Faculty who conduct live, synchronous class sessions are encouraged to consider issues of equity, privacy, and required accessibility accommodations. The following recommendations are provided for faculty conducting live class sessions using Zoom.

• During your session
• Student consent and other considerations for recordings
• Etiquette

During your session

Use of camera in class

If you require students to turn on their cameras during live Zoom class sessions, please include language about this requirement in your syllabus. Be prepared to offer students who may have special needs or requirements alternative options. Students may lack cameras or may be conducting class sessions in a location that presents privacy concerns for themselves or others in their household. Some students may decline the use of a camera due to personal concerns, disability or religious reasons. The privacy of a student's home life and access to a room for privacy should not be a barrier to a student's success in a particular course.

Student consent and other considerations for recordings

Instructors are free to records class sessions without the direct consent of students only if the sharing and usage of those recordings is limited to those in the class. An intention to record class sessions should be stated in the class syllabus and shared with students in the course. Instructors should offer students who are concerned about being recorded reasonable alternatives (which may include offering to allow them to keep their cameras off or providing a portion of class time that is not recorded). Zoom provides notification to participants once a recording has started but students who decline are removed from the session.

Recordings of class should only be posted in the iLearn class section in which they were recorded, or distributed to students officially enrolled in that particular course. Reuse of live recordings in other classes cannot be done without consent and release from the students in the original class. Academic Technology also provides iLearn Video within the iLearn environment which instructors can use to upload Zoom recordings, share them within the course, and manage them over time.

Etiquette

Classes conducted via Zoom are considered an extension of the face-to-face classroom. As such, the SF State code of conduct for students equally applies to class sessions conducted in an online environment. But given that students are often connecting from home and not the neutral space of an on-campus classroom, the considerations provided above should guide some level of sensitivity to student needs.

The following are some recommendations to make the synchronous class experience better for everyone in the session.

• Mute your microphone unless you are speaking. This will ensure that whoever has the floor can be heard without any distraction from noises that may be picked up by other participant microphones
• If using a camera, be aware of what is in shot. Cameras often see more than people are expecting and may reveal things that otherwise may be hidden. Be aware of other people in your surroundings.
• If using the virtual background features, ensure that the background you select is not distracting, full of motion, or flashing lights. Distracting backgrounds can disrupt the concentration of others participating in the meeting.
• Keep the chat relevant to the topic at hand; the chat feature is not a way to have side conversations with other participants in the meeting. Disruptive use of the chat feature may distract other participants from the topic being discussed.
• Using Zoom's security features, instructors can remove disruptive participants from a class session.

For additional assistance, contact Academic Technology: (415) 405-5555, at@sfsu.edu, LIB 80