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Canvas and Zoom FAQs for Faculty

Question: How can I get help with Canvas?

Answer: Call (707) 864-7127 or email de@solano.edu

Question: I need to get started quickly in Canvas, are there resources to help?

Answer: Click here for the Getting Started as an Instructor Guide

 Question: Can I see Zoom in action?

Answer: Yes, check out this video provided by Zoom with a searchable transcript!

Question: Where can I download Zoom?

Answer: https://tinyurl.com/zoomdownload

Question: What are the differences between using a mobile device and a desktop computer?

 Answer: Zoom has a great article explaining the differences.

Question: I have never used Zoom. Is it hard to learn?

Answer: Not at all!  If you have used Facetime or Skype on your phone it is very similar.  You download the software, test out the audio and video settings and then with one click you join your meeting or appointment. If you are not familiar with video conferencing, Zoom has a great overview for joining a meeting and figuring out the audio and video settings.

Question: What does it cost?

Answer: The software to access Zoom is free.  Any charges for your computer or mobile device to access wifi or internet would be at your own cost.

Question: How do I upgrade my Zoom account to a ConferZoom license account?

Answer: ConferZoom Licenses accounts are available to all employees of the California Community College system at no cost. Licensed accounts allow for unlimited meeting minutes with up to 300 attendees.  A ConferZoom Licensed account is required to integrate ConferZoom with your Canvas courses.

If you have a free, basic account that limits your time and attendees, we can transfer your account to ConferZoom.  Submit your request to support@ccctechconnect.org upgrade to a ConferZoom Licensed account.

Or, sign-up for a new account on our website at www.conferzoom.org   An invitation to switch to ConferZoom will be sent within 15 minutes, if you do not receive your invitation in that time, please 
contact us at support@ccctechconnect.org.

Question: What equipment do I need?

Answer: If you want to take advantage of the video portion, you need the ability to be seen and heard over video. This is usually done through some type of webcam (build in or connected to your device) to be seen and speakers and a microphone (again either built into your device or external, such as through ear buds with a mic).  Alternatively, you can just use the audio portion of Zoom, in which you will need speakers/earphone and a microphone. This will limit your ability to show someone documents or information as you can through video.

Question: When I open ConferZoom in Canvas, I am not sure what to do. Can you describe the Landing Page?

Answer: Sure! 

Instructors will land on the Event Calendar tab when ConferZoom is accessed.

  1. Time Zones: Set one or more time zones; this can be useful when traveling across zones.
  2. Event Calendar: The next two events are listed. Click the Host button to start the session.
  3. Schedule one or more events for specific dates and times, or Quick Launch to start a session now and invite people into the session.
  4. View sessions, click on the + icon for more details.  This example is in the Agenda view.
  5. Advance calendar one week at a time using the arrows, or the drop-down for selecting a specific week.
  6. Select the preferred view of the events; Day, Week, or Agenda.
  7. Event Recordings: Lists all recordings, view recordings choosing from available formats.
  8. Event Attendance: View sessions attendance; download data to a .csv (spreadsheet) file.
  9. View as Student: View how the students see the scheduled sessions. Student appointments will appear on the Appointment Booking page.
  10. Appointment Booking: Offer slots for office hours appointments; launch appointments from this page.
  11. Click the + icon to view and edit details for this session.  The event can also be launched from this page.

Click here to continue reading these instructions.

Question: What if I have documents that need to be reviewed?

Answer: That can be done during a Zoom video appointment or meeting.  If the documents are electronic format your can have others in the meeting view the documents through the “share screen” icon in Zoom.

Question: I’ve opened up the Zoom software for my meeting, but all the controls are suddenly gone! What do I do?

Answer: On a desktop computer, hover your mouse pointer at the bottom of the screen. The menu of controls should appear. Sometimes the menu controls are at the top of the screen, as when you need to stop sharing a screen.  On a mobile app, touch the bottom of the screen, usually where your name is and the zoom controls will appear.

Question: Where can I find more information about using ConferZoom in my class on Canvas?

Answer: Overview of ConferZoom in Canvas

Question: How do download and transfer my recorded content to my TechConnect Cloud Account?

Answer: TechConnect Zoom is a great service for a variety of meeting types including videoconferences and Webinars but is not intended to be a long-term storage solution for your meeting recordings.

However, CCC TechConnect offers another service, TechConnect Cloud which is designed to store all of your created media content including TechConnect Zoom (formerly known as ConferZoom) recordings and caption files. Continue reading these instructions.

Question: What options are available for sessions:

Answer: The ConferZoom integration allows an instructor to schedule web conferencing events from within the learning management system. Scheduled events will appear on the 'Event Calendar' page, allowing instructors and students to connect to upcoming sessions. Continue reading these instructions.

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