A Primer on Web Conferencing Tools Offered at Elon
The era of COVID-19 has also become the era of remote conferencing and collaboration.
With this growing demand came evolving needs for additional, feature-rich services with the kind of universal ease-of-use sought by faculty, staff and students who rely heavily on these tools for teaching, learning and work in blended environments at Elon.
The university introduced Cisco Webex as its sole web conferencing tool in 2016, but began expanding options this year with the inclusion of Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Don’t let the small number fool you. While just three options may seem easy to navigate, each platform presents its own unique structure, functionality and limitations.
Below, check out how each tool compares, learn about the latest updates and gain insider tips to help you make the best choice for your needs. Before the breakdown, here are few things to consider first:
What type of event do you plan to host?
- One-on-One: Hosting a meeting for you and one participant, whether internal to Elon or external.
-
- Permissions: Video, audio, screen sharing and other permissions may or may not be shared.
- Large Group: Hosting a meeting for you and two or more participants, whether internal to Elon, external or a combination of both (e.g., department, team, class group or association meeting, etc.).
-
- Permissions: Video, audio, screen sharing and other permissions may or may not be shared.
- Synchronous Class Session: Hosting a live class session for you and the students in your course.
-
- Permissions: Video, audio, screen sharing and other permissions may or may not be shared.
- Webinar: Hosting a presentation, panel, training session or similar type of event for a large group of attendees; whether internal to Elon, external or a combination of both.
-
- Permissions: Video, audio, screen sharing and other permissions may be shared with select co-hosts or panelists, but not with attendees who may only view the event.
- Record a Lecture or Screencast: A video recording of yourself giving a lecture or offering a guided walk-through of a course lesson, training or similar activity with the intent to share it with others, most commonly, via a cloud-storage link or within a Moodle course.
-
- Permissions: Video, audio, screen sharing and other permissions may be shared with select co-hosts or panelists, but not with attendees who may only view the event.
Who is your target audience?
- Internal: Elon University staff, faculty or currently enrolled students with a university email address
- External: Participants outside of the university community (alumni and retirees are considered external, even though they may have an Elon email address)
Do you want to record your event?
- Record to the Cloud: If you want to record your event, all three services make it easy for you to seamlessly save your files to cloud storage. Webex and Zoom store recordings within the tool and copy them to Kaltura. This feature is especially convenient for instructors and others who want to embed videos directly into Moodle courses or otherwise share, make ownership changes or add collaborators.Microsoft Teams recordings appear in Microsoft Stream, which can be found among our full list of Microsoft programs.
- Record to the Computer: Zoom gives you the opportunity to save recordings to your computer. However, the files are often large and may eventually cause space issues. In addition, all three services allow you to download recordings from the cloud to your computer, external hard drive or other storage location.
Did you activate your account and download the tool?
- Account Activation: Regardless of the tool you plan to use, it is important to activate your account prior to the day of the event. Doing so ensures that you have the access necessary to host your web conferencing event. If there are concerns, they can be addressed before your event. Account activation also is important for any co-hosts or panelists that are a part of your event. You may not be able to assign additional privileges (e.g., screen sharing), if they have not activated their account.
- Download the Tool: Webex, Zoom and Microsoft Teams all offer web-based versions of their services. However, be sure to download the applications to your device to ensure you have full access to all available features. This also is important for any co-hosts or panelists who plan to share presentations or control other aspects of the event.
When to request help?
All Elon faculty, staff and students have access to Webex, Zoom and Microsoft Teams for a variety of meetings, but there may be times when assistance is needed to help facilitate larger virtual events or services with limited availability.
- Zoom Webinar Request: Due to limited availability, use of the Zoom Webinar option must be requested. For questions and more information, contact Media Services.
- Major Event Assistance Request: Like major in-person events, if you have questions or concerns about hosting a virtual event, contact Media Services.
Cisco Webex
Webex is a web conferencing tool that allows you to meet with others online via video or audio, at any time from any location with an internet connection. Webex Personal Rooms are designed for meetings and Webex Events are designed for webinars.
Target Audience: Elon faculty, staff and students and external guests
Event Types:
-
- Webex Personal Room: One-on-One, Large Group, Synchronous Class Session
- Webex Event: Webinars and large events
Recent Event: M.A. in Interactive Media Virtual Capstone Exhibition
What’s New?
Zoom
Zoom is a web conferencing platform that allows you to meet with others online via video or audio. The platform also incorporates online chat and a host of other features including meeting breakout sessions that allow meeting hosts to place participants into small groups to collaborate during the same live event. This feature is especially popular for instructors who incorporate group activities into their remote or online courses.
Target Audience: Elon faculty, staff and students and external guests
Event Types:
-
- Zoom Meetings: One-on-One, Large Group, Synchronous Class Session
- Zoom Webinar: Webinars and large events (limited availability — contact Media Services for more information)
Recent Event: Common Reading Lecture with Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt
What’s New?
- Zoom recordings are now copied to Kaltura for all staff, faculty and students
- Zoom events can be streamed live via YouTube or Facebook Live
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a powerful, interactive platform designed to simplify communication and collaboration between colleagues or team members. With option for chat, web conferencing, file sharing and more, Teams can save you time and help you and others work more efficiently.
Ideal Target Audience: Elon faculty, staff and students; the service can be used with external guests, but those users will have limited capabilities
Teams can also help your group streamline processes. Use the service’s chat feature to reduce the need for email and manage project tasks. The tool also integrates with other Office 365 services and third-party apps to create a dynamic and secure team working space for any group on campus.
Event Types: One-on-One, Large Group, Synchronous Class Session
Recent Events: Using Microsoft Teams in a Blended Course, J.P. Lavoie, Instructor & Senior Designer/Developer for TLT
What’s New?
- Microsoft Teams’ New Meeting Experience
- Cloud Recording Appear in Microsoft Stream
Still not sure which platform is right for your next virtual event? Schedule a consultation with staff from Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) to discuss your options.
Tips for Virtual Event Success
Dallas Smith, Event Support Specialist with TLT, offers the following tips to help you successfully host your next virtual meeting or event.
- Storing & Accessing Recordings: If you are planning to record your event, consider where you want the recording to live and how you want to provide access to it. Some options might include Facebook, Kaltura/Moodle (for Elon users) or the TLT YouTube channel.
- Plan Ahead for Panelists: If you are hosting a Zoom Webinar or Webex Event, think ahead of time about who your panelists will be — participants whom you will want to have full microphone and video permissions. These individuals will use a unique link to join the meeting, which will automatically assign permissions that are different from other attendees.
- Share More Content: Need to share materials from more than one source? Zoom allows you to share material from two screens or resources, like document cameras.
- Keep Programs Up-to-Date: Remember to keep your web conferencing programs updated to ensure you have access to all available options.
- Promote Virtual Events: Virtual events are now featured on the University Events Calendar for additional promotion. To submit your event details, visit the Event and Space Management website to access 25Live and the One-Page Virtual Event Request Guide.
Follow
Comments are closed.