Technical Things to Know
Once you’re set up with a Zoom account, you can access it by signing into the WSE Zoom landing page https://wse.zoom.us/ or by using the meeting client that can also be downloaded from this page.
Please see the Zoom Quick Start Guide for more information on signing in and customizing your Zoom account:
The Zoom desktop icon looks like the one below. Double-click on it to launch.
You will need to Sign In if you are Hosting the meeting (unless your co-instructor is hosting the meeting from their location, then you will Join a Meeting with the provided Meeting ID). You need to sign-in to your account to be able to record a meeting.
Upon launching the software, the main dialog box appears as shown below (also called the “Home” screen).
If you scheduled a meeting it can be found under Meetings. Otherwise Start with Video.
On the Home screen, click on Meetings:
Meetings
The “Meeting” tab displays your upcoming scheduled or recurring meetings.
NOTE: The Start button for your Recurring Meeting is below the Meeting ID.
To take action on a scheduled meeting, choose one of the following options:
- Start: Starts the pre-scheduled meeting listed in your upcoming
- Edit: Edit or update your scheduled
- Delete: Selecting delete will permanently delete your scheduled
- Copy URL: Copy the web link for the so that you can paste it into an email, Canvas Announcement, etc.
Connecting Audio
You can Join by Computer Audio using your Microphone or Join by Phone. You also have the option to Test your speaker and microphone.
What to Know About Audio
Feedback:
Audio feedback sometimes occurs during large group meetings, but there are a few things you can do to prevent (or at least minimize) distracting feedback.
- Ask participants to mute their lines until ready to speak
- Mute all participants if needed
How to Mute Your Audio:
Your own audio is muted by clicking on the microphone in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
Audio is muted Audio is not muted
How to Mute Audio:
As the host you can mute others.
- Mute an individual by rolling over a name in the participant list and clicking on “Mute”.
- Mute all participants at once by clicking on the “Mute All”
The Zoom Menu Bar
The Zoom menu bar appears after you have started a meeting.
You can:
- Mute/unmute audio
- Stop/start video
- Invite more people to join by email, IM, SMS (mobile users) or meeting ID
- View a list of participants
- Screen share your desktop or specific application window
- Conduct a group or private chat
- Record the meeting (Cloud or Locally to your computer)
- Breakout Rooms – See this guide for more information: Using Zoom Breakout Rooms
- Leave or end the meeting
Sharing Your Screen
- Clicking on “Share”
- Click on the item you want to display and then click “OK”. If you want to play a video make sure to check the box to Share the Computer Sound:
When you are done sharing your screen:
- Click “Stop Share”
- The view immediately switches back to video
Chat
The chat feature provides you and your participants the ability to chat during the session. You can send private chat or group chat messages.
- Click on Chat
- Type a message and hit “enter” on your keyboard to send a chat to Everyone. You can also message an individual participant via private chat by clicking on the drop down for To: and selecting an individual’s name.
How to Record a Session
To record a meeting you’ll need to either be the host, or the host must grant permission to record.
Instructors- Before recording Zoom Meetings in your classes please see the article Zoom Recording Best Practices for Privacy.
Record the session by clicking “Record”
- You can record Locally to the computer you are using or to the Cloud.
We recommend recording to the Cloud. - Click “Stop Recording” to end the recording (note: this ends the recording but not the meeting).
- After the meeting the recording will process and produce an MP4 if you recorded Locally or if you recorded to the Cloud it will send you an email with a link to your recording.
AI Companion
The Zoom AI Companion is an intelligent virtual assistant integrated within the Zoom platform, designed to enhance meeting experiences. Meeting hosts can streamline their meetings by automating tasks such as note-taking and follow-up actions. Through natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, the AI Companion can transcribe discussions, summarize key points, and generate actionable insights.
Use of the AI Companion must be manually enabled in meetings by a Host or Co-host by clicking the "Start Summary" button in the Zoom toolbar.
A popup window will advise participants of the usage of the tool, prompting them to accept or leave the meeting.
Ultimately, the Zoom AI Companion empowers meeting hosts to focus on facilitating meaningful discussions while minimizing administrative responsibilities. More information can be found in JHU's post about generative AI meeting assistants.
How to End a Meeting
Conclude the meeting by clicking “End Meeting” in the bottom right-hand corner of the menu bar.
Best Practices
Do's and Don'ts
The following list of items to be aware of before, during, and while conducting a Zoom session were established to promote a stress-free and successful meeting.
Do: | Don't: |
Start the Zoom Meeting before the actual start time. | Have unnecessary screens and applications open (to preserve computer resources and prevent information from being displayed that shouldn't be). |
Check your audio and camera. |
Forget to Record the meeting. |
Be prepared and have all relevant applications and web sites ready to go before you start. |
Forget to share your screen. Students can't see your screen if you don't share. |
How to Get Help With Zoom
Be Proactive – Avoid Issues by Updating the Zoom Client When Prompted
You might be prompted to update upon launching the Zoom Client application. Please update if you receive this message. Or you can manually check to see if there are updates.
Please Keep in Mind...
Zoom is a cloud-based service, so no internet connection = no Zoom. If you are or your participant(s) are experiencing internet connection issues, Zoom will not work for you.
Further Information: The Zoom Knowledge Base
Would you like to know more about Zoom? For more information, visit their knowledge base: http://support.zoom.us/home.
Common Zoom Troubleshooting Steps for PC
The following steps should be used to help correct any technology issues while using the Zoom system
Audio Issues
Can’t hear the other participants in the meeting?
- Make sure your computer speaker volume is turned up
- Make sure your speakers are selected for the active output in Zoom
- In the Zoom meeting, click the up arrow next to Audio and select Audio Options > Test Computer Mic & Speakers
- Click the Test Speaker button, if you hear audio this is setup correctly. If you do not hear audio, use the drop down box and select a different output and press Test Speaker again. Repeat this step until you hear audio.
Other participants can’t hear you?
- Make sure you have the correct internal/external microphone setup in Zoom
- In the Zoom meeting, Choose Audio > Audio Settings
- Click the Test Mic button; you should see green bars in the volume meter when you speak
- If you do not see the green volume meter bars or hear the audio message you recorded, use the drop down box and select another mic and repeat the process.
Do the other participants hear echo when you talk?
If so, this means that you are the source of the echo. You have two options:
- Adjust your microphone sensitivity and, if possible, increase the distance between the microphone and the speakers.
- Use a headset or earbuds instead of the speakers so that the voices coming in from other participants aren’t picked up by the mic in your environment. Laptop mics aren’t far enough away from the laptop speakers to avoid sending the sound round and round.
Do you hear echo when other participants talk?
- If so, then they are the source of the problem. There is really nothing you can do other than ask the person who is the source of the echo to try the options listed above.
Video Issues
Can’t see the other participants in the meeting?
- Make sure you have installed the Zoom software and are logged into the meeting.
Can the other participants see you?
- Make sure your camera is turned on, plugged in and selected in Zoom.
- Make sure your camera is selected in the video section. If it is not, use the drop down to select the correct camera.