During Class:
Join the class meeting from the link provided by your professor on the course site in theSpring. Show up at least 10 minutes early for the first class to allow time for working out technical difficulties.
- Password Protected Meetings: If faculty have a password associated with the meeting (which is recommended) students will be prompted for the password, which students should be able to find in Nexus.
- Waiting Room Enabled: If faculty have enabled a Waiting Room, you will encounter a message that states Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon. It is important that you arrive to your class on time, as if you arrive late, the faculty member might not notice you are in the waiting room immediately (as they will be busy instructing the class). If you are going to be late, send your faculty member a courtesy email plenty of time before class starts so s/he will know to look for you in the waiting room at a specific time.
- Only Authenticated Users Can Join: If faculty require only authenticated users can enter the Zoom session, you will be prompted to sign-in to the Zoom Client you downloaded (see first bullet under “Before Term Begins”). When signing into the Zoom Client, choose [Sign in with SSO]. When prompted for the “company domain”, type in “skidmore” and then select [Continue]. You will be brought to the Skidmore College single sign-on page, where you should enter your Skidmore College username and password. Once you have authenticated, then go back and click on the Zoom [Join] URL.
Switch the view to the Gallery View so that you can see everyone (up to 49 people) in your class at once. Once you are in Zoom, click Gallery View in the upper right corner. Decide if and what you are comfortable sharing in your own video projection. Ideally, find a quiet spot with few distractions. If you’d like to make use of a virtual background, review the system requirements and experiment ahead of time. Review the Zoom attendee control options and understand how to share your screen during a class session. During screen sharing, whether your screen share or another classmate or instructor, you may need to use the annotation tools.
Your professor may use Breakout Rooms during your Zoom class. Learn more about what to expect and how to join (it is very easy).
Find out how to ask questions. Your faculty may prefer that you email questions before class, use in meeting Zoom chat, and/or use nonverbal feedback to raise your hand where you can unmute your microphone and speak.
You also have the ability to change the skin tone of your reactions.
Close distracting tabs and apps. Humans are not as good at multitasking as they think!
Make a positive digital impression:
- Treat all class participants in a Zoom session with respect (not just in Zoom but in email or in any other online communication).
- Always use your professors’ proper title: Professor. Unless specifically invited, don’t refer to instructors by first name. Some will be OK with being called “Bob” and others will expect to be “Professor Smith”.
- Remember that all college-level communication should have correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Avoid slang and texting abbreviations (e.g., such as “u” instead of “you”).
- Avoid using the caps lock feature AS IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING.
- Avoid the use of emoticons, as not everyone knows how to interpret them.
- Keep verbal discussion, chat, and materials shared within a Zoom session appropriate and focused on the course topic.
Show up ready to learn:
- Make eye contact with the camera instead of looking at your own video—remember, the camera is the class!
- Mute your mic when you aren’t talking—otherwise, the background noise of your home can be really disruptive.
- Speak in a conversational tone—no need to raise your voice.
- Be fully present. Because of the video, everyone will notice if you are checking your phone or doing something online in another tab.
- Bring a sense of adventure and patience!
You may want to save the chat at the end of the meeting, before the session is closed. This could be a useful resource to refer back to later.
