Tips on Attending Your Zoom Classes

Attending your zoom classes might seem to be the same as attending your live ones, but it is, in fact, completely different. Have you ever noticed that it’s harder for you to focus on the topic when the class is online? It is the first difficulty that most of the students face now with the changes in a learning format. Keep reading this article to learn more about how you can make the most out of your zoom classes and improve your productivity as an online student.

Learn More about Zoom Etiquette

Yes, there are some basic rules for attending online classes that are quite similar to the rules of attending your live classes. You probably are familiar with all or at least with the majority of them. Here are a few:

• Be polite, and don’t speak without reason. Imagine everybody speaking during the call. That would be impossible to hear your professor talking. That’s why you should speak only when you are asked or when you need to ask a question.
• Mute your microphone. Muting your microphone is necessary so that you don’t disturb other conference members with random noises like your phone ringing or a car driving next to your window. Everyone should have an opportunity to focus on what your professor is saying.
• Stick to the instructions provided by your professor. It might be required for you to join a zoom call with your camera on or don’t speak throughout the conference and use the specific button to “raise your hand.” Always follow these instructions and make sure you check your syllabus before the class starts.
• Don’t make fun of your professors and group mates. It’s an obvious rule but the one which is often omitted. Students pull various pranks on their teachers and each other, and it’s definitely a no-no.

The rules above are just the basic instruction on how you should behave during your classes. In any case, be free to ask your professor about specific requirements regarding your online classes.

Find a Perfect Spot 

The place where you study is one of the key factors that affect your concentration and productivity. There are a lot of things that you should pay attention to when organizing your study space, such as:

• Enough lighting. Good lighting is highly important when you are studying or working. Make sure you study next to a window to get the most out of the daylight and pay attention when picking light bulbs for your lamps or ceiling lights as they differ depending on the color temperature. Make sure you pay attention to the marking on them: 3,500 to 4,500 K means that the bulb will produce natural light, which is the best solution to avoid eye strain. Bulbs with warm light (1,500 to 3,000 K) allow you to relax and rest, which is good for your bedroom but not for your studying. On the other hand, bulbs with cooler light (around 6,000 K) are great for workspaces and help you focus but might not be appropriate for a bedroom. 
• No distracting noises. It’s crucial to create a place free from outer noises for you to focus on the class and show respect to other members of a group call. Close the door when your class starts and asks your family or roommates to avoid walking into your room while you are studying. You should also mute your phone and turn off your TV.
• Comfortable seat. The chair that you are sitting on while on your zoom classes should be comfortable and appropriate for work on your computer. It’s not the best choice to sit on your bed during zoom calls, as it might negatively affect your focus and also will be spotted by other members if your camera is on.

Sometimes it’s hard to find a perfect place for studying that would satisfy all of the criteria above. It would be excellent if everyone would have a separate room for classes at home, but it’s not that easy to make it real. So, just try to pick as a quiet and comfortable place as possible.

Use All the Features

When talking about computer software, we always should understand that we all don’t use popular programs the same way. Why? Because there are more experienced users who know how they can ease their lives with hotkeys, settings, etc.

Here are a few pro tips that you will definitely find useful when using Zoom:

1. Record your classes. It’s great when you have an opportunity to go back to the class that you had last week and freshen up the material in your mind or edit your notes if you have missed something. Recoding your classes is also useful when you just can’t focus during the class itself and would like to rewatch it later. Zoom allows you to record your conference calls with just one button hit.
2. Change default settings. If you are afraid that someone might see or hear more than you would like them to by accident, be sure to make your camera and microphone turned off as a default setting. This way, you will have more control over these instruments when joining a call.
3. Use hotkeys: spacebar – push to talk; Command + Shift + F to enter or exit full-screen mode; Options + Y to raise a hand. This is way faster and easier than clicking Zoom buttons.
4. Take advantage of the “share the screen” button whenever you need to ask something that is easier to show on your screen.
5. Change your background so no one can see how messy your room is.

These were the best tips from us on how you can improve your online studying with Zoom. We hope that you will find our tips useful. Good luck with your studies!