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Video Conferencing via Zoom

Zoom Overview

Zoom unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, group messaging, and a software-defined conference room solution into one easy-to-use platform. Zoom offers the best video, audio, and wireless screen-sharing experience across multiple systems. Their mission is to develop a people-centric cloud service that transforms the real-time collaboration experience and improves the quality and effectiveness of communications forever.

Getting Started

  1. Go to https://virginiatech.zoom.us.
  2. Click Sign in and log in with your PID and password.
  3. You'll go to your Zoom Profile page. From the menu on the left, you can schedule meetings, view your meeting recordings, and update your Zoom profile.
Log in screen for Zoom

Summary: In this video, Zoom provides a quick introduction to the basic meeting controls available on Zoom calls.

Additional information can be found here.

Duration: 4 minute, 7 seconds

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Summary: In this video, Zoom provides an overview of how to setup your audio and video for meetings.

Additional information: Audio Setup and Video Setup

Duration: 2 minutes, 40 seconds

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Scheduling A Meeting

Zoom offers multiple methods to schedule a meeting. A host has control over the options for their scheduled meetings except for settings that an administrator has locked for all users in the account or for all members of a specific group.

Summary: In this video, Zoom covers the steps to needed to schedule a meeting and the meeting options available using the web interface.

Additional information can be found here.

Duration: 5 minutes, 48 seconds

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Summary: In this video, Zoom reviews how you can start an instant meeting or schedule a future meeting using the Zoom Microsoft Outlook Plugin. The Outlook Plugin can also sync free/busy times to the Zoom Client based on your Outlook Calendar events.

Additional information can be found here.

Duration: 6 minutes, 7 seconds

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Summary: Depending on your role, you may need to schedule a meeting for someone else.  By setting up scheduling privileges:

  • You can assign a user or multiple users to your account to schedule meetings on your behalf
  • You can also schedule meetings on behalf of a user (or multiple users) that has assigned you scheduling privilege
  • Users with scheduling privileges on your account will be able to manage and act as an alternative host for all meetings

Guides

For Outlook: PDF

Tips For Hosting An Effective Session

  • Have participants test their speakers and microphone when they join the session
  • Use headphones with an external microphone if possible
  • Ask participants to mute themselves until they have a question/comment
  • Have an agenda to share with participants
  • After logging in, engage participants in informal conversation - this will lead to them being more willing to “open up” during the session
  • Regularly pause and solicit questions/ideas - “talking at” your participants for an entire session leads to disengagement

Additional Support

Getting Help

For instructions on resolving common issues with Zoom, see: Video Conferencing - Troubleshooting Zoom.

For problems logging into Zoom, contact Virginia Tech 4Help:

  • Go to 4Help, log in with your Virginia Tech Username (PID) and password, and select Get Help.
  • Call 540-231-4357.

For problems using Zoom, contact Zoom Support:

Additional Documentation