Teaching Remotely with Zoom

Instructors: if you’ve never taught online before, now is a great time to explore options for conducting your classes at distance, such as in a synchronous online environment.

The first tool you should consider is Zoom, the university’s system-wide web conferencing program. Its ease of use and high video and audio quality make it a great fit for language education. As a licensed program, you and your students can receive technical support by contacting help@umn.edu.

The university and Zoom have provided a wealth of resources about the program. Here are four of the most useful for conducting a language lesson in a synchronous online environment:

• Teach, Meet, and Learn with Zoom
• Best Practices in a Meeting (One-Page Guide)
• Teach Online Class Sessions
• Manage Breakout Rooms

Students can easily join scheduled meetings. Here are two short and handy resources to get them started:

• Download the Zoom desktop app
• 1-minute video: Join a Zoom meeting

What technology do you need to teach a class via Zoom?
In order to use Zoom, you need access to a  computer with a web camera and microphone. If you need technology, the Language Center has a limited number of checkout laptops, microphones with headsets and webcams for reservation.

You can also make a reservation for private spaces with additional conferencing technology.

How can you prepare for this?

1. Attend a training session at the Language Center. More information will follow soon.
2. If you have never hosted a Zoom meeting, schedule a meeting and invite a colleague as a low-stakes practice.
3. Consider scheduling a Zoom meeting with your students. Do this after you have conducted a practice session with a colleague, and you have provided students with instructions on how to join a meeting.
4. As an alternative to having students connect from home, you can reserve a Jones computer classroom and have all students online in one location. That will ensure onsite tech support for your class. You might consider the new Canvas/Zoom integration as a method of inviting students to the online meeting.
5. During the class session, try a Breakout Room as a method of pairing or grouping students to keep the class interactive.