Student Tips for Online, Hybrid, and Flexible Course Modalities

Students taking a class in-person, with peers online, should bring a device with them to class (either a smartphone or a laptop) so that they can log-in to Zoom during the class. (Check with instructor to be sure the class rules permit). 

Students can engage in the chat with their online peers when necessary, and they can access resources their professor might share for everyone over Zoom. 

Need a laptop?  

IRT is providing laptops for temporary long-term on and off-campus use. Links to an external site. 

Fully charge your devices as Zoom will increase battery use or bring charger to recharge on campus. 

Zoom sessions tend to drain the battery of your device quickly. 

Set up Canvas notifications in your Canvas Student app or your browser version of Canvas. Notifications are sent as one of four delivery types: notify me right away, daily summary, weekly summary, or do not send.  

Notifications can be set up by the student according to their preferences. Stay up-to-date with important announcements, due dates, and Canvas messages.  

How to set your Canvas notification preferences as a student. Links to an external site.  

Download Canvas mobile app and the Sac State mobile app 

Canvas courses can be accessed through a mobile device. For some students, apps are a more convenient way to access the course. Sac State provides campus updates that can be read on the app as well as the campus website. 

Download and learn more about the Sac State Mobile App Links to an external site.  

Download and learn more about the Canvas Student App Links to an external site.  

Rename in yourself in Zoom to your preferred name and add your pronouns or verify that you are logged in from your Sac State Zoom account. 

Some teachers take roll and can create a report of meeting attendees. 

To rename yourself in a Zoom meeting: click the Participants button, hover over your Name and click More, and select Rename from the drop-down. 

Add a picture/avatar to your Zoom profile. 

Your image will appear if you can't have your camera on. 

To update your Zoom profile Links to an external site.: go to csus.zoom.us and sign in with your Sac State username and password.    

Say your name first when you ask a question or speak to the whole class. 

Students both online and in-person can get to know each other and get to hear each other's names. 

For students in the classroom, offer to monitor the chat and look for raised hands. 

The instructor may not see that there are students online who have asked questions in the chat space. 

All students on Zoom, whether they are in-person or online, keep the device microphones muted when they are not speaking. 

Feedback from the microphones will create a loud echo or screeching noise during the Zoom session. 

Video: How to participate in a Zoom Class Session Links to an external site. 

For students in-person logged in on Zoom, keep your device speakers turned off. 

Keeping the device’s audio on will create noise feedback from multiple audio sources in the room. 

Use reactions in Zoom 

Reactions such as the thumbs up or clapping images will allow student to share their reactions silently for the whole class to view and will show in the student's personal window. 

For students online, if possible, turn camera on so that your instructor can identify you and increase your engagement with the content and your peers. Use the Zoom blur background setting and add a virtual background if your device can support virtual backgrounds. 

Virtual backgrounds increase your privacy of your home and reduce distractions from actions going on in the background. 

How to set up/change your virtual background in Zoom. Links to an external site.  

Having connectivity problems? Turn off camera to improve Wi-Fi connectivity and lower bandwidth.  

A student who is experiencing issues with Zoom such as stuttering or lag, due to low internet bandwidth, should disable their camera to increase their connectivity quality. 

System Requirements for Zoom  

Tip  

Reason 

How To 

Save chat and transcript if available 

Students may find it useful to review the chat conversation, especially if there is a lot written while you are viewing the lecture or on-screen actions. The auto live transcript generated during the session can be useful to review for following on note taking purposes. 

How to Save the Zoom chat. Links to an external site.