If you are considering using Zoom to connect synchronously with your students, either for individual meetings or to replace class time, consider the following:
The Liberal Arts Collaborative for Digital Innovation (LACOL) has created a student-focused guide to using Zoom; consider distributing this to your students for their information.
Zoom is usable from mobile devices and does a good job of adjusting based on the quality of the hardware and internet connection. However, it’s possible that some participants might not have a good enough connection to join synchronously, or they might have other issues that prevent them from participating. If you want your student’s to check their speed, have them navigate to speedtest.net. Anything less than 1 Mbps likely won’t be a good experience.
Depending on the location of the participant, they may not be able to access Zoom. For example, Zoom is not accessible in countries that are currently being sanctioned by the US government. Participants in these locations may be able to first connect to the University of Richmond VPN and then connect to Zoom, but connecting to a VPN further restricts what may already be a limited connection. This may make Zoom unusably slow.
Participants may experience other limitations — illness, family care responsibilities, lack of a private or safe environment, work schedules, being several time zones away — that prevent them from being present for Zoom meetings and other synchronous activities. Their situation may change quickly, and without warning. Consider 1) providing alternative modes of engagement as early and as frequently as possible, and 2) recording the session so that participants can watch it later.