* About: Zoom (remote teaching and learning)


Service overview | Who can use it | How to request & access | Cost | Availability | FAQs | Best practices & policies | Training & documentation | Support

Service overview

Zoom is a cloud-based platform for video and audio web conferencing.

It allows instructors to easily create online meetings with students, chat with or without video enabled, and deliver presentations, while maintaining a good quality connection between all participants. Instructors can also poll students during the session, record videos, and share them in myCourses.

At McGill, Zoom is the recommended solution for conducting remote classes, and can also be used as a lecture recording tool for classrooms where lectures are not automatically recorded.

Zoom should only be used for teaching and learning purposes, including remote classes, tutorials and office hours; alternative web conferencing tools can be used for other collaborative needs. See Web Conferencing: choosing the right solution

announcement

NEW: Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base

All Zoom documentation for instructors has been moved to the Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base


Who can use it

Group

Type of license

Max participants

Max meeting length

Recording

All academic and non-academic staff (including TAs using mcgill.ca email accounts and Course Lecturers) Licensed300*24hLocal recording & Cloud recording
All studentsLicensed30024hLocal recording only
Other accounts used for teaching purposesLicensed30024hLocal recording & Cloud recording

* Instructors teaching sessions larger than 300 students will have their Zoom licenses automatically increased to exceed the 300-person cap on session invitations.


How to request & access the service

Links to topics below:

Install the Zoom app

When attending courses on Zoom, you can either use the web app directly from your browser or install the Zoom app locally on your computer, tablet or mobile smartphone.

Just download and install the Zoom app from the Apple App store for iOS devices or Google Play Store for Android devices. You will be prompted to open the Zoom app whenever you click a link to open a Zoom meeting.


Using Zoom within myCourses

Instructors and TAs with full permission: Create a Zoom meeting in myCourses

Refer to the Zoom page of the Teaching and Learning site for instructions on how to create Zoom meetings from within myCourses, and access them from the Lecture Recordings link in the myCourses navigation bar.

Students: Join a Zoom meeting from myCourses

For students participating in a remote class hosted on Zoom, your instructor will schedule the Zoom meetings during your normal course time.

Go to the Course Home page, click Zoom from the course navigation bar, and click Join to begin. You will be promoted to download the Zoom client application if you don't already have it installed.

join Zoom meeting

Access a recorded Zoom meeting from myCourses:

Go to the Course Home page and click the Lecture Recording link. All lecture recordings will be listed.

Lecture recordings in myCourses

note

NOTE:

It can take up to an hour after the meeting has ended for the recordings to be posted in myCourses. This time may be delayed for exceptionally long recordings.


Using Zoom outside myCourses

Create a meeting directly from Zoom:

Students, staff members and instructors who cannot sign into Zoom from within myCourses, can create Zoom meetings directly from the Zoom website. Go to: https://mcgill.zoom.us/ and sign in with your McGill Username and McGill Password.

You will be able to schedule and record meetings.

See Scheduling a Zoom meeting for instructors outside myCourses for detailed instructions.

Join a Zoom meeting from invitation:

If your instructor, TA or classmate creates a Zoom meeting outside myCourses, you will either receive an invitation by email, calendar meeting request, or a link within myCourses content. Click on the Join link to enter the meeting. You will be prompted to download and install the Zoom client application; it only takes a minute or two to get up and running. 

Your host should let you know if the meeting is being recorded, and if your participation requires a microphone and camera.


Cost

There is no cost to use this service.


Availability

The service is available 24 X 7, except during planned maintenance or outages. Check the Zoom website for announcements.


Frequently asked questions


Best practices & policies


Training & documentation

Self-serve resources:

Find additional resources for instructors by searching for "Zoom" on the Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base.


Support

See Known issues for Zoom

Contact the IT Service Desk