Tips for Using Zoom

What is Zoom?

Zoom is video conferencing software that we’ll be using this semester for class meetings and office hours.

How Do I Access Zoom?

Links to both will be provided through our course Blackboard site. If you have your own Zoom account that is separate from your SLU account, you must use your SLU account. Our Zoom meetings require this. Please make sure you sign-out of your personal Zoom account before trying to access course meetings and office hours. I strongly encourage you to access our class meetings via a laptop or desktop computer. You should download the Zoom Client for Meetings. You may be prompted to use your username, password, and multi-factor authentication credentials, so give yourself time before class or an office hours appointment starts. If you need to access Zoom another way, such as calling in, please let me know.

How Do I Login to Zoom

In order to facilitate small-group discussions during class, it is important that you are signed into Zoom via SLU. In-order to ensure that you are signed-in correctly, follow the instructions below.

Access Zoom via the Web

1. Go to Zoom’s website and make sure you are signed out of any account you have.
2. Go to mySLU
3. Go to Tools and then click-on Zoom

Access Zoom via an App

1. Open your app and sign-out of any account you have.
2. Choose Sign In with SSO
3. Enter slu for the company domain so that it reads slu.zoom.us
4. You will be taken to mySLU and my need to sign-in using your mySLU username and password

How Do I Use Zoom?

Fortunately, using Zoom is pretty straightforward once you’ve become used it. There are only a few controls you’ll need to know how to use. The most important are how to turn your audio and video on and off. I’ll ask you for “nonverbal feedback” sometimes - these options include raising your hand, saying “yes” and “no”, and an option to ask me to slow down.

There is also a chat feature we’ll be using. When it, though, remember that your course-related communications to the instructor or other students should be considered “professional” (they are not like texts to your friends). Zoom records chats and I can view them, so please keep that in mind as well.

What is the Best Way to Arrange my Zoom Meeting?

I strongly recommend that you use Zoom’s side-by-side mode for screen sharing. When you are in side-by-side mode, choosing “Speaker View” will limit the number of webcams you see to just the person speaking. This arrangement allows you to see both my slides and me at the same time, and can be adjusted with your mouse to make the slides smaller or larger.

Do I Have To Use My Microphone?

When you come to class, please mute your microphone. If I call on you and you’ve raised your hand, please remember to un-mute yourself before speaking!

Do I Have To Use My Camera?

During lectures, you are not required to have your camera on - it is entirely up to you. I personally appreciate seeing a few students' faces while I teach, so if you want to leave your camera on, you’ll be doing me a favor! But like I said, it isn’t required for lectures. However, when we use the “breakout room” feature for small group discussions, you are expected to have your camera on. These discussions will occur regularly during class meetings, so please keep that in mind as you get ready and prepare your work space before class.

What If I Am Having Technical Issues?

Feel free to email me at chris.prener@slu.edu. If it is during class, I may not respond right away. That is why we record course meetings, however. If you find that my video or audio is not working well, please let me know in the chat!

Screen Sharing

One of the key ways we’ll work together to solve issues you are confronting is with screen sharing. To be prepared to share your screen, please make sure you have a minimal number of windows open, and be conscious of what those windows contain.

Other Considerations

The following are Saint Louis University’s best practices for using Zoom:

1. Mute your microphone when you are not speaking. Remember to “un-mute” yourself just prior to speaking. Identify yourself when you begin speaking.
2. Expect a few seconds of delay in getting a response from the instructor or another class member to a question; wait before repeating your question or assuming it was not heard.
3. If possible, position your camera such that your video feed does not capture too much of your surroundings or other activity/sound from your home/location. Be conscious of posters, art, or other surroundings that others might find offensive or inappropriate for an educational context.
4. Use the “Raise Hand” and “Chat” (or similar) features of. This limits verbal interruptions and the confusion generated when multiple people try to speak at once.
5. Just as in an on-ground, face-to-face class, limit side conversations, multi-tasking (on your computer or otherwise), and use of your cellphone.
6. Temporarily turn off your video feed and mute your microphone when engaged in any non-class conversation or activity.
7. Respect and be attentive to the diversity of your classmates and instructor. Before communicating, consider your message in the context of the class’ diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, gender, sexual orientation, age, social class, marital status, geography, etc. Consider the diversity you can see or know – as well as that you cannot.
8. Remember that video-based class sessions (including chat transcripts) may be recorded and retrieved for later viewing.