Lectures (and Sections) in the age of Zoom

This quarter we're using Zoom for lectures. We'll also use it for sections and office hours. The general ideas here will also be useful in those other settings, but section instructors and (especially) people holding office hours may want to do some things differently. We've now used Zoom for UW classes for several quarters and have some experience with how to do it, but we can definitely make changes as we go if there are things we could do better. Please contribute your ideas, experiences, and suggestions -- the class discussion board is a great place for this.

But first: Even if you have used the Zoom app before, please open it, check for updates, and update to the most recent version. There have been several useful Zoom updates recently, including some useful options for handling breakout rooms, and we will want to be able to take advantage of some of this. But you'll need the latest Zoom app for this to work.

We are using the UW Zoom-in-Canvas interface to make real-time and recorded lectures available to students in the class. Here's the plan for how lectures will work in CSE 401/M501 this quarter:

• Your instructor will start the Zoom meeting around 10 minutes before the official beginning of class. That should give you time to connect to the meeting and start up your Zoom app using the links on the course Canvas Zoom page. Feel free to unmute your camera or microphone and chat with people before class, but then mute your microphone, when class starts. You can also mute your camera (video) if you'd like during class, but it's great to leave it on if you don't mind.
• When class begins, we'll start recording the lecture. You'll see a warning when this happens to advise you that the recording is starting and giving you an opportunity to leave the meeting if you want.* But as long as your camera and microphone are muted, nothing you say or do should be picked up in the recording. You can also use Canvas and Zoom options to change your display name if you want. If you don't want to participate in the class while it is being recorded, you can always view the video later.
• If you have a question or comment during class, please "raise your hand" by typing something like "hand" or "question" in the Zoom Chat window. Zoom does have a separate "participants" window where you can signal "thumbs up" and similar things, but it's hard to keep track of this in a large meeting or class. So we'll stick to the Chat window for "hand raising"; please reserve it for that or for very short questions or remarks. If you would like to ask a question but don't want to be recorded while you do, just type "question - don't record" or something like that, and before you're called on we'll pause the recording so you can unmute your microphone (and video if you want), ask your question, and mute again before the recording resumes. Please keep questions and other use of the chat window on-topic and professional.
• Zoom has a "breakout room" feature where we can divide the meeting into many small rooms with only a handful of people in each. We'll try using this occasionally for working on problems or having discussions during lecture and will use it regularly during sections. You won't need to do anything to prepare for this - just go along for the ride when it happens. :)
• At the end of lectures we'll stop the recording, but your instructor will leave the meeting open if people want to discuss anything further or have questions (a virtual "hang around after class to talk"). Be aware that these aren't private conversations -- everyone else who hasn't left the Zoom meeting yet is still part of the meeting and can hear what's discussed (even though we're no longer recording). For things you'd rather discuss privately, we'll be able to set up separate meetings outside of class.
• Slides for lectures will be posted on the regular Course calendar (the UW Allen School website, not canvas) at least the night before class. For some lectures there will also be a "virtual handout" that you should print ahead of time or otherwise have available. We'll use these virtual handouts for longer examples or for problems to work during class. But if you forget to make a copy of this before class, don't stress out about it -- things should be ok. Your instructor will post an announcement on the class discussion board when new slides or handouts are added to the main course calendar.
• Copies of lecture videos should be available on the Canvas Zoom page sometime later in the day after each class.

Good luck and be sure to post reactions, suggestions, and comments to the class discussion board so we can get better at this as we go.

*UW has a Privacy Office and they tell us to include this statement in our course materials since we're going to be recording the class:

This course is scheduled to run synchronously at your scheduled class time via Zoom. These Zoom class sessions will be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video and computer screen. Student audio and video will be recorded if they share their computer audio and video during the recorded session. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will not be shared with or accessible to the public.

The University and Zoom have FERPA-compliant agreements in place to protect the security and privacy of UW Zoom accounts. Students who do not wish to be recorded should:

• Change their Zoom screen name to hide any personal identifying information such as their name or UW Net ID, and
• Not share their computer audio or video during their Zoom sessions.