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Zoom Videoconferencing

Quick Links: Student Engagement I Creating a Zoom Account I Scheduling a Meeting I Types of Meetings  I Etiquette & Best Practices I Closed Captioning & Transcripts I Compliance I Help Resources I Zoom Integration with Panopto | Zoom and HIPAA Compliance | Zoom Rooms

Zoom meetings recorded to the cloud will be stored only in Lecture Capture (Panopto). All recordings captured in Zoom will automatically be placed in a class folder or a personal folder in Panopto and deleted from Zoom. Any new recordings will not be available in Zoom after this date. Learn more…

Zoom Online Meetings, Chat, and Collaboration

Zoom is an online and mobile meeting solution that combines real-time chat, content sharing, and video in an easy-to-use interface to enrich teaching and learning. It integrates with the University’s new Learning Management System (Canvas) and with Zoom Rooms hybrid classroom technology to facilitate remote teaching and learning.

Online Student Engagement and Learning

  • Conduct virtual classes: Stream lessons to students (500 attendees for faculty accounts; 300 attendees for staff accounts).
  • Facilitate collaboration: Utilize one-click content sharing, co-annotation, polling, digital whiteboarding, and breakout rooms to engage students.
  • Present from the classroom: Utilize technology-enabled classrooms on campus to stream lessons to your students.
  • Record classes: Record classes and lessons to help students review material (be sure to obtain consent from all parties prior to recording).
  • Host virtual office hours: Use Zoom meetings to meet with students for office hours.

Creating and Logging Into Your University Zoom Account

You can create a brand new Zoom account with your Pitt email address or link an existing Zoom account that uses your Pitt email address.

Creating Your University Zoom Account

To create your University Zoom account, log in to pitt.zoom.us and click Sign In. Log in with your University Computing Account username and password. 

If you are creating a Zoom account from the desktop client, follow these steps: 

1. Download the Zoom desktop client and click Sign In.

2. Click the SSO icon. 

3. In Company Domain, enter pitt (so the full domain reads pitt.zoom.us) and click Continue.

4. If prompted, click Open Zoom to launch the desktop client. 

Scheduling a Meeting

Participants do not need a Zoom account in order to attend a meeting. You only need a Zoom account to schedule or host Zoom meetings. See Zoom Rooms for information about scheduling a meeting in a Zoom Room.

From the Zoom Desktop Client

From the Zoom Desktop Client

1. If you have not yet done so, download the Zoom desktop client.

2. Launch the desktop client and click Schedule.

3. Enter the meeting details and click Schedule.

4. Copy the URL or meeting invitation to send to participants, or add it to your calendar with the available plugin.

From the Zoom Web Portal

From the Zoom Web Portal

1. Log in to pitt.zoom.us, click Sign in, and log in with your University username and password.

2. Click Meetings in the left-hand column, then click Schedule a New Meeting.

3. Enter the meeting details and click Save.

4. Copy the URL or meeting invitation to send to participants, or add it to your calendar with the available plugin.

From Outlook

From Outlook

To schedule meetings from Outlook, you first need to install the Microsoft Add-In for Zoom using the steps below. 

1. Open Outlook and click Get Add-Ins

Windows: 

Mac with Old Outlook:

""

Mac with New Outlook:

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2. In the Search Add-ins field at top right, type Zoom for Outlook, then press Enter.

3. In the search results, find the Zoom for Outlook add-in (make sure it has this exact title), click Add, then click Continue

4. After the add-in has been installed, you can access it from a meeting window in Outlook. Start a new meeting request, then click Add a Zoom Meeting from your Outlook toolbar.

Windows and Mac with Old Outlook:

Mac with New Outlook:

Click the New Event button. "" 
Then in the New Event window, click […] and select Zoom -> Add a Zoom Meeting.

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5. You will need to sign in to the Add-In. Click Sign in with SSO near the bottom of the login screen. Enter pitt in the domain field and click Continue, then sign in via Pitt Passport.  

 

6. Proceed with scheduling your meeting. 

Note: If you have the older Zoom Plugin for Outlook installed, you should remove it because it is no longer supported. The old Zoom plugin looks like this in your Outlook toolbar. 

 

To remove it, click File, then Options, then Add-Ins, and then select COM Add-ins from the Manage drop-down menu. Select ONLY the Zoom Outlook Plugin (make sure to deselect all other plugins that you do not wish to uninstall) and click Remove

Scheduling and Starting Meetings on Behalf of Someone Else

Scheduling Meetings on Behalf of Someone Else

Scheduling Meetings on Behalf of Someone Else

You may have an assistant that already schedules meetings on your behalf through Outlook. You can also enable your assistant to schedule Zoom meetings on your behalf. They can schedule meetings using the Zoom desktop client, web portal, or Outlook Plugin. Once you have scheduled a meeting for someone, they can start the meeting without you needing to be present.  

Starting Meetings on Behalf of Someone Else

Starting Meetings on Behalf of Someone Else

Designating an alternative host allows someone else at Pitt to start your Zoom meeting if you are unable to do so. When you designate someone as an alternative host, they’ll receive an email confirmation that contains a link they can use to start the meeting. 

Types of Zoom Meetings

Meeting Type Max. attendees in a single meeting  Who Can Schedule Meeting Length
Basic license 100 Sponsored accounts 40-minute limit
Regular meeting 300 Students and staff 24-hour limit
Large meeting 500 Faculty 24-hour limit
Webinar 500 Granted as needed upon review 24-hour limit
SIP H.323 phone connector Based upon license type Granted as needed upon review 24-hour limit

Zoom Meetings: Etiquette and Best Practices

Review these tips to ensure a positive experience for all your participants.

Closed Captioning and Transcripts

Live Closed Captioning

Hosts may designate a meeting attendee to provide live captioning. The captioner types text into a field and presses Enter to display that text for any meeting attendee who has chosen to view closed captions. Captioning may or may not be Section 508 compliant. Learn more...

Audio Transcripts

By default, all videos recorded to the Zoom cloud have their audio transcribed. Transcripts are not available in real time, but they can be viewed during playback of the recorded meeting. Meeting hosts can edit transcripts as needed. Please note that audio transcripts are not Section 508 compliant. Learn more...

Live Transcripts

This captioning feature uses artificial intelligence to display what the speaker is saying as text at the bottom of the meeting video. This feature is designed to improve overall user accessibility of Zoom meetings and webinars. AI powered live transcription can be enabled by the host and any participants can view the captioning as needed.

Note: Breakout rooms and the Zoom HIPAA environment do not currently support the use of Live Transcripts.

Live transcription only supports English and it is recommended that you speak clearly for best results. The accuracy of Zoom’s live transcription feature depends on many variables, such as background noise, volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice, the speaker's proficiency with the English language, etc.

1. To activate the Live Transcript as a host, locate the Live Transcript setting in meeting controls, then click Enable Auto-Transcription.

2. To view or hide the visibility of a Live Transcript in the sidebar, click Live Transcript, then View Full Transcript or Hide Full Transcript.

3. To hide or view subtitles displayed over the video, click Live Transcript, then Hide Subtitle or View Subtitle.

Additional information about Live Transcript is available from Zoom.

Acceptable Use

Zoom is intended to support teaching, learning, research, and University-related business activities. Use of Zoom is subject to the University’s Acceptable Computing Access and Use guidelines.

Zoom Preparations for Individuals Leaving Pitt

Individuals who graduate, retire, or otherwise leave the University lose access to Zoom through pitt.zoom.us. Therefore, Pitt IT advises anyone leaving the University to cancel their recurring Zoom meetings and ask a University colleague to reschedule them. In addition, you may wish to download any recorded meetings that you have saved in the Panopto cloud or the Zoom cloud. 

Compliance

HIPAA Compliance

The University of Pittsburgh’s standard Zoom environment is not HIPAA compliant. However, the University provides access to a separate HIPAA-compliant Zoom environment for those who are conducting tele-medicine appointments or are hosting meetings that discuss protected health information.

To use Zoom for HIPAA-related meetings, please see the Zoom and HIPAA Compliance page.

Preventing and Reporting Zoombombing

Zoombombing

Zoombombing refers to an unwanted, disruptive intrusion into a Zoom videoconference. In a typical Zoombombing incident, trolls or hackers might disrupt a meeting by inserting material that is lewd, obscene, racist, or antisemitic in nature.

Preventing Zoombombing

Refer to our Zoom Meetings: Etiquette and Best Practices page for guidance and tips to deter Zoombombing.

Reporting Zoombombing

If you experience a Zoombombing incident, please work with the meeting host to report it. Note that only meeting hosts can report incidents using the options below.

During a meeting

Complete the following steps to report an incident during a meeting. Your report will be sent directly to Zoom.

1. As the meeting host, click the Security icon in your meeting toolbar and select Report.

2.Select the name of the participant you would like to report and select the reason for reporting this participant. You also have the option to add comments, photos, or screenshots of the incident.

3. Click Send.

After a meeting

Meeting hosts can complete the University's Report a Zoombombing form to report a Zoombombing incident after the meeting ends. Your report will be sent to Zoom, Pitt IT Security, and Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

Help Resources

Zoom Essentials

Zoom Detailed Help