Zoom offers a collaborative platform with synchronous audio and video communication, a virtual whiteboard that can also be used to share applications, media, documents (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, Word documents) web pages, text-based synchronous chat, polling, and other moderation tools and controls.

Zoom is ideal for conducting workshops and tutorials with students independently of their location. Zoom meetings can be recorded or downloaded for viewing later and can be converted to common audio or video format so that the session can be replayed.

Zoom vs Collaborate

The table below provides a brief comparison of some of the differences between Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Both software platforms share similar functionality so it's not worth getting too concerned about which is the better option unless you are teaching a large class.

Features	Collaborate Ultra: Standard sessions	Collaborate Ultra: Large sessions	Zoom Meetings	Zoom Webinars
Software required	Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are recommended but most browsers will work	Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are recommended but most browsers will work	Zoom Software must be installed and kept up to date	Zoom Software must be installed and kept up to date
Blackboard integration and scheduling	Located inside the standard Blackboard site template. Sessions can be open-ended or recur each week	Located inside the standard Blackboard site template. Large sessions *cannot* be recurring and maximum 24hrs duration	Manually add Zoom LTI dashboard link to Blackboard. Meetings can recur each week	Manually add links, no Blackboard LTI support. Large Webinars *cannot* be recurring or open-ended
Recordings	Automatically generated, automatically become available on Blackboard within 24 hours. Can be downloaded by students	Automatically generated, automatically become available on Blackboard within 24 hours. Can be downloaded by students	Cloud recordings will automatically appear in the Zoom LTI dashboard in Blackboard (deleted after 180 days). Local recordings need to be manually uploaded and shared by the instructor	Any recordings need to be manually shared by the instructor. Cloud recordings are deleted after 180 days
Capture student attendance	Yes, through Collaborate reports	Yes, through Collaborate reports	Yes, through Zoom reports	Yes, through Zoom Webinar reports
Breakout groups/rooms	Yes, but stops the main room recording	No	Yes (must be enabled in settings first), can also record breakout rooms Can be populated based on Zoom Poll/Quiz results	No
Support for large classes	Max 250 students More than 250 students Standard Collaborate Ultra sessions do not support more than 250 students, the larger the class the more likely issues will develop with connections.	Max 500 students Limited interactivity Large classes provide a limited experience with *no breakout groups.* You must enable large classes in Collaborate session settings. Settings are also automatically disabled for chat, webcam, voice, and whiteboards at the start of the session.	Max 1000 students with a large class licence More than 500 students You must request a Zoom licence for large classes through Technology services. A maximum of 1000 students is supported in a large class. You are encouraged to use co-hosts to help manage large Zoom classes.	Max 1000 students Limited interactivity Zoom webinars provide a limited experience with no breakout rooms. Please see the Technology Services Knowledge Base - Zoom Webinars for more information.
Mobile support	Yes, works in a mobile browser	Yes, works in a mobile browser	Yes, Zoom App must be installed	Yes, Zoom App must be installed
Polling	Yes	Yes	Yes, Quizzes and Q&A supported	Polls, Surveys and Q&A supported
Share files (PowerPoint, PDF)	Yes, integrated File Share or Application Share (PowerPoints must be converted to PDF to maintain formatting)	Presenter or moderator only, students need to be promoted	Powerpoint via screen sharing, in meeting file sharing (limited)	Host and Co-Host only, students need to be promoted
Whiteboard	Yes, can't be recorded or exported. Can't draw on mobile devices	Presenter only, students cannot draw on or use whiteboard	Yes, can be saved as a file	Yes, can be saved as a file, students cannot draw on the whiteboard

Zoom support articles

The following articles cover the use of Zoom for teaching and learning purposes.

More support resources and information

For technical articles about Zoom, see the Technology Services Knowledge Base - Zoom
The developer of Zoom also maintains a more up to date Zoom Support site
For more information about teaching classes in an online environment, see the article on online teaching.

(Please note - it's better to refer to the Online version rather than export, as it's always up to date)