Zoom – changes to implementation on the VLE

With the new semester fast approaching there will be a change to the way Zoom can be accessed on the VLE.

A feature (add-in) has finished development and we would like to take advantage of the functionality it provides. The tool provides easy access to both Scheduled webinars and the recordings associated with them once they have completed.

The tool is accessed from the Module page on the VLE under the Webinar Schedule and recordings tab. The link on “Access your Webinar session here” will launch a Zoom page displaying the Zoom content specifically associated with that module. The example below shows the screen for PLN7PLD as a student will see it.

 

As you can see the details of the webinars are displayed in date order with the next session at the top. Each session shows a Join button for students, but this will be a Start button when you are the module leader.

After a webinar the meeting moves from the Upcoming Meetings tab to the Previous Meetings tab, to prevent confusion on which session to join. There is also a Cloud Recordings button which collects all the recordings from these webinars and provides access to them for viewing and/or downloading.

One of the most common reported issues last semester was the ability to start a meeting and not being made the host. The problem was isolated down to using Google Chrome as the default browser. Even with Chrome, as a module leader if you choose to use this tool the Start button when clicked will start the Meeting in your Zoom Desktop App with all the host options activated.

Some changes related to using Zoom this way have also been implemented. Firstly, there will be no emails to say people are waiting in a meeting when a host is not present. Secondly students will not be able to join a session if a host has not already started the meeting.