The What if...'s of Live Zoom Sessions
Are you interested in using Zoom for online, synchronous learning? Here are a few things to consider.
By Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning
What if a student refuses to mute themselves?
To start, tell students that you will have specific times during your live session where they will be able to speak and that they should wait to be prompted, or wait for other cues, to unmute themselves. Set the tone from the beginning of the session that there are appropriate times to share and other times to not.
If this is repeatedly a concern, you can use the Host Tools (the shield icon
) in the meeting controls to secure the meeting and minimize disruption during the meeting. Some of the options in the Host Tools include limiting participant capabilities such as their ability to chat, unmute, and screen share.
What if a student posts inappropriate content or comments?
Remind students of their academic identity and integrity from the get-go. If you are recording all your live-sessions to share with students later, remind students that the chat will also be recorded. This is usually a good deterrent.
However, if it does come to the point where a student is inappropriate, reach out to the student directly via email or phone after the live session. Kindly ask them, with open curiosity, to explain their actions. What is underneath their action? Is their purpose really to disturb or offend? Make sure to document the inappropriate actions and any further interactions you have with them. You can consider taking the matter to your academic head if you deem necessary.
If this is a recurring issue you can choose to control who participants can chat with or disable the private chat feature altogether.
What if a student tries to share their screen or is inappropriate on video?
When and why do you want students to be on camera? Ask students to consider the academic image they are showing with their background. If you require students to share their screen, remind them to close unnecessary windows and that all content displayed should align with copyright rules for higher education.
If a student tries to share their screen unasked, you, as the presenter, have the option to disable screen sharing. If you would like to make it so that participants can never share their screen you can change this under the advanced sharing options when you click the share screen icon in the meetings controls.
Remember, you can always use Host Tools to limit what participants can and cannot do.
There is more technical information on dealing with disruptive participants, including screenshots and how-tos in the USask Knowledge Base (Zoom).
There is policy and procedures related to disruptive behaviour and other forms of non-academic misconduct, and you should contact your academic head for advice.
To start, tell students that you will have specific times during your live session where they will be able to speak and that they should wait to be prompted, or wait for other cues, to unmute themselves. Set the tone from the beginning of the session that there are appropriate times to share and other times to not.
If this is repeatedly a concern, you can use the Host Tools (the shield icon
) in the meeting controls to secure the meeting and minimize disruption during the meeting. Some of the options in the Host Tools include limiting participant capabilities such as their ability to chat, unmute, and screen share.What if a student posts inappropriate content or comments?
Remind students of their academic identity and integrity from the get-go. If you are recording all your live-sessions to share with students later, remind students that the chat will also be recorded. This is usually a good deterrent.
However, if it does come to the point where a student is inappropriate, reach out to the student directly via email or phone after the live session. Kindly ask them, with open curiosity, to explain their actions. What is underneath their action? Is their purpose really to disturb or offend? Make sure to document the inappropriate actions and any further interactions you have with them. You can consider taking the matter to your academic head if you deem necessary.
If this is a recurring issue you can choose to control who participants can chat with or disable the private chat feature altogether.
What if a student tries to share their screen or is inappropriate on video?
When and why do you want students to be on camera? Ask students to consider the academic image they are showing with their background. If you require students to share their screen, remind them to close unnecessary windows and that all content displayed should align with copyright rules for higher education.
If a student tries to share their screen unasked, you, as the presenter, have the option to disable screen sharing. If you would like to make it so that participants can never share their screen you can change this under the advanced sharing options when you click the share screen icon in the meetings controls.
Remember, you can always use Host Tools to limit what participants can and cannot do.
There is more technical information on dealing with disruptive participants, including screenshots and how-tos in the USask Knowledge Base (Zoom).
There is policy and procedures related to disruptive behaviour and other forms of non-academic misconduct, and you should contact your academic head for advice.
Title image credit: StartupStockPhotos on Pixabay