Getting Started with Zoom

Use Zoom effectively for teaching.

Download the Zoom desktop client for Windows or Mac (link to the software)
CONNECT to the VCCS login for Zoom - sign in on your computer
Join a Zoom meeting
Testing Computer or Device Audio
Share your computer screen in Zoom
How to Use Zoom’s Desktop App
Schedule a Zoom meeting
Use the Zoom Web Client

Frequently Asked Questions

Basic answers to all the how do I questions.

Additional Resources

More helpful guides to using Zoom.

How do I invite others to join a meeting? - post a link in a course

Ways to use Zoom in the Classroom

Training and Support

Resources from Zoom company.

How to Prevent Zoombombing

Prevent unauthorized users from disrupting class.

A new form of trolling has arisen in which a participant uses Zoom’s screen sharing feature to interrupt and disrupt meetings and classes. Use these options to minimize or prevent problems.

Classroom Management Strategies

Sample Waiting Room Message (Any participant who does not login using their VCCS Zoom credentials automatically will be placed in the Waiting Room and will be presented with this message.)
Waiting Room: Add Participants
Remove Participant from Class
Lock Meeting

Zoom Meetings Set-up in Canvas

Zoom Meetings Set-up in the Application

Other

Zoom Screen Share Settings
Enable Screen Share for Participants in a Zoom Meeting
Disable “File Transfer” so there’s no digital virus sharing
Disable Chat in a Zoom Meeting

Teaching Using Zoom

Best practices and security options.

Using Zoom for Remote Teaching (scroll down the page for more tips on effective instruction)
Tips and Tricks (pdf)
Tips for Teaching Online (scroll down for tips on setting up a lesson plan)
Remote Teaching Tips
Resources for Teaching Online (libguide from UVA)

FERPA and Privacy in Zoom

Best practices for privacy.

All meetings held in Zoom that include course content or student information are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as FERPA.*

It's important to be aware of steps you can take to protect student privacy when using Zoom.

When recording class sessions or meetings in Zoom:

Don't share recordings that include personally identifiable student information with anyone that is not enrolled in your course.
- Consider recording an asynchronous lecture to share with all class sections.
- If you plan to share a recording for educational use beyond your course, ensure student video is not visible on screen, students' mics are muted and the chat is hidden.
- Include language in your syllabus about the purpose of Zoom recordings and the protection of student information. See the suggested language below.
Tell students that you will be recording in advance. By default, Zoom notifies meeting participants that a meeting is being recorded, but it is best to have an acknowledgment from you.
Allow students to turn off their camera and microphone using Stop Video and Mute in Zoom and participate via Chat if they prefer.
Zoom cloud recordings are available for 120 days, but you can export and save recordings. Learn more about Zoom cloud recordings.

Syllabus language

If you record the zoom sessions, Include the following language in your syllabus:

This course may use video and audio recordings of class lectures, student presentations, and related materials. These recordings are available to all students presently enrolled in the course. Please note that you are not allowed to share these recordings. This is to protect your FERPA rights and those of your fellow students.

FAQs

Is a recorded lecture (audio or video) a protected student record?

If a recording includes only the instructor, it is not a student record and FERPA does not limit its use. If the recording includes students asking questions, making presentations or leading a class (other than TAs), and it is possible to identify the student, then the portions containing recordings of the student do constitute protected educational records. Educational records can only be used as permitted by FERPA or in a manner allowed by a written consent from the student.

May a recording that includes student participation be posted for other class members to view or listen to?

Yes. If access is limited to other students in the class, FERPA does not limit or prevent its use and does not require obtaining a written consent. This allows instructors to create access for students in the class to watch or re-watch past class sessions.

Can an instructor allow individuals outside of a class to access a video of that class that includes student participation?

Maybe. There are several ways to use recordings that include student participation.

The instructor may obtain individualized FERPA consents from the students in the recording which allow use of that portion of the recordings. This type of consent can be obtained on a case-by-case basis or from all the students at the outset of a class.
Recordings can be edited to either omit any student who has not consented to the use of their voice or image, or be edited to de-identify the student in the recording (which can include avoiding or removing any mention of the student's name, blurring the student's image, altering voice recordings, etc.).
Recordings can also be planned so that students (such as those asking questions during a class) are not shown in the video or referred to by name (another way to de-identify the student).
What is the easiest way to comply with FERPA if I am video recording my class sessions and students will be asking questions, doing presentations, or appearing on camera?
If access is limited to other students in the class, FERPA does not limit or prevent its use and does not require obtaining a written consent. This allows instructors to create access for students in the class to watch or re-watch past class sessions.
If access will not be limited to students in the class, plan the recordings accordingly. Make sure not to show students who are asking questions and don't refer to the students by name. Avoid repeating the student's name in the recording (de-identifying the students removes the need for a specific consent from each student depicted). If a student happens to appear on camera, their identity can be edited out or a written consent can be obtained.
Because student presentations make it more difficult to de-identify the student, the instructor should obtain a FERPA consent from the student making a presentation. For any video projects, such as student-made films, you should obtain a written consent.
Can the instructor show recordings from last year's class to the current class?
Under FERPA, this situation must be treated as if the recordings were being shown to a third-party audience which requires FERPA compliance through use of consents or de-identification of any students depicted.

Important Security Measures

Be cautious when using Zoom.

Do not make meetings or classrooms public. Require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests.
Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted, publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people.
DO create your class sessions and post your link inside of Canvas since that is a secure location where only your students will see the meeting.

Zoom for Instruction: Additional Security Measures

The following recommendations are suggested guidelines to ensure accessibility for students and faculty as well as setup a safe and secure Zoom conference.

Recommended Master Settings

Go to https://danville.edu/
Click myDCC and log in using your myDCC credentials.
Click the Zoom tile.
Click the Settings button.
Then click on the ‘settings’ option in the left toolbar. The settings below are listed in the order they appear on the screen, from top to bottom.

Setting	Recommendation
Participants Video	OFF. Note: There is no way to prevent participants from enabling their webcam during the meeting.
Join before Host	OFF. This will prevent others from joining the meeting before the host arrives.
File Transfer	OFF. To prevent digital virus sharing.
Co-Host	ON. So you can assign others to help moderate. Co-hosts can be pre-assigned when scheduling the meeting or the host can elevate a participant to the role of co-host during the meeting by hovering over their name in the Participants Panel and selecting More > Make Co-host.
Allow host to put attendee on hold	ON. This allows the host to temporarily remove an attendee from a meeting.
Screen Sharing	ON. Who can share? Host Only unless students are expected to share their screens. Who can start sharing when someone else is sharing? Host Only prevents students from interrupting each other. A student must stop sharing their screen to allow another student to share theirs.
Remote Control	OFF.
Allow removed participants to re-join	OFF.
Remote support	OFF.
Far end camera control	OFF.
Waiting room	OPTIONAL. But a really good idea. Take attendance by letting in only students from your roster. Attendees cannot join a meeting until a host admits them individually from the waiting room. Note: This will require vigilance on the part of the host to look for students who arrive late.
Require a meeting password	ON. A good idea for a closed meeting. This will assure that the person(s) attending are those that you authorized.

Troubleshooting – During a Meeting

A participant has entered the session and is not a recognized student.

Remove the student. The host or co-host must hover the mouse on the name of the student in the Participants Panel, click More > Remove.

To prevent unknown students from joining a meeting, enable the Waiting Room setting. At the beginning of the session, the host or co-host will add students individually; any student not recognized will not be admitted.

Students from other classes are joining the class in session.

Remove students from the session in the Participants Panel.

Lock the session. From the bottom of the Participants Panel, click More > Lock Meeting. No new attendees can join this meeting once locked.