Zoom your way to better video conferencing.
March 11, 2020
Zoom your way to better video conferencing.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Zoom Video Webinar
For some time we've been trying to solve two issues. First, we want to vary the modality of our course delivery. Some students will move to campus, but there are others for whom online synchronous and asynchronous learning is best, given their other personal and professional demands. Secondly, we want to bridge alumni from one degree to another, and we have found that original, online content (aka, webinars) is one of the best ways to continue engaging alumni on key topics of proficiency. Zoom Video Webinar is helping fulfill both of those objectives. We are using it across the organization in different departments. Admissions uses Zoom to engage with large groups of prospective students to answer questions in a live (synchronous) format. Academics is using Zoom to deliver synchronous faculty-to-student interaction for our distance and hybrid students. The alumni and placement office is using Zoom to connect soon-to-be and recent graduates with the knowledge base of our broader alumni. And our continuing education department uses Zoom webinars to provide original content in small, manageable packets that are later expanded upon in our advanced and terminal degrees.
- Zoom is platform agnostic. It's easy for anyone with a phone or device to attend a webinar.
- Zoom doesn't require downloading or signing up for software. Users can click through the provided URLs and are immediately in the webinar space.
- Zoom provides direct access to meetings. Some of the platforms we sampled required attendees to "appear" in a waiting room and be approved by the host. This complicated matters when the host is trying to "host" the webinar and approve people. We love that with Zoom people can pop in, drop out, and come back any time during the presentation and discussion.
- I would love to see the ability to change recording features. For example, when we record a webinar, it captures whomever is speaking/presenting. I would love the option to set the video record parameters to capture other elements, including chat and discussion.
- I would love to see Zoom embed a video editing component to their offerings. Currently, we download the webinar recording, import it into a video-editing software, and then place introduction and conclusion elements. Why can't I just do this straight into Zoom. Maybe they can partner with Microsoft or Adobe Photoshop Elements to easily feature drop-and-drag video editing. This would enable users to brand webinars inside the platform.
- Zoom has increased opportunities for engagement with alumni.
- Zoom has increased modes of engagement with prospective students.
- Zoom has multiplied the various ways that content can be delivered across all degrees.
We used Adobe Connect for about a year. The caliber of the recordings was lower than that of Zoom Video Webinar. Also, managing a space was more complicated than with Zoom. Granted, that was 6 years ago now that we stopped using it, but that was our experience at the time.