The Basics
Q: I'm a student. Zoom won't let me into my professor's lectures.
A: If a professor has set the meeting for authorized users only, you will need to claim your Blinn Zoom account and login with your Blinn credentials. To do so, visit my.blinn.edu and login with your Blinn credentials. Then open a new tab to blinn-edu.zoom.us and choose the SSO (single sign-on) option.
Once you have done those two things, you will have claimed your Zoom account for Blinn. Always login to your Blinn Zoom account for accessing Blinn lectures and classes.
Q: I'm a professor. Do I have to use Zoom in my online classes? Can I use Teams instead?
A: Yes, Zoom is mandatory for classes.
Teams is best for departmental meetings. Teams is not ideal for online classes because it is not integrated into D2L. Zoom is integrated into D2L. When a student drops your class, for instance, he or she will no longer have access to your class's Zoom meetings in D2L. You would have to handle that by hand in Teams.
When scheduling Zoom meetings for classes, schedule them inside D2L to ensure they show up in the course.
Q: I'm a student. How do I use Zoom in online classes?
A: Zoom meetings will show up as links in your online courses. Simply click the link to join. You may have to download the Zoom app if you have not done so previously. Also, please note if your professor has created a password to join the meeting. Finally, some meetings are scheduled for certain times. You may not be able to join them early. You may also find yourself in a virtual waiting room if the professor has set one up.
Q: How do I log into Zoom the first time? I want to use Single Sign-on so I don't have to keep putting in my credentials.
A: The first time you sign in, choose "Sign in with SSO," then enter "Blinn-edu." That will peg our SSO server for your credentials, and let you in.
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Click "Sign In with SSO" and enter Blinn-edu.
Q: Do I have to be in eCampus D2L to use Zoom?
A: No. You can use Zoom inside or outside of eCampus. The Zoom app is installed on all Blinn computers or may be downloaded to home devices here: zoom.us/download However, you do need to schedule Zooms meetings in D2L for them to automatically show in your classes.
Q: I have a Zoom account already. Can I use it for teaching? My students have their own Zoom accounts, too. Can they login there?
A: No. In order to use Zoom in eCampus D2L, both the professor and students must use their Blinn credentials in Zoom.
Q: I can't uncheck the box for green screens. My virtual backgrounds look terrible as a result.
A: Make sure you are running the latest version of Zoom. Also, see if your computer meets the virtual background system requirements. Read more about virtual backgrounds here.
Q: Can I use virtual screens in the classroom?
A: No. Virtual screens are toggled off on podium computers to save bandwidth and memory.
Q: We're having a conference. How many people can be in a Zoom meeting at one time?
A: 300. If you need more people than that at the same time to attend a meeting, please contact Will Davidson.
Technical Questions
Q: I can't set up polls ahead of time in my scheduled sessions. How do I do that?
A: Follow the steps in our knowledge article, Pre-populating Polls in Zoom.
Q: How do I record a session?
A: On the bottom middle control panel (hover your mouse there if you don’t see it), you will find the Record button. You can choose to save locally or to the cloud. Click the Record button to start recording.
Q: Where are recordings stored and how do I get to them?
A: To access your recorded cloud videos, you’ll need to go to blinn-edu.zoom.us and sign in with your Blinn credentials. On the top menu bar you will see icons for Home, Chat, Meetings and Contacts. Click the Meetings icon on the top menu bar, then click the “Recordings” tab on the left (see graphic below). All the meetings you have recorded will be listed. Note that cloud recordings may take a while to process and appear here.
Click on "Recordings" in blinn-edu.zoom.us to access meetings you have saved.
Q: How long does Zoom keep recorded meetings?
A: 120 days is the limit on Zoom cloud storage. If you need to keep a meeting for a longer period, you will need to download the MP4 to your computer and upload it into your YuJa account. YuJa has no time limit on storage. If you want to share recordings of a Zoom meeting for future reference (beyond 120 days), it's best to place the MP4 in YuJa and share via a YuJa link.
For more information on recording in Zoom, please see the FAQ About Local and Cloud Recording.
For details on transferring videos to YuJa, please see our knowledge article How to Move Recordings from Zoom to YuJa.
For details on how students can access Zoom recordings in eCampus, see this video.
Q: How do I set it so participants do not start their cameras automatically? Or, the reverse, with their cameras on? How about starting muted?
A: You can set these variables when starting meetings through blinn-edu.zoom.us. Click the New Meeting icon and adjust as desired. For more details, click here.
Q: Why is my screen mirrored? Are my students seeing a mirrored image?
A: Zoom's default is to show you a mirror of the way you are being broadcast. Students at home see you as normal. To change this so that your monitor and/or classroom projector are not showing a mirror image, click the up arrow near the Start/Stop Video camera icon and select "Video Settings." From there, under My Video, uncheck "Mirror my video."
Q: How do I save and retrieve Zoom chats?
A: Chats are saved as a downloadable file when you record to the cloud. Search for the chat file under your cloud recordings. You can also save chats by hand by clicking the ellipses in the chat box and clicking Save. It will download to your local machine under Documents/Zoom. Finally, you can make sure your chats are automatically saved under settings in the Blinn Zoom portal. For a more detailed discussion with graphics, please see this Yammer Tech Tip.
Scheduling Meetings
Q: How do I start or schedule a Zoom meeting?
A: You can schedule Zoom meetings three ways: by Outlook, D2L, or blinn-edu.zoom.us Note that it is required to schedule class meetings in D2L so they show up in the course automatically.
You can schedule a Zoom meeting from Outlook if your machine has the Zoom Outlook Add-on installed. This is included on all Blinn computers for the fall. With the add-on installed, scheduling a Zoom meeting from Outlook works the same as scheduling Teams meeting.
From D2L, you can schedule meetings within your online classes. Please see our knowledge article Using Zoom in D2L for more details.
You can also go to blinn-edu.zoom.us and start or schedule one from there.
Finally, you can start unscheduled meetings from the app directly, inviting people in on the fly. Inside a meeting, click on the Participants button on the center menu bar. From the Participants side menu, click the Invite button to invite additional participants.
Q: Should I restrict the meeting to authenticated users only?
A: Yes. If you do, students will need to be logged into the Blinn system using the Zoom app. They will need to download the app and be logged in with their Blinn credentials in order to join the meeting. No one outside Blinn can join a meeting if you require authentication.
Q: Should I make the meetings for Registered users only?
A: No. Requiring registration will just give you an email of who clicked on the registration links. For classes and most meetings, registration is not needed and should be left unchecked.
Q: Can I set up a co-host for my meeting?
A: Yes. You can designate an alternative host in the meeting options when setting up a meeting. Instructions are here.
Note that alternative hosts will not be able to change options for the meeting ahead of time. The meeting will show up in their email but it will not show on the alternative host's upcoming meetings in blinn-edu.zoom.us. Alternative hosts can start the meeting early from the email or their Outlook calendars and set up polls, etc. But they can't configure meeting settings ahead of time in blinn-edu.zoom.us like the host can.
When a meeting begins, a host can give control to a co-host. Instructions are here. Note that the co-host has a limited set of controls. For a full list of co-host limitations and a video click here.
Q: How do I delete scheduled meetings?
A: The short answer is, you would open the meetings tab in blinn-edu.zoom.us, click on the meeting title and click "Delete this Meeting" about halfway down the page. For screenshots and more details, please see our knowledge article How to Delete Your Zoom Meetings.
Q: Is Bookings integrated with Zoom?
A: No. Bookings is integrated with Teams for online meetings.
Q: How do I set up registration for Zoom meetings?
A: See our knowledge article How to Set Up Registered Meetings in Zoom for details.
Q: How can I find a list of who attended my meetings?
A: See our knowledge article How to Find a List of Those Attending Your Zoom Meeting for details.
Managing Meetings
Q: How can I prevent students from being able to rename themselves in a meeting? Can I restrict chats? Prevent students from sharing screens?
A: Hosts can change these settings for each meeting on the fly by going to the "Security" button and unchecking "Rename Themselves" and adjusting other settings.
Each meeting gives students default permissions so you would need to reset them for every meeting you schedule if you don't like the defaults. Variables include Chat if you do not wish students to chat; Waiting Room if you wish for students to pop right in or not; Share Screen if you want to allow students to share their displays or not; and Lock Meeting so that no one new can come in even if they were invited.
These can also be managed in the options when scheduling meetings. If you find yourself using the same options over and over again, you might consider making a meeting template. Please see Zoom's Meeting Templates page for detailed instructions.
Click "Security" then uncheck "Rename Themselves"
Q: What do I do about an unruly student? What do I do if students are talking during my lecture?
A: Hosts and co-hosts can mute everybody in the meeting all at once. To do so, hover your mouse at the bottom of the screen and click the Participants icon. On the bottom of the Participants list, click "Mute All." You will be prompted to choose whether to allow participants to unmute themselves or not. If you choose to not let them unmute themselves, don't forget to unmute them when you are finished talking. Note that civility policies in your syllabus should apply online as well as face to face.
Under Participants, click "Mute All."
Q: How can students raise their hands?
A: Students can raise their hands in the Zoom app when class is in session and provide additional nonverbal feedback by clicking on the Participants button at the bottom of the screen then selecting one of the feedback buttons.
Q: How do I set up breakout rooms?
A: You can set up to 50 breakout rooms per session, either ahead of time or while the meeting is in progress. If you have an existing meeting coming up, sign in to blinn-edu.zoom.us and find the upcoming meeting. Click on the meeting name and click "Edit this meeting" at lower right. Under Meeting Options, check the "Breakout Room pre-assign" box and follow the prompts to select students for the desired breakout rooms. Access Meeting Options the same way when you are scheduling new meetings.
You can also manage breakout rooms while a meeting is in progress, assigning students on the fly by clicking the Breakout Rooms button on your lower menu bar during a meeting. Please see Zoom's Managing Breakout Rooms page for more details.
Select the pre-assign option to place students in breakout rooms ahead of time when scheduling or editing meetings in blinn-edu.zoom.us
Q: How do I use annotations and the Zoom whiteboard?
A: If activated for the session, click "Share Screen" from the bottom menu. Here you can access the Zoom whiteboard or share your own screen. On a shared screen, you can click the Annotate tool on the top menu. More details are here.
Q: When I start a PowerPoint, it takes up both screens. How do I prevent that?
A: In PowerPoint, go to the SlideShow tab, click Monitor and choose Primary Monitor. Then uncheck the "Use Presenter View" box. See our knowledge article Running a PowerPoint Presentation on Dual Monitors in Zoom.
Q: How do I control the cameras in the classroom when using Zoom?
A: See our knowledge article, Camera Startup and Controls for details.
Q: How can I see up to 49 participants on the grid view? I'm not able to see that many.
A: In your Zoom meeting, click the camera icon’s up arrow and select “Video Settings…” Then scroll down to “Meetings” and check the box for “Display up to 49 participants per screen in Gallery View.”
Q: My students were stuck in the waiting room. How do I disable the waiting room?
A: Go to blinn-edu.zoom.us, sign in and click "Edit" on your upcoming meeting. You can choose to edit all occurrences if it's a reoccurring meeting. Scroll down to "Security" and uncheck Waiting Room.
eCampus Questions
Q: Do I have to be in eCampus D2L to use Zoom?
A: No. You can use Zoom inside or outside of eCampus. The Zoom app is installed on all Blinn computers or may be downloaded to home devices here: zoom.us/download
However, you do need to schedule Zooms meetings in D2L for them to automatically show in your classes.
Q: Can a student create their own meetings inside my course?
A: Yes. If a student downloads the app and authenticates with their Blinn credentials, they can schedule meetings within your course. These independent group meetings show up and display to the rest of the class.
Q: Will meetings in merged courses be affected?
A: Yes. If a meeting is set up in a merged course, students in all the course sections will be able to join. The only way to prevent this is by scheduling through the app outside of eCampus and deciding by hand who will be invited, or enable the waiting room and only allow students in a particular class into the meeting from the waiting room after it has started.
Alternatively, you can label the meetings for each particular section and strongly discourage students from other sections from attending the wrong meetings.
Q: What if I want only one or certain students in a meeting? When I schedule it in D2L, it shows to the whole class.
A: You need to enable waiting rooms for the meeting and only allow the students you want in to enter. Click here for instructions.
Q: What if I have a hearing-impaired student taking my class?
A: Disability Services will notify professors of hearing-impaired students enrolled in their courses. Professors will need to turn on closed captioning for Zoom meetings if hearing-impaired students are enrolled. Closed captioning will be handled by Sign Language Interpreting Services during the Zoom meetings. Instructions for activating closed captioning are here: support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736
Q: What if I want to set up meetings for office hours that all my students can see? Can I set up meetings outside of D2L?
A: Yes. Go to blinn-edu.zoom.us, sign in and schedule your office hours, then share the link with students.
Additional Details
Need additional information or assistance? Call the IT Help Desk at 979-830-4357 (HELP) or contact the IT Help Desk Chat Line.