For synchronous online interactions with individuals or with large or small groups of your students, such as for online office hours, all of the following options are available. Please see these recommendations for webcams and headsets.

Zoom Web Conferencing

For synchronous online interactions with large or small groups of your students (up to 300), consider using Zoom, a web-conferencing tool available on campus. 

If you do not have a Zoom license, you can try the following options to get one set up:

• Contact your departmental IT support staff.
• From your Canvas course site follow the first two steps in the guide, “How do I set up a Zoom session through Canvas?”
• Contact IT Express at (530) 754-HELP (4357) (M-F, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.) or Start a Support Ticket, and track your support requests through the Service Hub.

Please access the following resources as you get started using Zoom:

Getting started

Before you start, please review this important FAQ on Zoom Privacy and Security.

• 24/7 support is available in the lower right corner of any part of the website - zoom.us
• Zoom Guide for Faculty (text and screenshots)
• How to install the Zoom app (text and screenshots)
• Getting Started on Windows and Mac (text and screenshots)

Zoom in Canvas

• How do I set up a Zoom session through Canvas? (text and screenshots)
• How does a student join a Zoom meeting through Canvas? (text and screenshots)
• How to save a Zoom Cloud recording to AggieVideo and embed into Canvas (text and screenshots)

Controls and settings during a Zoom session

• Host and Co-Host Controls in a Meeting (video: 4:08)
• How Do I Share My Screen? (video: 3:41)
  • Managing Breakout Rooms (text and video: 5:34) 
• Sharing a whiteboard (text and screenshots)
• Sharing a video during a Zoom session (text)
• Using Breakout Rooms
  • How to enable Zoom Breakout Rooms (video: 0:43)
  • How to set up and use Zoom Breakout Rooms (text and screenshots)
  • Facilitating small groups using Breakout Rooms (video: 3:37)
  • Managing Breakout Rooms (text and video: 5:34) 
• How do I keep my Zoom meeting private and secure? (text and screenshots)
• How can I deal with Zoombombers who crash my Zoom meeting? (text and screenshots)
• Office Hours in Zoom
  • An introduction to holding office hours with Zoom (video: 1:09)
  • Using waiting rooms to hold office hours (video: 1:00)
• “Focus mode,” available starting with Zoom version 5.7.3, allows the webcam feeds and shared screens of participants to be visible only to hosts and co-hosts and not to other participants.

BigBlueButton

Recommended only for small groups of students or office hours. For synchronous online interactions with individuals or small groups of your students, such as for online office hours, consider using BigBlueButton, a web-conferencing tool built into Canvas.

• Web Conferencing Resources (text and screenshots)
• What are conferences? (text and screenshots)
• How do I create a conference in a course? (text and screenshots)