Teaching online classes with Zoom
Zoom offers a collaborative platform with synchronous audio and video communication, a virtual whiteboard that can also be used to share applications, media, documents (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, Word documents) web pages, text-based synchronous chat, polling, and other moderation tools and controls.
Zoom is ideal for conducting workshops and tutorials with students independently of their location. Zoom meetings can be recorded or downloaded for viewing later and can be converted to common audio or video format so that the session can be replayed.
Zoom Meetings vs Webinars
The table below provides a brief comparison of some of the differences between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars.
Features | Zoom Meetings | Zoom Webinars |
Software required | Zoom Software must be installed and kept up to date | Zoom Software must be installed and kept up to date |
Blackboard integration and scheduling | Manually add Zoom LTI dashboard link to Blackboard. Meetings can recur each week | Manually add links, no Blackboard LTI support. Large Webinars cannot be recurring or open-ended |
Recordings | Cloud recordings will automatically appear in the Zoom LTI dashboard in Blackboard (deleted after 180 days). Local recordings need to be manually uploaded and shared by the instructor | Any recordings need to be manually shared by the instructor. Cloud recordings are deleted after 180 days |
Capture student attendance | Yes, through Zoom reports | Yes, through Zoom Webinar reports |
Breakout groups/rooms | Yes (must be enabled in settings first), can also record breakout rooms Can be populated based on Zoom Poll/Quiz results | No |
Support for large classes | Max 1000 students with a large class licence More than 300 students You must request a Zoom licence for large classes through Technology services. A maximum of 1000 students is supported in a large class. You are encouraged to use co-hosts to help manage large Zoom classes. | Max 1000 students Limited interactivity Zoom webinars provide a limited experience with no breakout rooms. Please see the Technology Services Knowledge Base - Zoom Webinars for more information. |
Mobile support | Yes, Zoom App must be installed | Yes, Zoom App must be installed |
Polling | Yes, Quizzes and Q&A supported | Polls, Surveys and Q&A supported |
Share files (PowerPoint, PDF) | Powerpoint via screen sharing, in meeting file sharing (limited) | Host and Co-Host only, students need to be promoted |
Whiteboard | Yes, can be saved as a file | Yes, can be saved as a file, students cannot draw on the whiteboard |
Zoom support articles
The following articles cover the use of Zoom for teaching and learning purposes.
More support resources and information
For technical articles about Zoom, see the Technology Services Knowledge Base - Zoom
The developer of Zoom also maintains a more up to date Zoom Support site
For more information about teaching classes in an online environment, see the article on online teaching.