This Zoom Best Practices guide is designed for the Penn Zoom account holders to provide information on how to hold secure Zoom sessions and classes free from participants interruption.
- Create a Zoom account at upenn.zoom.us/signin
- Discuss downloading the Zoom app for access to the full suite of functionalities.
- Consider accommodating access to your session using mobile devices.
- Set up streaming service and test it, e.g., stream live Youtube video.
- Test your audio, video, headset, and microphone.
- Go over Zoom applications you plan to use during the session and how to use them securely including recording options.
- Visit ZOOM FOR FACULTY/STAFF/TAS on CANVAS at Penn for information on integrating Zoom in CANVAS.
- Disable desktop/screen sharing for users in large meetings to prevent participants from sharing unwanted content.
- Disable the “File Transfer” option to prevent participants from sharing unauthorized files.
- Disable “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin” to prevent individuals you removed from joining the session again.
- Consider enabling the “Waiting Room” feature to control when a participant joins the meeting.
- Make sure the “Join Before Host” feature is disabled.
- Require a meeting passcode. Set a meeting password and provide it to the participants to prevent unwanted guests from joining.
- Enable “Require authentication to join” (with “Penn users only” selected) for meetings/sessions held only for Penn community members (faculty, staff, and students).
- Assign a co-host. Zoom requires a designated host to hold a meeting session. If a host loses connectivity, Zoom automatically designates a host from the participants' list.
- Enable the “Mute participants upon entry” and mute all participants and use the setting to not allow participants to unmute in large and public meetings.
- Using the Security icon, manage participants by:
- Checking “Lock meeting” to prevent new participants from joining after starting the session.
- Making sure “Enable waiting room” is checked if using this feature.
- Unchecking the “Chat” option if text chat amongst participants is not needed.
- Uncheck “Rename Themselves” to prevent participants from renaming themselves to a different (and potentially offensive) name.
- Pause the meeting to remove unauthorized content or a participant. During the meeting, and from the security icon:
- Click on “Suspend Participant Activities” to pause the session.
- Click on “Remove Participant” to remove unauthorized or disruptive participants.
- Unclick the “Suspend Participant Activities” to resume the meeting session.
- If sharing a screen during a meeting, disable participants’ ability to annotate the screen by navigating to the “More…” menu item at the top of your screen and clicking on “Disable participants annotation”. Note, this option is only available after screen sharing has started.
- Register for the Zoom Basics 2 hour course in Knowledge Link.
- Guidance on how to secure your session is available at: OIS Zoombombing Allows Uninvited Guests to Join a Zoom Session
- Additional guidance directly from Zoom is available at: Best Practices for Securing Your Zoom Meetings
- Zoom guidance for OnZoom events specifically: Preventing OnZoom event disruptions as a Host
- University of Minnesota’s Zoom: Best Practices in a Meeting one-page guide.