Zoom

WhileMicrosoft Teams remains the primary collaboration tool for the university, and Blackboard Collaborate is available for all faculty and staff to use for teaching, Zoom is also available as another alternative synchronous collaboration tool for academic purposes.

The Zoom integration in Blackboard has separate links for faculty and students to access the Zoom scheduler. Be sure that you are using the correct link; you will receive an error if you try to access the student link.

Note: If you create a session in your Zoom application or via the web at niu-edu.zoom.us, students will not be able to access it from the Zoom tool in Blackboard. You will still need to post a link to the session in your Blackboard course manually.

Zoom in Original Course View

Instructor Access

In the Control Panel, open Course Tools. Then, select Zoom. This page lists only the meetings you have scheduled for this course. You can view all of your scheduled meetings by clicking the All My Zoom Meetings/Recordings link in the upper right.

Click the Schedule a New Meeting button and set up your meeting date and time.

Student Access

You can add Zoom to your course menu as a Tool Link by clicking the + button at the top of the course menu and selecting Tool Link from the drop down menu. In the pop-up, provide a name for the link and select Zoom from the drop down menu. Ensure that Available to Users is checked and click the Submit button.

Students can also access Zoom by going to Tools in the course menu and clicking Zoom - Student.

Zoom in Ultra Course View

Instructor Access

Under Details & Actions select Books & Tools. Then, select Zoom. This page lists only the meetings you have scheduled for this course. You can view all of your scheduled meetings by clicking the All My Zoom Meetings/Recordings link in the upper right.

Click the Schedule a New Meeting button and set up your meeting date and time.

Student Access

You can create a link to Zoom in your content list by clicking the + button at the top, bottom, or between items and selecting Content Market, then click the + button in the corner of the Zoom box. Students can also access Zoom within your Blackboard course under Details & Actions by clicking Books & Tools and then Zoom.

With either method, students can access upcoming sessions from this page.


Recordings

If you record your Zoom session using the Cloud Recording option, students can access the recording in your course by going to Zoom and then click the Cloud Recordings tab. If you record locally, you can upload your recording to Kaltura and embed it in your course.

Frequently Asked Questions

When I access Zoom in my Blackboard course, I get an error that the instructor's email is not correct. How do I fix this?

This error occurs when someone with the Instructor role clicks a Zoom Student link, such as in the course menu or a content area. The only way for an instructor to access Zoom in Blackboard is to use the Zoom - Instructor link.

In the Ultra Course View, go to the Details & Actions area on the right of the course and click Books & Tools, then find Zoom - Instructor.

In the Original Course View, go to the Control Panel, click Course Tools, then find Zoom - Instructor.

If you want to test that students are able to access your Zoom sessions via Blackboard, you must first launch the Student Preview mode.

Why do my students get an error message that they are not an authorized attendee?

This error appears for students if you have enabled the setting to "Require authentication to join". NIU's Zoom license does not permit students to log in to Zoom, so they are not "authenticated" users.

To avoid this error, do not select the option to require authentication to join. You must have the password enabled, per DoIT's configuration of Zoom, and you can enable a waiting room. These settings should be sufficient to ensure that your Zoom session is secure, particularly if you direct students to access your sessions by logging into Blackboard.

My students can't view my cloud recording, because they can't log in to Zoom. How do I share my recording with them?

By default, all cloud recordings are configured to require the viewer to log into Zoom to view them. Because students are unable to log in to Zoom, they are prevented from viewing the recording. Fortunately, you can remove this setting from an existing recording so that students can view it, and you can remove it as the default for future recordings, so that you do not have configure every recording to open them to students.

To remove authentication from an existing recording

  1. Go to niu-edu.zoom.us
  2. Click Sign In
  3. If prompted, click SSO and authenticate using your NIU credentials 
  4. Click the Recordings tab in the left navigation menu
  5. Find the recording you need to modify and click the Share button
  6. Change the Share this recording setting to Publicly
  7. Click the slider to the right of Passcode protection to remove the passcode [optional, but easier for students]
  8. Click the Done button

Students will now be able to access the recording from within the Zoom - Student tool in Blackboard.

To remove authentication from the default recording settings for future recordings

  1. Go to niu-edu.zoom.us
  2. Click Sign In
  3. If prompted, click SSO and authenticate using your NIU credentials 
  4. Click the Settings tab in the left navigation menu
  5. Click the Recording tab at the top of the Settings page
  6. Click the slider to disable the Require users to authenticate before viewing cloud recordings setting
  7. Click the slider to disable the Require passcode to access shared cloud recordings setting [optional, but easier for students]

Future recordings will not have the authentication or passcode enabled, and students should be able to access the recording immediately after the recording has finished processing.


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Get Help

Technical Support and Student Help

Division of IT Service Desk

815-753-8100
servicedesk@niu.edu

Teaching Support and Faculty Help

Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

815-753-0595
citl@niu.edu

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