we share how-tos and best practices for teaching in Zoom. Learn strategies for using Zoom features like breakout rooms and polls that can help to engage students in active learning and connect with each other.
Alexandra Bitton-Bailey: Using Zoom to Make Learning Magic (37:46)