Zoom Best Practices for Instructors
Join a test Zoom meeting BEFORE class. Learn how to test your setup and familiarize yourself with Zoom.
Restart/reboot your computer before the start of your meeting, at least within 24 hours of your meeting.
Try to use a fast, stable internet connection. A wired connection is recommended; use wireless if reliable. This will help ensure your connection does not falter or drop during the meeting.
Secure a quiet, distraction-free physical location to attend your session.
Avoid having more than one computer or device within earshot logged into the same meeting, as it may cause a distracting echo effect for you and other participants in the session.
Turn your camera on and have you camera at eye level.
Be aware of your backdrop and surroundings, which can be distracting. Consider sitting in front of a blank wall.
Choose a space with good lighting.
Stay muted unless you’re talking to reduce background noise.
If possible, use headphones, not desktop speakers. This will help to ensure an echo-free meeting environment.
For the best audio experience, use a USB media headset with a built-in microphone. Connect the headset and let the driver install before entering a Zoom meeting.
Before Class
Schedule your class in the Zoom application for your desired date/time and copy the invitation details to send to your students via email or add the Zoom meeting to your Blackboard Learn course
Please note that students will not need to register for an account to join.
Use Advanced Settings:
Enable waiting room or passcode to control entry and avoid uninvited guests (required).
Mute participant’s microphones upon entry to avoid background noise.
Automatically record meeting.
Before your first session, invite a colleague or friend to do a trial run with you. Try all features you plan to use in class…share your screen, go through your slides, use the chat feature, test your microphone.
Ask a colleague, TA, or even a student, to be your tech support during your first session. Have that individual address any tech issues or general questions a student may have in the chat or via email so that you don’t have to interrupt your lecture.
Join your class early to ensure a proper connection.
During Class
For your first class, set aside some time to introduce your students to Zoom and ensure that they’re able to connect their audio. If you have an assistant for tech help, explain how students should communicate their issues.
Take a moment to discuss expectations.
If you want students to interact with audio, let them know how and when to unmute and discuss or ask questions.
If you want students to interact with chat, let them know how often you will address questions.
Students may not have ideal internet connections for sharing audio or may prefer the chat feature.
If you will have breaks or a set schedule during the session, let students know what to expect. Use screen sharing or your first slide to display an agenda while students are coming into the session.
Discuss online etiquette and expectations in your first virtual class and periodically revisit.
Use the whiteboard or annotate a shared document to encourage student engagement, as you would use a whiteboard in class.
Take time to encourage questions, comments, and reactions from your students. Take a moment to allow your students to use reactions, write questions in chat, or to ask their questions live.
Use breakout rooms to divide into groups for discussion.
Have students present and share projects with the class. This allows your students to show what they’re working, practice their presentation skills, and engage with classmates. Zoom’s spotlight feature allows you to pin presenters during a presentation.
When in a meeting, click the Record button.
Recording will save either to your computer or to the cloud. You can retrieve the recordings from your Zoom desktop client or from the web portal
Manage Participants
Use the Manage Participants features to avoid interruptions.
Click Manage Participants in the host controls to display participants list.
Click the dropdown menu located in the top left corner to close or pop out the list from the meeting window.
Hover over a participant and click more for these options:
Chat: Open the chat window to send messages directly to the panelist.
Stop Video: Stop the participant’s video stream so they are unable to start their video. If the participant hasn’t started their video, you will see the Ask to Start Video
Make Host (only available to the host): Assign the attendee to be the host. There can only be one host.
Make Co-Host (only available to the host): Assign the attendee to be a co-host. You can have an unlimited number of co-hosts.
Allow Record (only available to the host): Allow the attendee to start or stop a local recording of the meeting. Attendees do not have access to start a cloud recording.
Assign to type Closed Caption (only available to the host): Assign the attendee to type closed caption during the meeting.
Rename: Change the attendee name that is displayed to other participants. This change only applies to the current meeting.
Note: To change your own name, hover over your name in the participants list and click Rename. You can permanently change your name in your profile.
Put in Waiting Room: Place the attendee in a virtual waiting room while you prepare for the meeting. The host must enable waiting room for this option to appear.
Put On Hold: If the waiting room is not enabled, you’ll see this option to place the attendee on hold.
Remove: Dismiss a participant from the meeting. They won’t be able to rejoin unless you allow participants and panelists to rejoin.
You will also have access to enable or disable these options at the bottom of the participants list:
Invite: Invite others to join the meeting.
Mute All: Mute all participants currently in the meeting.
Click More for these options:
Ask All to Unmute: Display a pop-up notification to all muted participants with option to unmute themselves or stay muted.
Mute Participants upon Entry: Automatically mute participants as they join the meeting.
Allow Participants to Unmute Themselves: Participants can unmute themselves if they want to speak to others in the meeting.
Allow Participants to Rename Themselves: Participants can change their screen name displayed to other participants.
Play sound when someone joins or leaves: Play a sound when participants join and leave the meeting
Play Chime for Chat Messages/Raise Hand: Play a sound when participants use in-meeting chat or raise their hand.
Enable Waiting Room: This option is available regardless of the web portal setting.
Lock meeting: Don’t allow other participants to join the meeting in progress.
Merge to meeting window: Merge the participants list with the main meeting window. This option is only available if you separated the participants list from the main meeting window.
To prevent participants from screen sharing:
In the host controls, click the arrow next to Share Screen and click Advanced Sharing Options.
Under Who can share? choose Only Host.
Close the window.
After Class
Share recording with the class
Upload Zoom Recording to Box or OneDrive