Video Conferencing Resources: Platforms

Winthrop University offers two main video conferencing platforms: Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Here, you can find resources for each of these platforms. 

 

Microsoft Teams

    Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool built into our Winthrop Office package. All faculty and staff have access to this application. You can use Teams to chat with coworkers one-on-one or in a group, make audio or video calls, share files, and organize projects and tasks.

    Winthrop recommends faculty and staff use the desktop app version of Teams as opposed to the web version. If you do not already have Teams on your device, visit the Microsoft Teams download page and download the application by following these steps:

    1. Click the Download Teams button.

    Download Teams

    2. The Teams application will start to download. You may see the file appear at the bottom of your browser window.

    Open Executable

    3. Once the download is complete, click on the Teams installer executable and the Microsoft Teams application will begin to install.

    4. When the installation is complete, you will see the login screen. Use your Winthrop e-mail and password to log in. 

    Teams Login

    Teams Window Diagram

    App bar

    Here you can navigate to the various sections in Microsoft Teams. From the top, you’ll see the following icons:

        • Activity is where you’ll find mentions, replies, and other notifications.
        • Chat is where you’ll see your recent one-on-one or group chats and your Contacts list.
        • Teams displays all the Teams you are a member of.
        • Meetings is synched with your Outlook calendar and displays all your upcoming meetings.
        • Files aggregates all the files from all the Teams you are a member of. It is also where you access your personal OneDrive for Business storage.
        • […] includes links to apps that are tied to Teams and the channels within Teams.
        • Store takes you to apps and services that can be integrated into Teams.
        • Feedback takes you to the Microsoft Teams user voice page where you can leave feedback about the service.

    Teams section

    Above, the Teams icon is selected in the App bar, so the list of the teams we are members of are displayed here.

    Channel

    A dedicated section within a Team to organize conversations and tasks into specific topics or projects.

    Join a Team button

    Clicking this button takes you through the process of joining a team. This button is only visible when the Teams icon is selected in the App bar.

    New Chat button

    Clicking this button selects the Chat icon in the App bar and allows you to start a new chat with an individual or a group.

    Command bar

    This bar at the top is used to query apps or perform a search in Teams.

    Tabs

    Switch between different Teams pages with these tabs. Conversations and Files are automatically included; the + sign tab allows you to add shortcuts to content in Teams.

    Channel Conversations

    This section displays all the conversations in the selected channel. Chats in Channel Conversations are persistent, so if you’ve been away, it’s easy to scroll through to get caught up when you get back. Chats can include visual indicators such as the @mention, which indicates that the chat specifically mentions a user, or a red bang to indicate high importance. Take note that chats are open by design so everyone in the team has visibility to the conversation to help speed up the decision-making process when needed.

    Compose box

    This is where you can type a message to start a conversation. You can send a quick chat or expand the Compose box to access rich formatting tools.

    Send icon

    When you’re ready to share your chat, click the Send icon to post your chat to the team.

    On a Teams call, you can: 

    • Invite more than one person to a call
    • Choose to use video or audio only
    • Share your screen with others on the call
    • Allow participants to share their screen on the call
    • Allow participants to give you control of their screen

    To start a call, you do not need to create a team. You can call any other Winthrop Teams user. Simply search for the user in the search bar at the top of the screen. When you find the correct contact, click on their name and then click on the blue phone icon in the upper right corner.

    Teams Call Phone Icon

    If you have already been chatting with the person you want to call, click on their profile photo and click the phone icon. 

    Teams Call Phone Icon Alt

    Once the call begins, you can choose to share your screen by clicking the icon circled below. To end the call, click the red phone icon.

    You can set up a meeting ahead of time and give the invited participants enough notice about a meeting. Like Outlook, formal meeting requests in Teams include a Meeting Title (the equivalent of Subject in Outlook), Location, Start and End Date or Time, Details, and a list of participants. In Teams, you can select a channel to meet in. When a channel is selected, artifacts from the meeting are posted in the channel.

    To schedule a Teams meeting:

    1. Click the Calendar button that appears at the bottom of the left pane.

    2. Click New Meeting in the upper right corner or click on the calendar on the day and time slot you want to create a meeting. 

    Teams New Meeting

    3. In the New Meeting window, enter the Title, Required or Optional Attendees, Start and End date and time, Details, and link a Teams channel if you would like. If you add attendees, they will receive an Outlook calendar invite. 

    Teams New Meeting

    4. If you want to check someone's availability, click Schedule Assistant next to the Details section to display availability based on their Outlook calendars. 

    Teams New Meeting

    5. When you are finished adding your meeting information, click Save. This will add the meeting to your calendar and send calendar invites to any attendees you listed. 

    Teams New Meeting

    In a Teams call, all participants are able to share their screens. To share your screen, start a call and then click the Share Screen button at the bottom of the call window.

    Teams Call Share Screen

    The Teams mobile app allows you to take your conversations and calls on the go. Available on the iOS App Store for Apple devices, Google Play for Android devices, and the Windows Phone Store, the Teams app offers several features including the following: 

    • Calling
    • Activity feed
    • Chat conversations
    • Contacts
    • Teams feeds
    • Assignments (for Classes)
    • Calendar
    • Files

    Teams Mobile Platforms

    To access the app, visit your app store, search "Microsoft Teams," and download the free app. Log in using your Winthrop credentials and your app will be synced with your desktop or web app. 

    Once your app is installed, Teams calls will ring on your mobile device as well as your computer and you can continue chats when you are away from your keyboard. 

    Faculty and some staff may find it useful to use Teams to host virtual office hours. Virtual office hours work just like on-campus office hours where you schedule a block of time to be available for walk-in discussions with students or staff. To create virtual office hours in Teams, please use the following resources. 

    Downloadable instructions: Creating Virtual Office Hours in Teams (PDF - 1.0M)

      While there are a few platform options for hosting virtual office hours, Teams offers these features: 

      • Teams syncs seamlessly with your Outlook calendar and automatically sends calendar invites to any participants your invite.
      • You can set Teams meetings to recur throughout the week like in-person office hours would.
      • With Optional Attendees, students can join if they want to but are not required.
      • In your call, you can see your students who join and interact with them live.
      • When a student joins your office hours, they can share their screen with you if they need to show you a problem they are having.
      • Students can join a Teams call even if they do not have Teams installed on their computer.
      • Students can join a Teams call from a mobile app if they do not have access to a computer.

      1. Open Teams and click on the Calendar menu. This is located on the left side of your screen. 

      Teams Office Hours

       2. In the upper right hand corner of your calendar, click on the New Meeting button. 

      Teams Office Hours

      3. A new meeting window will pop up. Here, you can add a Title for your meeting. 

      Teams Office Hours

      4. For office hours, you can add students as Optional Attendees here. You need to have at least one attendee (either optional or required) in order for Teams to generate a Join Meeting link. If you would like, you can add all of your students as optional attendees.

      Teams Office Hours

      5. Choose the start date and time for your office hours as well as your end date and time. 

      Teams Office Hours

      6. To set office hours that repeat throughout the week, click on the down arrow to the right of Does not repeat and choose Custom.

      Teams Office Hours

      7. Select the day you would like your office hours to begin, how often you would like them to repeat, the days you would like to have office hours, and the day you would like your office hours to end. When you are done, click Save. 

      Teams Office Hours

      8. Back in the new meeting window, click Send. This will add the office hours to your Calendar and send a calendar invite to any Optional or Required Attendees you listed.

      Teams Office Hours

      If you did not include all of your students as Optional Attendees when you created your office hours, you can chare your meeting invitation with a link.

      1. In your Teams Calendar, click on the office hours meeting you created. 

      Teams Invite Students

      2. In the body of the meeting description, right-click on the large Join Microsoft Teams Meeting link and click Copy Link.

      Teams Invite Students

      3. Paste this link in an e-mail to students or in your Blackboard course for your students to access. When students click on this link, Teams will open in a browser, but they can choose to join the meeting using the desktop app if they have it. 

    The whiteboard feature is a shared drawing and text feature that functions as an in-person classroom whiteboard would. Participants and meeting hosts can use pen, text, and note fatures to share ideas in a live visual format. In Teams, you can have multiple whiteboard "pages" that are saved for all participants to access later in the meeting chat. 

    NOTE: The whiteboard feature is available in scheduled Teams meetings, not impromptu calls. 

    Using the Whiteboard in a Meeting

    1. Start a Teams meeting (not a call).
    2. At the bottom of your meeting window, click the Share icon. 
    3. Click the Whiteboard section and select Microsoft Whiteboard.
    4. To start writing, click the Pen icon and choose a color. You can also click the Note or Text icons and begin to type. 

    For more information, please reference Microsoft's support page on Whiteboards

 

Zoom

    Winthrop has purchased a university-wide Zoom license accessible to all users with a "winthrop.edu" e-mail address. Zoom is an ideal platform for faculty, staff, or students who want to have small- to mid-sized (10-49 participant) meetings where all participants can speak, be seen, and chat with one another. Zoom also has large-size meeting and webinar capability for larger events.

    You may access Zoom using the web version or the desktop app. To use the desktop app, you will need to download the Download Zoom Desktop App. For assistance with installing the app, please contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@winthrop.edu

    Downloadable instructions: Signing into Zoom (PDF - 780K)

      1. Go to a browser, visit "winthrop-edu.zoom.us" and when you see the Winthrop sign-in page, click "Sign in." 

      Zoom Sign In

      2. Log in using your Winthrop credentials. For the username, use your full Winthrop e-mail address. 

      3. You will be directed to your Zoom profile page. Here you can confirm your contact information. If changes need to be made to your contact information, you can edit them by clicking on the edit link. 

      1. Navigate to Zoom in your Start menu (for Windows) or on your Desktop. 

      2. The Zoom Meetings window will appear and ask you to sign in. Choose Sign in with SSO.

      Zoom Sign In Desktop

      3. Type "winthrop-edu" in the domain field and then click the blue Continue button. 

      Zoom Sign In Desktop

      4. You will be directed to your Zoom Home screen.

    You may access Zoom using the web version or the desktop app. To use the desktop app, you will need to download the Download Zoom Desktop App. For assistance with installing the app, please contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@winthrop.edu

    Downloadable instructions: Navigating Zoom (PDF - 772K)

      When you visit winthrop-edu.zoom.us and choose "Sign In," You will be directed to your Meetings page.

      Page Navigation

      Zoom Navigation Web

      1. Profile: See your personal account information, add a profile photo, and integrate your Zoom account with your Winthrop Outlook account
      2. Meetings: Schedule and manage your meetings. This will be your main page.
      3. Webinars: Learn more about Zoom Webinars which are large scale meetings. If you are interested in hosting a webinar, please contact the Service Desk.
      4. Recordings: Search and download any meeting recordings you initiated
      5. Settings: Adjust meeting, recording, and phone settings
      6. Account Profile: See a summary of the Winthrop Zoom account
      7. Reports: Run usage and meeting reports

      Meetings Page Navigation

      The Meetings page will be your most used page. Here you can schedule and manage your Zoom meetings.

      Zoom Web Navigation Meetings Page

      1. Upcoming Meetings: Schedule a new meeting and see upcoming meetings you've scheduled or been invited to 
      2. Previous Meetings: Schedule a new meeting and see past meetings you've scheduled
      3. Personal Meeting Room: Start a new impromptu meeting with the default title of "[Your Name]'s Personal Meeting Room"
      4. Meeting Templates: See your existing Meeting Templates (To create a template, choose an existing meeting and save it as a template)
      1. Schedule a New Meeting: Schedule a new meeting and adjust meeting options
      2. Join a Meeting: Join an existing meeting using a link or MeetingID
      3. Host a Meeting: Start an impromptu meeting
      4. Get Training: This will open a Zoom Help Center tab in your browser with links to live training webinars and other help resources

      When you launch the Zoom desktop app, you will see your Home screen.

      Zoom Desktop Navigation

      1. Home: Your default screen
      2. Chat: Send messages to other Zoom users and see files that have been shared in Zoom meetings
      3. Meetings: See a list of your meetings, edit meetings you've scheduled, and access recorded meetings to which you have access
      4. Contacts: See contacts with whom you have had previous Zoom meetings
      1. New Meeting: Start impromptu Zoom meeting now
      2. Join: Join a scheduled Zoom meeting using a Meeting ID
      3. Schedule: Schedule a new Zoom meeting
      4. Share Screen: Share your screen in an existing meeting using a Meeting ID
      5. Schedule Preview: See the current date and time as well as a preview of upcoming events and meetings (can be synced with your Outlook Calendar)

    Downloadable instructions: Creating a Meeting in Zoom

      1. Launch the Zoom desktop app and sign into your account using your Winthrop credentials. 

      2. On the Home screen, click on the orange New Meeting button. 

      Start Zoom Meeting Desktop

      3. A new meeting will instantly launch. To invite participants to your meeting, click on the up arrow in the Participants tab at the bottom of the window and select Invite. 

      Start Zoom Meeting Desktop

      4. A pop-up window will appear. Here you can invite participants in four ways: 

      1. Choose participants from your contacts list
      2. Send the invitation information via e-mail (requires e-mail integration)
      3. Copy and share the Invite Link or Invitation
      4. See and share the Meeting ID and Passcode with participants

      Start Zoom Meeting Desktop

      5. When a participant joins the meeting, you will see them appear in the Participants pane. To open the Participants pane, click on the Participants tab at the bottom of the window.

      Start Zoom Meeting Desktop

      6. To end the meeting, click the red End button. You can choose to End Meeting for All participants or Leave Meeting which will remove you from the meeting while keeping the meeting active for the remaining participants. 

      Start Zoom Meeting Desktop

      1. Visit winthrop-edu.zoom-us and sign into your account using your Winthrop credentials. 

      2. In the upper right corner of your screen, click on Host a Meeting. Choose whether to start the meeting with video on or off (you can change this once you are in the meeting).

      Start Zoom Meeting Web

      3. Your new meeting will open in a new window. If prompted, click Join with Computer Audio.

      Start Zoom Meeting Web

      4. If you chose to start the meeting without video, you will see this screen. Here you can share the meeting password, copy and share the meeting invite link, choose to share your screen, or invite others from your contacts. 

      Start Zoom Meeting Web

      5. To start sharing your video, click Start Video at the bottom of the screen. To end the meeting, click the red End button. Here, you can choose to End Meeting for All or Leave Meeting if you want the other participants to be able to continue the meeting without you. 

      Start Zoom Meeting Web

    Downloadable instructions: Creating a Meeting in Zoom

      1. Launch the Zoom desktop app and sign into your account using your Winthrop credentials.

      2. On the Home screen, click on the Schedule button.

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Desktop

      3. The Schedule Meeting pop-up window will appear. Here you can enter your meeting details and adjust some meeting settings. When you have entered all of your information, click Schedule.

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Desktop

      4. The meeting is now scheduled. Go to the Meetings tab to see your meetings. Here, you can Start the meeting Copy Invitation and send it to participants, Edit the meeting details, or Delete the meeting. 

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Desktop

      1. visit winthrop-edu.zoom.us and sign into your account using your Winthrop credentials. 

      2. On your Meetings page, click Schedule a New Meeting.

       

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Web

      3. The Schedule a Meeting window will open. Here, you can enter your meeting information. You can adjust several meeting settings, but at minimum, you should enter the Topic, date and time, and Duration. Your meeting can begin before your start time and can last longer than your set duration, but the information you enter will be used to generate the meeting invitation. 

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Web

      4. When you have enteres all of your meeting information, click Save. 

      5. You will be directed to the Meeting Summary page. Here, you can see the information you entered as well as the Meeting ID, Passcode, and Invite LinkYou can also start the meeting from here. 

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Web

      6. To invite participants, you can click on Copy Invitation and send it in an e-mail or other platform or you can give participants the Meeting ID and Passcode they can use to join your meeting. 

      Schedule Zoom Meeting Web

    The whiteboard feature is a shared drawing and text feature that functions as an in-person classroom whiteboard would. Participants and meeting hosts can use pen, text, and note fatures to share ideas in a live visual format. 

    Using the Whiteboard in Zoom

    1. Start a Zoom meeting.

    2. At the bottom of your meeting window, slick the Share Screen button. 

    Zoom Whiteboard

    3. In the share options, click Whiteboard. It will us an icon that looks like a marker.

    Zoom Whiteboard

    4. Click Share

    Zoom Whiteboard

    5. The annotation tools will appear automatically, but you can press the Whiteboard option in the meeting controls to hide them. 

    Zoom Whiteboard

    6. Use the page controls in the bottom-right corner of the whiteboard to create new pages and switch between pages. 

    Zoom Whiteboard

    7. When you are done with the Whiteboard, click the red Stop Share button. 

    For help, please visit Zoom's resource for Sharing a Whiteboard.

    Screen-sharing is a great way to show participants in a meeting what you are seeing or to show a presentation. The host of a meeting will always be able to share their screen, but you may need to enable participant screen-sharing in your meeting settings. 

    Screen-Sharing in Zoom

    1. Start a Zoom meeting.

    2. At the bottom of your meeting window, slick the Share Screen button. 

    Zoom Share Screen

    3. In the share options, choose the screen or window you would like to share. 

    4. Click Share.

    Zoom Screen Share

    For help, please visit Zoom's resource for Screen Sharing a PowerPoint Presentation.

    Zoom offers a mobile app with video conferencing capability. For information and support for the mobile app, please refer to these Zoom resources for iOS and Android.

    Getting Started on iOS

    Getting Started on Android

    Faculty and some staff may find it useful to use Zoom to host virtual office hours. Virtual office hours work just like on-campus office hours where you schedule a block of time to be available for walk-in discussions with students or staff. To create virtual office hours in Zoom, please use the following resources. 

    Downloadable instructions: Creating Virtual Office Hours in Zoom

      While there are a few platform options for hosting virtual office hours, Zoom offers these features: 

      • Zoom offers a Waiting Room feature which allows you to use the same meeting link for all students, but only admit one student at a time for privacy.
      • You can customize the Waiting Room your students will enter when they join your meeting.
      • Connect with your students from the office or at home.
      • In your call, you can see your students who join and interact with them live.
      • When a student joins your office hours, they can share their screen with you if they need to show you a problem they are having.
      • A whiteboard feature allows you to collaborate and share ideas with students.
      • Students can join a Zoom call even if they do not have Zoom installed on their computer.

      This option for creating virtual office hours uses a waiting room feature where students can join the meeting at any time, but you can admint them one at a time for privacy. This is the virtual equivalent of students waiting outside your office door to meet with you one-on-one.

      1. Log into winthrop-edu.zoom.us using your Winthrop credentials

      2. Select Schedule a Meeting. You can also choose Sign in and schedule a meeting from your Meetings page.

      Zoom Office Hours

      3. Enter your Meeting Details. Be sure to leave Require Registration unchecked and to check Enable Waiting Room.

      Zoom Office Hours

      4. Click Save

      5. From the Summary/Invite screen, copy the Invite link. Send this link to students via e-mail or make it available on your syllabus or Blackboard course.

      Zoom Office Hours

      6. Customize your Waiting Room experience. On the left side of the screen, click Settings. You should default to the Security section, but if not, click on Security.

      Zoom Office Hours

      7. In the Security section, click "Customize Waiting Room."

      Zoom Office Hours

      8. A new dialog box titled Customize Waiting Room will appear. Here, you can adjust your Waiting Room settings to customize what your students will see when they join your meeting. You can change the waiting room message, upload a default thumbnail photo, and edit the description of the waiting room by clicking the pencil icons and blue text shown by the circles.

      • Winthrop recommends that you edit the title and description to give students more information about what they are waiting for and why. This information will display to students as a pop-up window when they join your meeting. You can ask students to please wait to be admitted to the meeting or to e-mail you directly to schedule an appointment.
      • If you would like to upload a logo or image to appear in the Waiting Room, please note the file restrictions listed at the bottom of the window.

      Zoom Office Hours

      9. When you have changed the waiting room message and/or description, click the check marks shown by the arrows to save your changes. Then click Close to close the window. 

      Zoom Office Hours

      This option is ideal for by-appointment style office hours. Pair this with a scheduling tool such as Doodle and you can let students register for specific time slots. This is the virtual equivalent of having students sign up for a specific time slot to meet with you. For academic advising, this may be an ideal option.

      1. Log into winthrop-edu.zoom.us using your Winthrop credentials.

      2. On your Meetings page, select Schedule a New Meeting.

      Zoom Office Hours

      3. Enter your meeting details. Be sure to check the Registration Required checkbox and select Attendees need to register for each occurance to attend. If you would like your office hours to repeat weekly, check Recurring Meeting and fill out the recurrance information. You may also want to enable the Waiting Room. This ensures that students who may join your office hours before their appointment time do not immediately join your conversation with another student. 

      Zoom Office Hours

      4. Click Save to save the meeting.

      5. The Meeting Summary page should open for you. Here, copy the Registration Link shown by the arrow and share this link with your students via e-mail or make it available in your syllabus of Blackboard course. 

      Zoom Office Hours

      6. At the bottom of the summary page, go to the Registration tab and click Edit.

      Zoom Office Hours

      7. A registration pop-up window will appear. On the Registration tab, select Manually Approve, check the Send an e-mail to host when someone registers option, and uncheck Show social share buttons on registration page.

      Zoom Office Hours

      8. Before clicking Save All, go to the Custom Questions tab. There, click New Question.

      Zoom Office Hours

      9. Use the options presented to ask a question about what the student would like to discuss with you during your meeting. You can make this an open-ended short answer question or you can use single answer to provide options for your students to choose from such as “assignment review,” “test prep,” grade inquiry,” etc. When you have completed the fields, click Create.

      Zoom Office Hours

      10. When you click Create, you will be given the option to add additional questions. If you wish, you can add a single answer question as in the example below. To add more answer choices, you can click Add another answer. Click Create to add the question to your meeting registration. When you are finished with your changes, click Save All.

      Zoom Office Hours

      11. After clicking Save All, you will be taken back to the Meeting Summary page. From here, you can share your registration link with students if you have not already. Now, your office hours have been created and students are ready to register for appointments. Each time a tudent registers, you will receive an e-mail with their answer choices (if you set up questions) so you can better prepare for your discussion with them. 

 

Large Events

For resources and help planning a large virtual event, please contact the Office of University Events and visit their Event Resources page.