Zoom and Adobe Connect functionality were compared to determine if Zoom met the requirements for use as UQ’s Virtual Classroom teaching system, on top of its use as a general purpose as a Web Conferencing system. As shown in the table below Zoom now has comparable functionality to Adobe Connect with the recent introduction of LTi capability which allows it to be embedded into Learn.UQ courses.

Feature

Adobe Connect

Zoom

Comments

Blackboard integration

Yes*

Yes

Zoom now has LTi capability which means it can be embedded in a Blackboard course.
* Highly customised integration with Blackboard which requires additional support.

Launch a session via a URL
(Install browser plugin)

Yes

Yes

 

Mobile app

Yes

Yes

 

Control audio and video (webcam)

Yes

Yes

 

Phone dial in
(students and guest lecturers)

No

Yes

The Adobe phone bridge was unreliable. Many students need phone access due to unreliable internet connections or issues caused by corporate firewalls when using work machines. i.e. Pharmacy moved to Zoom due to students having access issues on QLD Health computers.

Chat

Yes

Yes

 

Private Chat with presenter

Yes

Yes

 

Sharing a document

Yes

Yes

 

Sharing a link

Yes

Yes

 

Sharing a desktop

Yes

Yes

 

Control another person’s desktop

Yes

Yes

 

Share a whiteboard

Yes

Yes

Only one whiteboard is available in Zoom compared to multiple in Adobe Connect.

Status icons (instead feedback)

Yes

Yes

 

Polling

Yes

Yes

 

Break out rooms (for group work)

Yes

Yes

 

Preset up session “rooms”

Yes

No

Workaround is to pre-setup an area on your desktop and then use screen sharing.

Student initiated sessions
(for project groups)

No

Yes

In Adobe Connect the project rooms had to be set up by staff.

Record a session

Yes

Yes*

* Zoom’s configuration settings were changed in December 2017 to allow meeting/class host to record sessions at their own discretions.