Zoom, UNC’s remote conferencing tool, is available to all students, faculty and staff.

During summer 2021, the campus ITS Service Desk began managing and facilitating all UNC Zoom user accounts and the scheduling of Zoom webinar tokens. Requests for assistance with either Zoom service should be submitted to help.unc.edu or by calling (919) 962-HELP.

Specific assistance with Gillings Zoom classroom use and Gillings Zoom account settings should be directed to Gillings Instructional Media Services group sph_av@unc.edu or calling (919) 966-6536.

General Questions and Requests

  • Campus Ticketing System: https://help.unc.edu/
  • Campus Help Desk: 919-962-HELP (4357)
  • Gillings Instructional Media Services (IMS) Phone: 919-966-6536
  • Gillings Instructional Media Services: sph_av@unc.edu
Helpful Teaching Tips and Resources:
Launch Zoom.

Getting Started

If you're brand new to Zoom at UNC, take a look at Zoom Getting Started for instructions on how to set up your account.

Before you use Zoom, you must install the Zoom software for your device. Start by going to the Zoom Download Center or go to unc.zoom.us and select "Download" in the footer.

It’s a good idea to install that software ahead of time so it doesn’t delay your first meeting. However, if you haven’t yet done that, Zoom will automatically start downloading the application to your device when you click on a meeting link. You’ll need to install it before you can start your meeting.

We also recommend reading through our Remote Conferencing Best Practices page for some helpful tips to ensure the best possible conferencing experience.

Zoom Meetings (Campus)

All UNC faculty, staff and students now have access to Professional Level Accounts with ZOOM. These campus accounts will allow up to 300 users to all talk, be seen and share their screens with each other, as though everyone is sitting in a virtual conference room. Access to larger meetings and webinars is available by submitting a help desk ticket to campus.

To request larger meeting account, submit a Campus Web Conferencing Request.

Zoom Webinars (Campus)

With Zoom, not all online meetings are “Webinars.” Zoom Webinars are Broadcast style large online video streams where 500 or more Viewers can watch a presentation from one or a small group of Presenters. Viewers do not have microphone or camera access but can communicate with the Presenters only by text-based chat.

To request larger meeting account, submit a Campus Web Conferencing Request.

Classroom and Conference Room Use (Gillings)

All Gillings classrooms and conference rooms managed by the school’s Instructional Media Services group are equipped with a camera and microphones to originate Zoom sessions. Browse to Remote Conferencing Technology to view Gillings School classrooms and conference rooms that include an advanced camera system or webcam to use for remote conferencing.

For more information about using Zoom in Gillings classrooms and conference room spaces, feel free to contact the school’s Instructional Media Services office at (919) 966-6536 or email at sph_av@unc.edu.

Zoom Recording

Users have the following options to record Zoom Sessions:

1. Local Device Recording
2. Short-Term Cloud Recording (Gillings)
Due to space limitations, Gillings Cloud Recorded files are typically stored for only 30-day intervals. Zoom Cloud Recordings are automatically copied to your account in the campus video hosting platform Panopto. For Panopto, Sakai and strategy help from Gillings Educational Technology, contact sph-edtech@unc.edu.

For more info on Gillings Zoom recording, visit the Recording in Zoom page.

FERPA Compliance: Public recordings cannot capture any student identifying data (including images, names and voices) without express written consent from the students. (We can provide a media release form (PDF) for you to use to get consent). Visit Rice University’s FERPA and Lecture Capture FAQs for more details. Note: If you are recording a meeting in an advanced classroom or auditorium, please contact AV Services to discuss your recording options.

Remote Conferencing Best Practices

Whether you are using Zoom or another web conferencing platform, there are a few things you can do to help ensure good quality communication. Visit the Remote Conferencing Best Practices page.

Zoom Security Recommendations

Zoombombing is a new form of trolling in which a participant uses Zoom’s screensharing and chat features to interrupt and disrupt meetings and classes. Below are some strategies you can use to prevent and manage Zoombombing attempts in your virtual meetings. First Things First

  • Start ALL meetings and classes by logging into Zoom at unc.zoom.us.
  • Logging in ensures you have all the controls and features to manage your meetings.
  • Your Zoom Application on your computer can be set to automatically log in. Just open your Zoom Application and click the Settings gear in the top right corner, then check the box for “Start Zoom when I start Windows.”
  • Open your Zoom Application and click the account icon in the Top Right, then click Check for Updates to ensure you have access to the latest and strongest Security features, update your software.
Suggested Zoom Security Features

Gillings Zoom and FERPA

Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines, public recordings (those available without a password to anyone who has a link, or any recording that can be forwarded to others) should NOT capture any student identifying data (including images, names and voices) without express written consent from the students. Faculty who record classes should ONLY distribute recordings using Sakai - this limits to participants in the course section that is being recorded. By limiting distribution to students who have been recorded, student images, names, and voices can be recorded and shared without violating FERPA. Student meetings should NOT be shared with anyone other than the student and appropriate administrative and technology support.

Feel free to use a Gillings media release form (PDF) and have participants sign if you need to obtain consent for public use, which includes reuse of recordings for future terms. Maintain consent records in your own files. We strongly encourage ALL faculty and organizers, who wish to record classes and events whether private or public recordings to ALWAYS inform participants (students, guest lecturers, etc) prior to the recorded session and by joining they consent to being recorded.

Zoom HIPAA Accounts

Zoom has signed a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to allow users to connect with Zoom in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines. The agreement permits a user’s Zoom account to be placed into a HIPAA compliant space that is configured to protect the security and privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI). To request a consultation and account transfer, please submit a help ticket.

Changing a user account's status into a HIPAA compliant account will restrict a number of features within Zoom. Below details the restrictions required by Zoom and additional restrictions placed by the university to further protect users and data:

Restrictions Required by Zoom

  • HIPAA accounts have the ability to create Zoom Cloud recordings; however, these will be available from Zoom for only 30 days and will not be transferred to the Panopto Service. Once deleted, these recordings will be moved to your Cloud Recordings trash bin for 30 days. Note that shared links to deleted recordings will no longer work while they are in your trash bin or when they are permanently deleted. You may temporarily recover a recording for one day, after which it will automatically move back to your trash bin.
  • Device / User information is restricted from user access. Although users are able to see screen names during meetings, device or user names are unable to be stored or retrieved and are anonymous in reports.
  • Users are unable to copy and paste text or images through the chat screen.
  • Require encryption for 3rd party videoconference system endpoints (H.323/SIP) for all members of the account. Note, some H323 or SIP devices may not be able to support this level of encryption and therefore will not be able to connect to Zoom meetings.

Restrictions Required by UNC-Chapel Hill Campus
  • Requires a password when scheduling new meetings
  • No File Transfer through in-meeting chat
  • No auto-saving of chat conversations
  • No live stream meetings to Facebook, YouTube, etc
  • No access Remote Control Feature
  • No access to Far-End Camera Controls
  • No Meeting Host 1:1 Remote Support

Captioning Options

The UNC-Chapel Hill Digital Accessibility Office published new information pages on captioning for Video and Audio on their website. 

Any live video event produced by UNC should have some form of live captions. Captions help to ensure equal access to content while also being in compliance with federal laws and university policy. For large public and high profile events we recommend a live human captioner over automatic captions to ensure a higher accuracy.

Caption and Transcript Best Practice
The best practices listed on this page provide an overview of what to consider when creating captions or a transcript.

Live Human Caption Providers
We recommend hiring a live human captioner for all prominent events with high attendance. Live human captioners provide the most accurate and secure captions for your event.

LNS Captioning - Third party vendor Gillings has used for past Zoom webinars and webcasts

Automatic Captions for Live Video

  • Zoom Meetings – This feature is new for Zoom and may not be available to all users yet.  (Breakout rooms do not support automatic) live captions
  • Zoom Webinars – This feature is new for Zoom and may not be available to all users yet.
Zoom Live Transcripts (Live Captions) – NEW!!!!
Zoom calls their new automatic live captioning service, Live Automatic Transcriptions. This is a new feature Zoom will be officially rolling out en masse soon. Many UNC accounts already have access to this feature, but some may not.

Captioning Vendors (post recorded content)
Feel free to research the company that will work best for you. The two companies that the DAO has some experience with are 3Play Media and Rev.

*Captioning Decision Tree
Use this decision tree to determine what captioning technology to use for your upcoming live, online video event, conference, or training or for your pre-recorded videos.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I create a Zoom account?
For UNC employees or those with UNC ONYEN credentials simply go to the unc.zoom.us landing page and click on the Sign In link or button then log in using your ONYEN. Your Zoom account will instantly be created and you will be taken to the profile page of your Zoom account webpage. You can return to your Zoom account webpage at any time in the future by returning to the ucop.zoom.us landing page and clicking on the Sign-in link or button.

How do I integrate Zoom into my Outlook Meetings?
Zoom has an Office 365 Add-in available that provides a quick Zoom meeting button inside your Outlook calendar interface. Instructions for setting up this Add-in are available at the Zoom support website.

Can I specify someone else as the host for my Zoom meeting?
Yes. You can specify in advance an alternative host for your Zoom meeting provided they also have an SPH Zoom account or during a meeting you can make any participant a host. To specify in advance an alternative host for one of your Zoom meetings you may either schedule a new meeting or edit an existing meeting from the Meetings section of your Zoom account webpage and then enter the email address of one or more people in the Alternative Hosts field of the meeting settings. During a meeting you may make another participant a host by either right-clicking on their video pane and selecting Make Host or selecting Manage Participants from the meeting toolbar then selecting the More button beside the participant you wish to make host and then selecting the Make Host option. For more information about Alternative Host see the article on the Zoom support website.

What’s the difference between Alternative Host and Co-host? Which do I need for my meetings?
An Alternative Host is assigned while the meeting is being scheduled. This is a user who can fill in in the event that the scheduling Host does not attend the meeting. Think of the Alternative Host like an understudy in a play. If the Host is present, then the Alternative joins the meeting just like any other participant. If the Host is not present, the Alternative takes charge.
Co-hosts are more like assistants. Co-hosts are assigned after the meeting has already started. The Host can promote a participant to be a Co-host by clicking their name in the Manage Participants tab, then selecting “Make Co-Host.” Co-hosts have most of the capabilities of a Host, except they cannot manage breakout rooms and cannot remove the host from the meeting. More Alternative and Co-Host Info (PDF)

Can I assign my Zoom Schedule Permission to someone else?
Yes. You can assign your Zoom schedule privilege to one or more people of your choosing provided they also have an SPH Zoom account. Note that the Zoom scheduling privilege is for creating meetings in Zoom and not for creating Outlook meeting invitations to Zoom meetings which is a separate delegation done in Outlook. To assign your Zoom scheduling privileges go to the Other section under the Meeting tab of your Meeting Settings and click the + symbol next to Schedule Privilege then enter the email address of one or more people (in the format onyen@email.unc.edu). For more information on Scheduling Privilege see the article on the Zoom Support website.

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