Video Communications Zoom

Zoom is SF State’s video and web conferencing service. All faculty, staff and students have the ability to create and join Zoom meetings. Zoom meetings can be used to hold class sessions and interact with students remotely, or can be used as a replacement for any in-person/face-to-face University business.

All faculty, staff and students have the ability to create and join Zoom meetings.

  1. To set up your account, go to https://sfsu.zoom.us and select the Sign in link

    • You can log in using your SFSU ID or SFSU email address and SFSU password
  2. Download the Zoom client by navigating to https://sfsu.zoom.us/download

Note: You do not need an account to join a meeting, only to start one. Participants can simply select the meeting link to join a session without logging in.

 

Guidance resources on wow do I get started with Zoom? How do I use Zoom to deliver lectures remotely? How do I use Zoom to hold office hours remotely?

Allow for privacy during your Zoom sessions

If you require students to turn on their cameras, be sure to include language about this requirement in your syllabus. While it is immensely helpful for developing community and humanizing your online course when participants turn their videos on, there are many legitimate reasons why students may wish for greater privacy; so it's helpful to be prepared to offer students who may have special needs or requirements alternative options (e.g. virtual backgrounds, guidelines around specific times when video can be on/off). Providing alternatives to having video on can also increase accessibility (i.e., disability concerns), and equity (e.g., bandwidth, equipment) in your synchronous course.

Use of Student Video in Synchronous Courses from SF State Academic Senate Online Education Policy

  • The use of student video in web conferencing (such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams) can be required by faculty to support engaged learning and ongoing informal formative assessment in an online synchronous environment.
  • When faculty require video sharing, students may request a video sharing exemption from the faculty member for concerns such as: privacy, equitability, or accessibility concerns, or during periods of emergency remote instruction. If reasonable accommodations based on disability are needed the student should meet with DPRC.
  • However, when direct observation is required for course completion such as in performing arts or classes requiring presentations or supervision (e.g., health sciences clinical skills, credential student teaching), faculty may deny a student’s request for exemption.
  • If students are required to share their video, the course schedule must indicate this requirement.

Recording class sessions is recommended to make our courses more flexible and resilient for students who may have trouble attending synchronous sessions. However, privacy is always a concern when making a recording. If you plan to record sessions, be sure to let students know both during the session and in the syllabus. Some ways to allow for privacy concerns when recording a session include: allowing students to turn off cameras, allowing students to change their name in Zoom, providing a portion of class time that is not recorded.

Recordings should only be shared in the iLearn class section they were recorded. Reuse of live recordings in other class sections or semesters can only be done with consent and release from the students in the original class.

Note that Zoom provides students with a notification once a recording has started, but if they decline to be recorded they are automatically removed from the session, so it can be helpful to discuss this and establish guidelines before recording your session.

For more information see Guidelines, recommendation and etiquette for live Zoom classes on the Academic Technology website.

Official Statement from SF State's Instructional Continuity Website:  Are Zoom and CourseStream FERPA Compliant?

When instructors use the University-supported systems (Zoom, CourseStream) to record their own class sessions/lectures for the purpose of student learning, and use their iLearn course to limit access to the recording to the members of the course from which it originated, only for that semester, then FERPA does not prevent or require written consent for its usage. Students who have privacy concerns can turn off their video and/or change their user name in the session. The proven benefits that class recordings can offer students in terms of student learning, academic success, and retention make a compelling case for their use.

Zoom security has become an increasing concern since the pandemic began with the advent of practices like Zoom bombing (a person outside of your class gaining access to your session and being disruptive), but there are ways you can better protect your sessions including only sharing Zoom sessions from inside your password protected iLearn course, asking that students login into sfsu.zoom.us before joining a session, and by memorizing the click path for removing a potential intruder so you can do so quickly. To remove an intruder from your meeting: select Manage Participants at the bottom of your Zoom window, find the disruptive participant in the list, select More next to their name and Remove.

Another practice some faculty use to provide added security to their Zoom sessions is to enable the Waiting Room feature of Zoom. This feature allows you to admit students/participants to your meeting one by one once they have renamed themselves with their full name.

Read more by visiting Best practices for Zoom security from Academic Technology.

Academic Technology provide support documents. 

  • Phone: (415) 405-5555
  • Email: at@sfsu.edu
  • Office: LIB 80