Zoom is a video/audio web-conferencing and collaboration tool that lets you, your peers, and your instructors meet in real time online. Through Zoom, you can attend lectures and meetings, present using whiteboards, share screens and slides, interact by chat or Q&A, have small group discussions, and take part in polls.
The lecture sessions may be recorded by your instructor and made available to you later.
| Access | You can access Zoom from your computer as soon as you install the Zoom application. | |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | High demand on internet connections. | |
| Privacy | Complies with UBC’s privacy requirements, provided you either do not use a free Zoom account for UBC purposes or use a free Zoom account with anonymized information. More details are available in the note section below. |
What will I use it for?
Your instructor may have you use Zoom for any of the following real-time interactions:
- Attend lectures and/or office hours
- Participate in group discussions
- Give presentations
- Respond to polls and quizzes
- Take invigilated exams remotely
A note about Zoom
Only UBC Zoom accounts—not free Zoom accounts—should be used for UBC purposes. UBC has conducted a privacy assessment of the UBC version of Zoom to confirm that it meets the security and legal requirements for a teaching and learning tool. However, this assessment did not include the free version of Zoom, meaning that a free Zoom account should not be used to participate in any UBC courses.
This restriction on free Zoom accounts should not affect your course participation, since you do not need an account to attend Zoom sessions. If you encounter a situation where a student Zoom account is possibly needed, your instructor will either create a UBC Zoom account for you or ask you to sign up for a free Zoom account. When signing up for a free Zoom account, you can use an alias instead of your real email or name, if you are concerned about your privacy.
This tool guide was last reviewed in June 2024 with version 6.0.11 of Zoom.
What do I need to use Zoom?
The Zoom application
You do not need a Zoom account to attend lectures, but you will need to install the Zoom application. You can do this ahead of time using the instructions in the next accordion section or following the automatic prompts when you join your first Zoom session.
Audio/visual equipment
To do web-conferencing with Zoom, you will need a webcam and/or a microphone. To ensure good audio quality, we recommend using either an external microphone or headphones with a microphone attached.
Tips
- We recommend always joining sessions through the Zoom application or by clicking the Zoom link, rather than dialing in. Fees may apply when joining a session by calling in on a phone, depending on your phone plan and where you are located.
Install the Zoom application
- Go to the Zoom download center, and click the Zoom Workspace download button for your system.
- For Windows, we recommend selecting Download (64-bit).
- Open the Zoom installer that downloads and follow the steps to install the application.
- After you have completed installing Zoom, a pop-up window may appear asking if you would like to automatically keep the Zoom application updated. We recommend enabling this option.
Tips
- For the best and most secure experience, always use the most recent version of Zoom. Once you have Zoom installed, make sure to regularly update your Zoom application to the latest version.
- You can also download the Zoom mobile application. It is available from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store.
Join a real-time session in Zoom
The most common way to join a session is from your Canvas course.
- Log in to your Canvas course and click Zoom in the Course Navigation.
- If you do not see the Zoom option in your Course Navigation, contact your instructor. This option needs to be enabled by your instructor for you to see it.
- Click Join next to the session you want to join.
- A new tab in your browser will open. Follow the prompt to join the Zoom session.
- If you have not downloaded Zoom, follow the prompts to install the application first.
- Once you are in the session, you can customize your name to let your instructors and classmates better identify you:
- Click Participants in the bottom toolbar.
- In the panel that opens, hover over your name, click More, and select Rename.
- Enter the name you would like displayed and click Rename to save your changes.
Tips
- Not all courses will use Zoom through Canvas, and your instructor may send you a direct link to the Zoom session instead. You can use this link to join the session.
- Close any applications that you do not need to use before you join the Zoom session. Having fewer apps open can give you a better connection during the session.
- Join the Zoom session a few minutes early to test your connection, microphone, and camera. You can also visit this Zoom test meeting to test your setup in a meeting that includes just you.
- If you do not see the option to rename yourself, your instructor might have disabled this feature. You can ask your instructor to enable it.
Participate during a Zoom session
What you can do during a Zoom session depends on your instructor's settings. Many of the options can be found at the bottom toolbar of the Zoom application; if you do not see an option, try clicking More first. The ways you can engage as a participant may include any of the following:
- Share your microphone audio by clicking Audio.
- Share your webcam video by clicking Video.
- Compose and send a message to everyone or to an individual by clicking Chat.
- Give basic reactions or send other non-verbal feedback (e.g., raise your hand, request to slow down, give thumbs-up or applause) by clicking React.
- Present PowerPoints, documents, images, or videos by clicking Share to share your screen. Learn more about screen-sharing in the next accordion bar.
- Ask questions by clicking Q&A, if your instructor has enabled it.
- See captions by clicking Show captions, selecting the speaking language, and clicking Save.
- Participate in a breakout room with a smaller group of classmates by clicking Join breakout room, if your instructor has set one up.
- Take part in polls or quizzes, if your instructor launches them, using the pop-up window with the question(s).
- Annotate a shared whiteboard or screen by clicking Annotate, if your instructor has enabled it. Select an annotation option from the new toolbar that will appear on your screen.
You can also personalize the options in the bottom toolbar to suit your needs. Certain options will always be visible to you, but you can add or remove others by clicking More and dragging whichever options you like to the toolbar.
Tips
- If you cannot join a scheduled Zoom session due to internet connectivity or other remote issues, please talk to your instructor as soon as you can. Together, you can find the best way to address these challenges.
- Please keep your microphone muted unless you are talking. Muting reduces echoes and prevents background noise in your space from interfering with the class.
- If you share your webcam video, make sure there is nothing behind you that will be distracting or revealing for others to see. If your instructor allows it, you can also enable a blurred background in Zoom (which blurs your background on supported devices) or use a Zoom virtual background by clicking the up arrow next to the video icon.
- If you are experiencing technical delays or glitches, you can try turning off your webcam video. Video uses a lot of bandwidth, and sometimes turning it off can improve your connection.
- If your instructors choose to record the Zoom session, be assured that they may not share your participation with anyone outside of the course without your consent. If you have other privacy concerns with a Zoom session recording, please reach out to your instructor.
Present your work during a Zoom session
Instructors can temporarily make you the presenter for a session. As a presenter, you can share your screen.
- In the active Zoom session, you can choose to share your entire screen, a specific application, a whiteboard, a video from your device, or just your computer audio by clicking Share. If you do not see this option, you may need to click More first, then select Share.
- If you are sharing a video, make sure to check both the Optimize for video clip and Share sound boxes. These options will share your screen at a better resolution and enable participants to hear your video's audio.
- Click Share.
- Pause sharing at any time by clicking Pause in the floating toolbar. You can continue sharing by clicking Resume.
- When you are done, click Stop share.
Tips
- When presenting slides, you can use Zoom slide control to give other participants control of the slide progression. This option can be helpful during a group presentation when your peers are presenting their portion of the slides.
- You can annotate documents, presentations, or applications that you share, if your instructor enables this setting. When sharing your screen, click "Annotate" in the floating toolbar to open the annotation options. If you do not see this icon, your instructor might have disabled this feature.
- Send a copy of your presentation to your instructor or a fellow student ahead of time. Sending this creates a back-up plan, so someone else can share on your behalf if you have technical difficulties.
Participate in a Zoom breakout room
Instructors may create breakout rooms for you during a session. In a room, you can share video, audio, slides, whiteboards, and screens with a smaller group of classmates.
- The instructor will invite you to a breakout room. Click Join, if prompted.
- If you do not see a prompt to join a breakout room, your instructor might have allowed you to pick a room to join. Click More and select Join breakout room. Click Join next to the room you want to join.
- Once you have joined, you can access room-specific controls similar to what you can access in the main session.
- If you need assistance in the breakout room, click Ask for help in the toolbar or use the chat to let your instructor know. If you do not see this option, you may need to click More first.
- You can leave the breakout room at any time and return to the main session. Click Leave room, then select Leave breakout room.
- If your instructor ends the breakout room for you, you will be given the option to return to the main session immediately or after a short countdown.
Tips
- Breakout rooms may also be used by instructors to support interactions beyond group discussions. For example, they may use rooms for virtual office hours, private one-on-one meetings, or invigilated exams.
Access recorded Zoom sessions
If your instructor records a session that you join from Canvas, the recording should automatically upload to the Zoom area of your Canvas course. Recordings typically take a day or two to be uploaded, and the instructor must make the recording public before you can access it.
- Log in to your Canvas course and click Zoom in the Course Navigation.
- Click the Cloud Recordings tab.
- Click the recording name.
- If you don’t see the recording you expect to, contact your instructor. The instructor may still need to make the recording public for you to see it, or they may provide you with another way to access the recording (e.g., a link).
- In the new page that loads, you will see two playable files. One is the recording with both audio and video, while the other is just the audio. Click the recording that you want to play.
- For added security, instructors may require a passcode to access recordings. When you select a recording to play, the passcode will automatically be copied on your device. You can then paste the passcode to access the recording.
Tips
- Your instructor may send a link to the recording (and the recording passcode) instead. In this case, you may not be able to see the recording in Canvas.
- Recordings are considered confidential and should only be accessible to students currently enrolled in the course. If your instructor allows downloading course recordings, please do not share them with anyone outside the current term of the course.
Take exams during a Zoom session
Exams are typically monitored or invigilated online with a breakout room. This experience is similar to attending an in-person exam. You will be in a “room” with other students, and an invigilator (e.g., instructor or teaching assistant) will be available to answer questions and make sure everyone is playing fair.
- Your instructor will provide instructions on how to join the invigilated session. Follow the provided instructions carefully.
- Join the session using the name that is on file for you with UBC, if you are comfortable doing so. Joining with this information helps your invigilator confirm your exam attendance.
- If you are not comfortable using your real name on Zoom, use only your preferred name or a nickname when you join the session. Please also inform your instructor of the alternate name you will use so they can still mark your exam attendance.
- At the start of the exam, you may be asked to show your student ID card to verify your identity. To protect your privacy, cover the first four digits of your student number when you show it to the exam invigilator.
- If you are not comfortable doing this in a shared session with other students, ask the invigilator to create a separate breakout room where you can show your ID one-on-one.
- You will need to keep your camera on throughout the exam, but please keep your microphone turned off unless the instructor explicitly requests otherwise.
Tips
- You may be asked to share your screen during an exam. If you need help with this, you can follow the steps for presenting your work in the accordion section above.
- If you are bumped out of the exam at any point, you can rejoin by clicking the session link again. You might rejoin the session in a virtual waiting room. From there, your instructor will be able to re-admit you to the exam.
Zoom FAQ
Find UBC-specific answers to frequently asked questions by clicking any accordion bar below.
You should not need a free Zoom account to participate in most UBC courses. If you do encounter a situation where a student Zoom account is possibly needed, your instructor will either create a UBC Zoom account for you or ask you to sign up for a free Zoom account. When signing up for a free account, you can use an alias instead of your real email or name, if you are concerned about your privacy.
Yes. You do not need an account to attend Zoom sessions. To join lectures, office hours, or other meetings, you can click the session links that your instructors send or share in Canvas. However, if you want to schedule your own sessions through Zoom, you will need an account.
In either case, you will need to install the Zoom application.
Unless an instructor has created a UBC Zoom account for you, you will be constrained by the 40-minute limit on free Zoom accounts. UBC currently does not offer students licensed UBC Zoom accounts, unless an instructor requests them due to a course need.
For longer meetings, you can use Microsoft Teams to host meetings instead. Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one collaboration tool that includes a web-conferencing feature, with meetings allowed to last a whole day. Everyone at UBC has access to Microsoft Teams for free.
To protect your privacy during exams, you can do the following:
- Use a preferred name or nickname when you join the session, so long as you inform your instructor of the name that you will use.
- If asked to show your student ID card to verify your identity, cover the first four digits of your student number.
- If you are uncomfortable showing your ID in a shared session with other students, ask the invigilator to create a breakout room where you can show your ID one-on-one.
Talk to your instructor and/or teaching staff, if you still have concerns.
Since July 5, 2020, UBC's institutional Zoom account has used Canadian-based hosting. No data about you is stored on servers outside of Canada for Zoom lectures or other academic sessions, provided that
- your instructor uses a UBC Zoom account to schedule the session, and
- you are not logged in to a free Zoom account when attending the session.
If you have privacy concerns about Zoom, you may want to consider doing the following:
- Attend Zoom sessions without creating or using a free Zoom account.
- Join sessions only by clicking the Zoom links that your instructors send or post in Canvas.
- Provide only your preferred name or a nickname when you join a session.
- Keep your camera off and microphone muted, when they are not needed.
- Try to avoid sharing any identifying information about yourself or others (e.g., real names).
No, data from UBC Zoom accounts is not—and will not be—used for training Zoom or other third-party AI models without your consent.
In March 2023, Zoom did change their terms of service to allow some customer content to be used for AI-training purposes. However, these changes do not apply to institutions like UBC that have an educational institution license.
Furthermore, Zoom has assured users that data from organizations will not be used for AI training without explicit customer consent and a means to opt-out. This data includes audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, and other communications content (e.g., reactions, whiteboards, polls).
If you do not have a Zoom account, you can do the following:
- Open the Zoom application.
- Check for updates based on your operating system:
- On Mac, click Zoom Workplace in the top menu bar, and select Check for updates.
- On Windows, a small Zoom icon will appear on the far right side of the bottom taskbar. Right-click this small Zoom icon and select Check for Updates.
- If the small Zoom icon does not automatically appear, right-click the bottom taskbar and select Taskbar settings. In the pop-up that appears, click Other system tray icons and toggle "Zoom Meetings" on.
- If a new version is available, you can follow the prompts to download and install it.
If you have a Zoom account, you can do the following:
- Log in to the Zoom application.
- Click your profile on the top right and select Check for updates.
- A pop-up window will appear providing any new available updates. Click Install to update to the latest version.
If your screen appears to be blank when trying to join a Zoom session in Canvas, it is commonly due to cookies being blocked in your browser. Walk through the steps below to troubleshoot the issue.
- Double-check that your browser cookie settings are enabled.
- Clear your browser's cache and cookies, and disable any extensions or ad-blockers you may have added on to your browser.
- Use a different browser in incognito/private mode, or use a different device.
Where can I get more support with Zoom?
Technical support
If you have trouble accessing Zoom:
- Contact the UBC IT Service Centre Help Desk:
604 822 2008 or fill out the UBC IT request form. - During a live Zoom session, reach out to your instructors or teaching assistants, as they may be able to provide real-time assistance in helping you resolve issues.
Online learning support
- Visit UBC’s Keep Learning site and the Chapman Learning Common’s student toolkits.
- Visit the UBC Vancouver’s Centre for Accessibility page or the UBC Okanagan’s Disability Resource Centre page to learn more about available support for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions.
Learn more
- For UBC-specific, student-focused guidance with using Zoom, check out the Foundational Skills video tutorials about Zoom produced by the Chapman Learning Commons.
- For more how-to instructions, explore Zoom’s help center documentation.