Zoom for Students

Modified on Tue, 30 Jan 2024 at 11:26 AM

Blue zoom logo with camera in a circle



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Zoom Use in Your Penn LPS Online Course

Online and hybrid classes have a few distinctive features, including the spaces in which students and instructors meet. To facilitate synchronous sessions, many instructors use Zoom’s meeting feature to share their screen and connect with students via video and chat. See below for a short orientation video that will guide you through the process of using Zoom. After the video, you'll also find tips for using Zoom in synchronous sessions so that everyone has a positive experience.  


PennKey-Secured Zoom accounts provide important benefits to students: 

  • All users will have fully functional accounts and are not subject to 40-minute time limits free Zoom accounts impose
  • Students will be able to use Zoom to collaborate outside of instructor-led class sessions
  • PennKey accounts secure the class to only allow users with a @upenn.edu email address

First Steps - Do This ASAP (After You Register For Your First Penn LPS Online Course) 

Required Step When You Have Access to a Course in Canvas That Is Using Zoom*:

  • Click the Zoom and Class Recordings buttons in your Canvas site's navigation bar. (This helps sync your student account with the Zoom account in canvas and enables you to view Class Recordings.)

*Not all Penn LPS Online courses use Zoom. Please contact your instructor if you are unsure whether your course will use Zoom. 

What to Do Each Time You Use Zoom for Your Course: 

  • First, go to https://zoom.us/ and make sure you are logged out of Zoom. This step prevents the issue of Zoom logging you into a non-Penn account. 
  • Next, enter your course's Canvas site and the click Zoom button.
  • Your instructor may have a list of Zoom meetings listed under the Zoom button in Canvas; If not, don't worry! They may not have added their meetings yet, or this class will not meet synchronously with Zoom. If you are unsure about the Zoom protocol in your course, reach out to your instructor and ask if they will be using Zoom.

Zoom Student Orientation Videos



Zoom Meeting Controls Tutorial Video

Top 5 Zoom Tips for Synchronous Sessions

  • Tip 1 - Keep your camera on: You’ll feel more connected when others can see your face, and you can see theirs!
  • Tip 2 - Mute your microphone: This will prevent background noise from interrupting the meeting speaker. Remember to unmute when you are ready to talk.
  • Tip 3 - Use a headset: Everyone will hear you better, and you’ll hear everything and everyone better (it makes a big difference!). 
  • Tip 4 - Know where the screen share option is:  Also, be sure to pick the exact window or presentation that you would like to show, and not your whole desktop (we don’t want to read your emails by accident!). 
  • Tip 5 - Take advantage of the chat: Ask your instructor questions, answer instructor questions, and more in the chat box.


New Features of Zoom (as of Summer 2022)

Zoom Whiteboard

Zoom Whiteboard is a collaboration tool with an infinite digital canvas. Participants can share whiteboards across any Zoom-enabled device during and outside of a Zoom meeting. A visual space that can be used for interactive teaching, teamwork, brainstorming, and more. Access Whiteboard from the Zoom web portal, Desktop Client application, or during a Zoom meeting.


For more information about using Zoom Whiteboard, please refer to the following information: 

Zoom Advanced Polling

Polls are a Zoom feature that allows hosts and co-hosts to launch a live set of questions for participants to answer during a meeting. These can be conducted anonymously or openly. When a poll is completed, you can share the results with everyone and download poll data to review later.   Some ways to use polls are to create ice breakers, make group decisions, share opinions, take quizzes, and provide feedback. There are two types of polls, basic polling, and advanced polling. Create polls ahead of time for scheduled meetings in the Zoom web portal or during a live meeting using the tool bar’s poll icon. Please view the following two links for more information about Zoom Polling: 


Please see below for some Zoom useful links:

 

*Some material taken with permission from infocanvas.upenn.edu



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