Zoom for Students Overview

In this article:

 

Your student account on Zoom

All University of Waterloo students have a UW Zoom account with basic licensing. The basic licensing allows for users to hold meetings with a 40-minute time limit, 100 participants and local recordings only. It is recommended that students log in and create their UW Zoom accounts before their Zoom courses begin.

To access your account:

  1. Go to uwaterloo.zoom.us

  2. Login with your 8-character ADFS login (username@uwaterloo.ca). This will be the same login used for LEARN

 

Downloading and logging in to the Zoom Desktop Application

Note

It’s highly recommended that students download and log in to the Zoom Desktop Application with their UW Zoom credentials. The desktop application will make joining class meetings much simpler throughout the term.

Please follow the steps below to get started with the Desktop Application:

  1. Download the Zoom desktop client from zoom.us

    1. On the Zoom page click the Resources button on the top right of the screen and then select Download Zoom Client from the dropdown list

  2. Launch the application and click Sign in with SSO

  3. In the Company Domain textbox, enter uwaterloo

  4. Enter your UW ADFS login on the sign in page you are redirected to


Using the Zoom Widget on LEARN

Students can use the Zoom widget to join classes and view recordings if their instructor has added the widget to their LEARN course homepage. To access the widget, follow the instructions below:

  1. Go to your Course Homepage and click Click Here to access Zoom

     

  2. The widget will open and there will be 3 tabs

    1. Upcoming Meetings- shows upcoming scheduled meetings.

    2. Past meetings- view a list of past meetings in that course

    3. Recordings- view previous recorded lectures. For more information on viewing recordings please use the following link to visit the Viewing Recordings help document

 

 

Joining Meetings with the Zoom Widget

  1. In LEARN, go to the Course Homepage of the live class you are joining

  2. Select Click here to access the Zoom Widget

  3. Locate the meeting you want to join and click Join

  4. If you have set up the Zoom Desktop Application, the meeting will launch automatically

 

Note

If you select Join from Browser you will have to complete an extra step to join the meeting. Depending on your instructor’s settings you may also be prompted to sign in to join.

  • If you click Join from Browser in a browser you are currently logged into your UW Zoom account on, you will be prompted to enter your name and click Join to enter the meeting

  • If you click Join from Browser in a browser that you have not logged into your UW Zoom account on, you will be prompted to enter your name. If your instructor has enabled authenticated users only you will also have to sign in with your UW ADFS login

 

Joining Zoom classes when the meeting link is posted on a course homepage

Courses may use the Zoom widget on LEARN (as outlined above) but some instructors may choose to provide students with a meeting link instead.

  1. Locate the link that has been posted and click it to join the meeting

     

  2. Select Launch Meeting

  3. The meeting will start launch automatically if you have downloaded and signed into the Zoom desktop application

Note

If you click Join from Browser instead of Launch meeting you will have to follow an extra step to join the meeting. It is highly recommended for users that Join from Browser to sign into their UW Zoom accounts in the same browser they will be joining the meeting in.

The process of joining from browser depends on your instructor’s settings and both possibilities are outlined below:

A. The instructor has allowed guests to join the meeting:

  1. Login to your UW Zoom account in the same browser that you’re joining the meeting in

  2. Navigate to where the meeting link is posted and click the link to join

  3. You will be prompted to enter your name

     

  4. Click Join

  5. The meeting will launch in your browser


B. The instructor has enabled Authenticated users only

  1. Login to your UW Zoom account in the browser you’re joining the meeting in

  2. Navigate to where the meeting link is posted and click the link to join

  3. You will be prompted to enter your name

  4. Click join

5. On the page you are redirected to click Sign in with SSO

6. Enter your UW ADFS login (the same login you would use for LEARN)

7. Once successfully logged in, the meeting will launch in your browser