Zoom

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app that allows 撸先生 students, faculty and staff to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing and other collaborative capabilities.

This service and vendor documentation are cloud-hosted and not controlled by Towson University. 撸先生-specific documentation is reviewed and updated quarterly.

Towson University holds an enterprise account for Zoom. Using 撸先生鈥檚 account allows us to provide the features of the Zoom video service while helping to protect you, and our data when teaching and conducting business.鈥�

The 撸先生 Zoom enterprise account offers additional account privileges that a basic/unlicensed account does not. This includes a 24 hour meeting window, which means meetings can be held for longer than 40 minutes. to learn how to verify that you're using 撸先生's account.

New to 撸先生?

You must activate your account before using Zoom

Follow these steps to join 撸先生's account for the first time (required):

Go to , click Sign In.
Login using your NetID through 撸先生鈥檚 secure Single Sign-On.
Note: If you have an existing Zoom account tied to your 撸先生 email, when prompted, confirm email address. Select join 撸先生鈥檚 account to launch the activation email to your 撸先生 email account.

If you can't set up or log into Zoom with your 撸先生 NetID, contact the OTS Technology Support Desk at 410-704-5151 or submit a ticket for assistance.

If you pay for a personal or departmental Zoom account

Follow the steps above and when prompted to join (merge) the 撸先生 account, you should be given an option to be refunded payment balance. Be sure to transfer personal account refunds to a personal email address.
Open the email and join 撸先生鈥檚 account a final time to confirm. Future logins can be done directly through .

Personal or paid accounts might receive additional emails and may experience a short delay in joining 撸先生鈥檚 environment. Customized settings and special additional features, like Zoom Video conferencing for telehealth, could be lost when joining 撸先生's account, so contact the OTS Technology Support Desk for guidance.

Chosen/Preferred Name (Lived Name) on Zoom

As part of 撸先生鈥檚 ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, you can choose your pronouns in your Zoom profile. First, submit a to update your Towson University record with your preferred name, pronouns, and gender identity. Next, in your 撸先生 Zoom profile.

Access Zoom

See how to .

Desktop: on a 撸先生-owned computer, download through the鈥� or on a personal computer download from , then launch desktop app.
Browser:
Mobile device: download the Zoom app from your device's app store.
Blackboard: Once connected, use the "Schedule a New meeting" button.

If you鈥檙e in the Waiting Room of a 撸先生 Zoom session, you most likely aren鈥檛 logged in with your 撸先生 account. Logout and log back in securely following

Resources

Some of the links below take you directly to Zoom support resources. If prompted to sign into zoom.us, choose Sign in with SSO and type towson-edu as the company domain. You might also need to login to view 撸先生's TechHelp Knowledge Base articles with your valid NetID.

General

and
or .
See.
See more or search the .
Visit Zoom's Learning Center to access and to register for

Blackboard

See Blackboard/Zoom resources for and . Learn how to . See how to or in Zoom.

Meetings

See how to or . You can also or Learn about and
Be sure to
including , and
Choose and add a 撸先生 virtual background.

Host Secure Meetings

Protect confidential data during meetings. Learn about data classification.
Use 撸先生鈥檚 Zoom account and login correctly. Both students and faculty should use 撸先生鈥�s Zoom account for Zoom class sessions, not personal accounts.
Schedule securely. Keep the default setting 鈥溸Ｏ壬� NetID Authenticated Users Only鈥� whenever possible. about meeting settings.
Use Waiting Room (default). Anyone with 撸先生 NetID Zoom account will bypass the Waiting Room. Anyone else with a Zoom (non-撸先生) authenticated account, should be held in the Waiting Room, and will need to be admitted by the host.
Promote your meeting securely, especially on social media. Turn off 鈥淓mbed passcode in invite link for one-click join鈥� and use pre-registration so you can send an email with a link and passcode to those who register.
See tips to prevent distruptions:

Get help if you鈥檙e not sure: contact the OTS Technology Support Desk.

Zoom AI Companion

This is a suite of AI-powered features within Zoom to help students, faculty and staff stay focused, save time and increase collaboration by automating tasks. AI features are optional and must be enabled by the meeting host, and attendees will be notified when AI is in use. Features currently available:

: Automatically generates a summary of your Zoom meeting, with action items and highlights.
Enhances cloud recordings with automatic chapters, highlights and smart summaries.
: Suggests context-aware responses in Zoom Team Chat.

You can .

See more info and be familiar with at 撸先生 and the .

Support

Having trouble working with Zoom? Contact Zoom Support, use the Zoom , or see like response time.
For login or password help contact the OTS Technology Support Desk

Frequently Asked Questions

Do 撸先生 Zoom accounts have a limit on length of meetings or number of attendees?

No, unlike free Zoom accounts which end after 40 minutes, 撸先生 accounts don't have a time limit. The limit is 300 attendees per meeting.

Are my recordings stored in Zoom?

All Zoom cloud recordings are automatically copied over to Panopto for storage. They are temporarily available on Zoom for 30 days after being created.

Can I share screenshots or recordings of my online meetings?

No, not without prior consent. Such activity is a violation of student privacy and FERPA guidelines. Because electronic platforms are able to show photos and list students' names, we are not permitted to take photos of the screen and post that photo on social media or anywhere else without participant permission. See the 鈥淚nstructional Lecture Capture Guidelines and Release Form鈥� section on this page if you鈥檙e thinking about recording or taking a screenshot during your session.

Can I send students to my Zoom Waiting Room when holding office hours, and admit them individually when I'm ready?

Yes. Here's how to force a Zoom Waiting Room:

Go to Zoom.towson.edu>Click Sign In>Click Settings>Under Waiting Room Options, click Edit Options>Select Everyone>Click Continue.

Learn more about

If I access Zoom through Blackboard do I still have to download the app to my desktop?

Yes. It's recommended that you download the Zoom desktop app to make sure it's engaged with Blackboard. Confirm you're logged in, and that "Licensed" shows next to your name in the Zoom app.

How do I know which meeting security option to select when inviting 撸先生 and non-撸先生 guests?

Here鈥檚 the breakdown of meeting security options you can choose, based on types of invitees:

撸先生 students, faculty, and staff only signed in through . 鈥溸Ｏ壬� NetID Authenticated Users Only鈥� is automatically applied by default, and if the invitee doesn鈥檛 have a 撸先生 Zoom account, they won鈥檛 be able to attend.
Anyone with a Zoom account. If inviting 撸先生 account holders, plus non-撸先生 invitees (guest lecturer, transcriber, outside vendor etc.) with personal Zoom accounts: select 鈥溸Ｏ壬� NetID or Other Zoom Authenticated Users.鈥� Non-撸先生 attendees enter Waiting Room, to be admitted by host. No Zoom account means no access to the meeting.
Anyone. If inviting 撸先生 account holders, plus non-撸先生 invites (guest lecturer, transcriber, outside vendor etc.) with and without personal Zoom accounts: uncheck the box 鈥淩equire Authentication to join.鈥� Non-撸先生 attendees enter Waiting Room, to be admitted by host.

INSTRUCTIONAL LEC撸先生RE CAP撸先生RE RELEASE FORM

If faculty/staff intend to reuse recordings where the image, voice or materials of students are captured, the Instructional Lecture Capture Release Form must be used. This form auto-downloads: click the form link, then check your "Downloads" folder.