Online Meetings

Introduction

Regardless of whether you are teaching a face-to-face class, a fully online class, or a hybrid between the two, it is important to know what tools are out there for you to use and to know the features, advantages, benefits, and limitations of each tool. This page serves to help you navigate through the entire online meetings toolkit.

Available Tools List

    • Telephone: a system for transmitting voices over a distance - but you already knew that!
    • Blackboard Collaborate: provides a simple and reliable virtual classroom solution to power your online teaching and web conferencing needs.
    • Cisco Webex: virtually meet with other people, without leaving your home or office
    • Microsoft Teams (formally Skype for Business): Host Meetings. Instant Messaging. Call From Anywhere. Cloud Phone System. Video Conferencing. App Integrations.
    • Zoom: Set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities.

Features, Advantages, Benefits, Limitations

Technology Use Case

Limitations

Login


Features

Support

Resources

quick one to one, audio only

3 way conference call, audio only

not needed

requires little technological knowledge.

help@umaryland.edu

Resources

Microsoft Teams

text chat, audio and/or video calls

Only can be used within UMB community

UMID login, available to all

help@umaryland.edu,

UMB Campus Quick Guides

virtual class meetings, office hours

limited to people in a Blackboard course unless using the Guest Speaker function

available to all via integrated Blackboard courses/organizations, or via IDEA Team

allows easy breakout rooms

ideateam@ssw.umaryland.edu

Tutorials/Resources

virtual class meetings, webinars

difficult to save a recording for editing or future use, complicated user experience. Difficult to launch for some users.

UMID login, available to all

chat feature, video conferencing, telephone call in, mute/unmute

help@umaryland.edu

https://www.umaryland.edu/cits/services/webex/

virtual class meetings, class check-ins, social gatherings, office hours, student group meetings, guest speakers, gatherings

recordings can only be saved to a computer

UMID login, available to faculty and staff

breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds, low latency, easy user experience, chat feature, polls, video conferencing, Brady Bunch grid, telephone call in, mute/unmute all functionality, easy to setup, lots of features.

help@umaryland.edu