eLearning

Virtual Classroom Teaching and Learning Tips (Ultra)

  1. Home
  2. Staff Guides (Ultra)
  3. Virtual Classroom using Zoom (Ultra)

A virtual classroom is an online learning environment that allows for live interaction between the instructor and students, regardless of location, through a video conferencing system. The university's video conferencing system, Zoom, can be used to host:

  • virtual lectures for large classes where students are mostly passive learners
  • interactive tutorials (with approx. 35 participants) where students are active learners
  • individual consultations where a student can meet with the instructor one-on-one

Zoom has a range of functionality to help facilitate an interactive and engaging virtual learning environment. Zoom allows you to:

  • share your screen or specific applications (i.e. a presentation through PowerPoint)
  • annotate on top of your shared screen or using a shared virtual whiteboard
  • view other participants' screens (subject to settings)
  • conduct polls to gage prior knowledge or opinions on a particular topic
  • encourage student feedback through reactions
  • communicate with participants through the in-meeting chat
  • facilitate group work with breakout rooms

The following guide includes a range of tips to support staff in facilitating a virtual classroom environment:

  1. Preparing for a Virtual Classroom
  2. Pre-Session
  3. Introductory Session
  4. During the Session
  1. Post-Session
  2. Tips for Virtual Consultations
  3. Tips for Virtual Tutorials and Seminars
  4. Example Virtual Classroom Plan

5. Post-Session

  • If you choose to save the in-meeting chat, revise the saved chat log to see if there were any questions that were not addressed. Refer to the Saving In-Meeting Chat guide by Zoom.
  • Download the meeting report to view participant names, emails, join time, leave time, duration and attentiveness score. Refer to the Accessing the meeting attendance report guide by Zoom.
  • With the Zoom/Echo360 integration app, any Zoom meetings that are recorded to the cloud will be available in your personal Echo360 media library where they can be edited, managed, and shared. For further information, refer to the Publishing a Zoom recording to Echo360 guide.