Tag Archives: zoom

Cross-promotion: Engaging a dual audience

We know you’re using Zoom and Webex to engage with students, coworkers, and even family members during these interesting times. The “new normal” is giving us all an opportunity to be flexible and learn new ways to communicate with one another.

For instructors, it’s integral to use the tools available to their fullest capacity — because students are attending classes and doing work in various ways. In light of that, the Miami Online group is offering a virtual event this coming Thursday to help guide faculty members who need more resources for their hybrid classes.

From the events page:

In this session, we’ll explore ways to optimize teaching and learning for your students regardless of location and chosen mode of participation. Connect with us on Thursday, October 15, at 3pm.

You will need to register to see the meeting invite on your calendar.

Check it out here.

Zoom tip: Use custom virtual backgrounds

One of the cool features of Zoom meetings (and, as of the September updates, Webex Meetings) is the ability to use your own virtual background. Instead of the office, living room, bedroom, or kitchen where you find yourself conducting business and classwork, you can set it so that other participants see you sitting on a beach or in the woods.

Miami-branded custom virtual backgrounds are also available. These are automatically uploaded to your Miami-affiliated Zoom account, but they can also be found on the alumni website.

Read more about uploading, using, and customizing your own virtual background at the Zoom support site.

Zoom and Canvas: A primer

Here are some notes about using Zoom within Canvas.

Alias email addresses

If your primary email address in Canvas is listed as an alias address (e.g., firstname.lastname@MiamiOH.edu), you may have some trouble getting your Miami Zoom account to connect to Canvas. This is because your Zoom account has been associated with your UniqueID — not the alias.

To resolve this issue and ensure that your Canvas account is connected to Zoom, you will need to change the default email in Canvas. This is achieved by:

  • Log into Canvas
  • Navigate to “Account” and then “Settings”
  • Add your UniqueID@MiamiOH.edu email address
  • Confirm your email
  • Return to Canvas and hover over the email you added. A star should appear — click that star to make that your default email.

Step-by-step instructions can also be found in the Canvas help site: How do I change my default email address?

Breakout rooms

One of the cool features of Zoom is breakout rooms. With these, students can work in sections and do group work just like they would in a physical classroom.

Unfortunately, pre-assigned Zoom breakout rooms will only work if you are using the desktop application. They will not work in Canvas. More information can be found here.

Learn more about pre-assigning participants to breakout rooms.

For more information about breakout rooms, see the Zoom support site: Participating in breakout rooms.

Welcome to Fall 2020! Quick tips for ZOOM-ing right along

The Fall 2020 semester has officially started! Getting into the swing of things looks a little different this semester, but IT Services is here with your handy helping of tech tips for one of your favorite web conferencing platforms: Zoom.

Login tips

We have created an account for you within the Miami Zoom domain. Your Miami UniqueID and password will get you logged in. If you are using the desktop app, please make sure to select “Sign in with SSO” in order to use your Miami credentials. SSO means “single sign-on,” which is the red login page you’re so used to seeing.

You can also reach your Zoom account by visiting MiamiOH.zoom.us.

Time limits

We have received some questions about the 40-minute time limit on meetings. This is a requirement for personal accounts, but since Miami has an enterprise license, your account will not be limited to 40-minute meetings.

However, if you don’t invite anyone else to the meeting (e.g., for testing purposes), Zoom will automatically end the meeting after 40 minutes. Get around this by inviting someone else (a guinea pig, if you will) to sit in the meeting with you while you do your testing.

Editing meetings

We have determined that in order to edit meetings, you will need to visit your account at MiamiOH.zoom.us from your favorite web browser. This includes meetings that you created within Canvas.

General tip: Participant limits

It’s handy to know how many participants you can invite to your meeting or classroom discussion. Here is a guide to participant limits and a few other key metrics when deciding between Webex, Zoom, or Google Meet.

Webex

1,000 participants

Can record sessions

24-hour meetings

Zoom

300 participants

Can record sessions

24-hour meetings

Meet

100 participants

No recordings

Note: If your needs exceed these limits, there are other tools available. For example, Webex Events allows you to have town hall-style meetings with up to 1,000 participants, and there are 500- and 1,000-person Zoom meetings available on request. Please be aware that the special Zoom licenses require advance setup by IT Services.