We use Zoom meetings for conducting Data Lab virtual workshops. In this document, we will cover our procedures for instruction and consultation sessions over Zoom.

Table of contents

Table of Contents

General tips for using Zoom during workshops

Audio

Please make sure your microphone is muted when joining the call and when you are not speaking to minimize background noise during instruction. Where possible, please use headphones throughout training to minimize audio feedback.

Screen sharing

Sharing your screen in a Zoom breakout room during instruction or one-on-one Zoom consultation sessions may be required to allow instructors to best provide assistance. You will also want to share your screen during your presentation at the end of the workshop.

Please refer to our Zoom setup instructions for more information about setting up screen sharing.

Zoom recording

We will be recording instruction to allow course participants to revisit instruction during consultation sessions or in case their connection is disrupted during instruction.

When we are recording, you will be notified by a banner in the top corner of the Zoom interface. We plan to distribute these recordings to other course participants in your specific training session or as part of training for additional workshop instructors. We will not post these videos publicly.

Note: Consent for video recordings is included in the Data Lab training workshop waiver signed prior to the start of the training workshop.

Using Zoom during instruction

During instruction, we will clearly identify who is the lead instructor and who is the host, who manages the Zoom meeting. If you need help from an instructor during instruction, message the host of the Zoom meeting and let them know that you need help from an instructor. Please do not message the lead instructor because there is a good chance they will not have the chat window open while teaching.

Using breakout rooms

Zoom breakout rooms are a feature that allow us to assign course participants and instructors to meetings that are smaller than the main session. We will use Zoom breakout rooms in the following capacities during training:

  • To provide 1:1 help during instruction as needed.
  • To hold smaller group Q/A sessions after each instruction session.
  • Optionally to group participants during consultation sessions who are working on similar tasks or the same exercise notebooks.

For example, if you need assistance during live instruction, the host might place you in a breakout room with a different instructor who can help you solve your issue. Again, it is likely you will need to share your screen during a breakout room session.

Using Zoom during consultation

If you need assistance during a consultation session and it would be helpful to share your screen, an instructor will initiate a Zoom call in Slack either in a thread or direct message. For this, you will receive a direct link to a Zoom meeting via Slack message.