Mixing Face-to-Face and Zoom

At times, Clemson faculty may be asked to teach to a mixed audience of face-to-face and remote students. Clemson has installed conferencing technology in many classrooms to make this possible. Use the information below to get some of the best out of this teaching situation.

Note: This page focuses on using Zoom because of its capabilities and ease of use. If you prefer, you may use Cisco WebEx Meeting or Microsoft Teams instead. This said, you will have to refer to Cisco's support website or Microsoft's support website to get directions specific to those programs.

Classroom Setup

Directions

1. On the lectern PC, start the Zoom meeting.
2. Ensure that the correct audio and camera settings are enabled.
   • For the audio, click the "Audio Settings" button (i.e. the arrow next to the "Mute" or "Unmute" button) then make sure that the microphone is set to "Echo Canceling Speakerphone (ConferenceSHOT AV)" and the speaker is set to "Creston (NVIDIA High Definition Audio)."
     
   • For the camera, click the "Video Settings" button (i.e. the arrow next to the "Start Video" or "Stop Video" button) then make sure that the camera is set to "ConferenceSHOT AV."
     
3. If you are sharing a PowerPoint or computer screen, use Zoom's Screen Share feature.
   • If you need to share computer audio (such as when you need to share a video clip), be sure to check the "Share sound" checkbox before starting the share.
     

In each classroom, there should be documentation on how to use the technology. If you cannot find the documents, they are available in the Faculty Resource Center.

Notes

• Only one camera can be controlled at a time.

Additional Tips

Be Descriptive During Your Presentation

"Take this and move it here," is something easily said while demonstrating a process on the board or projector. However, if students are unable to see the "this" or the "here" because their internet is on the fritz or they have a visual impairment, it will be difficult for them to follow along. As such, try to get in the habit of describing all important visual information during your presentation.

Consider Recording Your Lectures

We strongly recommend that you record these lectures through Zoom. This way, if a student can't attend due to a faulty internet connection, they are able to catch up. Additionally, if the recording is captioned, it may help some students overcome obstacles related accents.

There are two types of recordings you can make through Zoom: Local and Cloud. Recording Locally saves the recording to your computer, which is not generally recommended. Recording to the Cloud saves the video to Zoom's website where it can be shared with students fairly easily and it can get autocaptioned.

Here are directions for sharing Zoom Cloud recordings with students.

If you accidentally record locally, you can upload the recording to Kaltura to make the recordings available to students. See Clemson Online's Kaltura documentation to learn more.

Also, please see Clemson Online's Zoom documentation for more information about Zoom recordings.

Appoint a Zoom Moderator

It can be easy to forget that you have online students attending your course when you have other students sitting in front of you. A great way to overcome this is to appoint at least one TA or trustworthy in-person student to be a Zoom moderator.

Some duties you may consider giving the moderator:

• Verbalize questions posted in the Zoom Chat.
• Alert you when students in Zoom virtually raise their hand.
• Communicate the use of other non-verbal reactions.
• Manage Waiting Rooms (if Waiting Rooms are enabled).
• Mute participants who are not speaking and whose microphones are picking up too much background noise.
• Use the "Far end camera control" feature in Zoom to ensure that virtual students have the best view of the chalkboard / whiteboard or instructor.
  • You will need to use the lectern computer to grant the student permission to use this feature.

Important! To prevent audio feedback, the in-person moderators will need to either mute their speakers and microphone or disconnect their computer audio.

To disconnect computer audio, the moderator can either close the window that asks which audio option they want to use (i.e. the one with the big blue "Join with Computer Audio" button in the middle that appears at the start of the meeting) or, after having connected to computer audio, click the arrow next to the "Mute" / "Unmute" button and select "Leave Computer Audio."

Re-Imagine Your Chalkboard / Whiteboard

While it is possible for everyone to see a shared screen presentation and writing on the white board or chalkboard during live lectures, recordings of such lectures are not as easy to learn from. This is because the webcam view is shrunken significantly whenever the "Share Screen" feature is being used. This makes any writing on the board nearly impossible to see.

Below are some potential workarounds.

• Designate an In-Classroom Chalkboard / Whiteboard Photographer
  • Pros: Usually Less of a Learning Curve.
  • Cons: Requires separate device; will not easily capture progression or process; is not synchronized with the lecture; must be separately stored; can be difficult to read if the photo, board, or writing quality is poor; and remote students will be unable to "write on the board" too; the photographer may be distracted from learning the material or may forget to capture a step in the process.

  For this solution, a TA or student with a smartphone is appointed to take photos of the chalkboard / whiteboard at various points throughout the course. When diagramming a process or explaining a difficult concept, you may need to encourage the photographer to take additional photos.

  Once the photos have been created, they should be uploaded to a shared folder on an appropriate cloud storage platform. The link to this folder should then be placed in the Canvas course for students to easily access.

• Use Separate Device to Record Chalkboard / Whiteboard
  • Pros: Captures progression and will be at least loosely synchronized with the lecture.
  • Cons: Usually requires additional device; can require extra time; can be difficult to read if the board is dirty or the writing is too faint; and remote students will be unable to "write on the board" too.

  For this solution, the chalkboard / whiteboard would be recorded separately during the entire lecture and then the recording would be uploaded to Clemson's video hosting platform, Kaltura. For the best results, the Zoom recording and this separate recording should be started almost simultaneously.

  To make the recording, you can use a video camera or you can use a smartphone, tablet, or laptop with a good web camera and sufficient storage capacity. With the latter three devices the built-in camera app should be enough for making the recording. For Macs and iOS devices, this app is called Photobooth. For Windows and most Androids, the app is called Camera. For Linux, it is possible that there is no built-in camera app, so you will need to install one from your app store or the web.

  Once the recording is made, use the getting started guide on Clemson Online's Kaltura page to upload the recordings to Kaltura and link them in your Canvas course.

• Use Zoom Whiteboard
  • Pros: Doesn't necessarily require a separate device; doesn't require separate program; captures progression; will be visible and likely legible in the Zoom recording; and the audience can be allowed to "write on the board" too.
  • Cons: You have to switch back and forth between it and the presentation or other "Share Screen" content.

  Zoom has a built-in Whiteboard feature available in its Share Screen settings. Once you've opened the Whiteboard, you can use Zoom's Annotation tools to start "writing on the board."

  If you don't like writing with a mouse, it is possible to use a phone or tablet's touchscreen instead.

  One way to do this is to give all Zoom participants the ability to use the annotation tools and have your touchscreen device join the meeting. For this option, share a whiteboard, open the "More" menu, select "Enable participants annotation," connect your phone or tablet to the Zoom meeting through the Zoom app, press the pencil icon in the bottom left to open annotation tools, and then begin writing. If you want students to join in, you can call their attention to the pencil icon on their touch devices and tell those on computers that if they are using the desktop client, they can open the "View options" menu--usually located at the top of the screen next to the green "You are viewing..." region--and select "Annotate."

  The other way to write with your touchscreen device is to join the meeting with the device, make the touchscreen device a Co-host using the steps in Part 2 of the Directions section above, have the touchscreen device share a whiteboard, press the pencil icon in the bottom left to open annotation tools, and then begin writing. In this scenario, if you later decide that you would like to grant students permission to write on the whiteboard, you can do so from the "More" then "Meeting Settings" menu.

  When you want to refer back to a presentation or other other "Share Screen" content, you will need to click the "Stop Share" button on the device sharing the whiteboard then go to the device that has the presentation and use its "Share Screen" button to bring the presentation up again. If you want to then switch back to the whiteboard, you will need to stop the screen share again then go to the device whose whiteboard you've been using and share the whiteboard once more.

• Use PowerPoint Annotations
  • Pros: Doesn't necessarily require a separate device; captures progression; will be visible and likely legible in the Zoom recording; and can be saved in the PowerPoint file to later share with students.
  • Cons: May require additional planning or live PowerPoint editing, and remote students will have no native way way to "write on the board" too. If combined with the Zoom annotation tools, students could be allowed to "write on the board;" however, student annotations would only be seen in the recording and could not be saved to the PowerPoint file.

  PowerPoint has some built-in annotations tools that allow you to draw on your slides while in presentation mode. These annotations are associated with individual slides so they will only be visible when the slide they were written on is visible. To use these annotation tools, begin the slideshow, and then either click the barely visible pencil icon in the bottom left or right-click on the presentation and choose an appropriate "Pointer option." You can then write on the slide.

  If you would prefer to write with a touchscreen device, you can use the Zoom Annotations On Any Program option described below or attempt to share the presentation from your touchscreen device. If doing the latter, the annotation tools will likely be available in the upper right of your screen instead of the lower left and you may have to tap the screen for the toolbar to appear.

  Also, as listed in the Cons, it is possible to combine this white/chalkboard method with the Zoom Annotations On Any Program option described below to allow students to "write on the board" too. Annotations made through Zoom would be visible in the lecture recording but not in the saved PowerPoint file. Also, the Zoom annotations would need to be cleared whenever the slides are advanced.

  When the presentation is finished or you attempt to leave the presentation, you will be prompted to save your annotations. If you do save the annotations, consider sending the annotated version to students to use as a study tool.

• Use Paint (PC), OneNote, Online Whiteboard, or Similar Program
  • Pros: Doesn't necessarily require a separate device; captures progression; will be visible and likely legible in the Zoom recording; is often easier to switch between; may allow "board" resizing; and may allow the audience to "write on the board" too.
  • Cons: Requires a separate program with potentially steeper learning curve. If using the "Screen 1" or "Desktop 1" screen share option, anything on the computer screen, including notifications, will be visible to all who attend the meeting. If you use other share options, then switching the visible program will require you to stop sharing the first program and start sharing the second program and vice versa when you want to switch back.

  When you use "Share Screen," if you select one of the first options (usually labeled "Screen 1" or "Desktop 1"), you can easily switch between showing your presentation and showing a different program that can serve as your whiteboard. What program you decide to use for your whiteboard is up to you. On Windows machines, Paint is a decent candidate. On any machine capable of running Microsoft Office programs, you can use the draw tools in Word, PowerPoint, or OneNote as well. With OneNote, if the notebook is stored on OneDrive, it may even be possible for other students to "write on the board" too. Other free online whiteboard services like Explain Everything, Whiteboard Fox, and Miro may also suit your needs.

  With all of these options, if you would prefer to write with a touchscreen device instead of a mouse, you can use the Zoom Annotations On Any Program option described below or attempt to share the program or online whiteboard from your touchscreen device, if it is available.

• Use Zoom Annotations On Any Program
  • Pros: Doesn't necessarily require a separate device; doesn't require separate program; captures progression; will be visible and likely legible in the Zoom recording; the audience can be allowed to "write on the board" too; and does not require switching "Share Screen" settings unless multiple devices are used.
  • Cons: Annotations must be cleared/erased before going to the next screen/program.

  Once you've opened the Whiteboard, you can use Zoom's Annotation tools to start writing on the screen.

  If you don't like writing with a mouse, it is possible to use a phone or tablet's touchscreen instead.

  One way to do this is to give all Zoom participants the ability to use the annotation tools and have your touchscreen device join the meeting. For this option, share a screen, open the "More" menu, select "Enable participants annotation," connect your phone or tablet to the Zoom meeting through the Zoom app, press the pencil icon in the bottom left to open annotation tools, and then begin writing. If you want students to join in, you can call their attention to the pencil icon on their touch devices and tell those on computers that if they are using the desktop client, they can open the "View options" men--usually located at the top of the screen next to the green "You are viewing..." region--and select "Annotate."

  The other way to write with your touchscreen device is to join the meeting with the device, make the touchscreen device a Co-host using the steps in Part 2 of the Directions section above, have the touchscreen device share their screen, press the pencil icon in the bottom left to open annotation tools, and then begin writing. In this scenario, if you later decide that you would like to grant students permission to write on the shared screen, you can do so from the "More" then "Meeting Settings" menu.

  Please note that annotations are not associated with the content and thus will not move or disappear when you scroll or go to a new window. You will have to use the Annotation toolbar's Clear button to erase the markings before going to other screens.

  The other thing to note is that, if you are using multiple devices to share content, you will need to use the "Stop Share" button on one device before you can use the "Share Screen" button on the other device.

Presenting From Your Preferred Device

If you prefer to present from your laptop or similar device, you should continue to start the meeting from the lectern computer and then connect your preferred device to the same meeting. This will ensure that students have access to the most appropriate webcam view and to the appropriate microphones while allowing you to use your preferred device.

It is recommended that you make the second device a Co-Host after it joins the meeting. You may also need to rename your preferred device so that it is easier to manage within the "Participants" menu.

Important! To prevent audio feedback (i.e. horrible screeching echo sound), the second device will need to either have muted speakers and microphone or disconnected computer audio.

To disconnect computer audio, you can either close the window that asks which audio option you want to use (i.e. the one with the big blue "Join with Computer Audio" button in the middle that appears at the start of the meeting) or, after having connected to computer audio, click the arrow next to the "Mute" / "Unmute" button and select "Leave Computer Audio."

If you need to share computer audio while sharing your screen on your preferred device, you may also need to connect a set of headphones or Bluetooth earbuds so that you can unmute your second device's speakers without creating audio feedback.