Teaching Commons > Teaching Guides > Technology > Zoom > Using Zoom+ and Trimodal Rooms

Using Zoom+ and Trimodal Rooms

​Zoom+ Rooms and Trimodal Rooms are software-based teaching spaces that allow for the integration of audio conferencing, wireless screen sharing, and video conferencing. This allows for students to attend class either in-person or remotely through a Zoom meeting.

  • Zoom+ Rooms are equipped with a camera, projector, and microphone to host Zoom meetings and facilitate screen sharing and digital whiteboards.
  • Trimodal Rooms have the same features as Zoom+ Rooms and use additional cameras, including a document camera, to allow instructors to switch between screens. Trimodal Rooms use TV monitors instead of projectors, one of which is an additional touch screen that can be used during meetings.

For information on getting started in Zoom+ and Trimodal Rooms, see the following sections:

For best practices for setting up Zoom meetings, see these sections:

For instructions on using Zoom and its features in a Zoom+ or Trimodal Room, see the following:

Set up a Meeting

To ensure that all students will have access to the Zoom link, meetings for Zoom+ and Trimodal Rooms should be scheduled through D2L.

  1. From the course site, select Edit Course.
  2. Select Zoom.
  3. Select Schedule a New Meeting.
  4. Input the meeting information. (See Creating a Zoom Meeting for more information on meeting settings.)

    Note: Be sure the setting "Enable join before host" is not enabled.

  5. Select Save when finished.
  6. On the page that opens, copy down the Meeting ID [A]. To access the meeting from the Zoom+ or Trimodal Room, instructors will need to input the Meeting ID into the podium computer and the passcode (if set).
  7. The session link will be added to the Course Calendar. It is recommended to also add a direct link to the meeting within the course by copying and pasting the Invite Link [B].
    meeting information

Find Host Key

All Zoom users have a unique host key. For ease of hosting in a Zoom Room, record the host key along with the Meeting ID. This key should be kept private.

  1. Go to depaul.zoom.us.
  2. Sign in with DePaul credentials.
  3. Select Profile.
  4. Scroll to the "Meeting" section.
  5. The host key will be blocked out with asterisks. Select the closed eye icon to reveal the host key and record it.

Check for Updates

Keep the Zoom desktop client updated to ensure that the latest version is being used.

  1. Open and sign into the Zoom desktop client.
  2. Select the profile picture or initials [A].
  3. A menu will open. Select Check for Updates [B].
    account menu in zoom desktop client
  4. Allow the update to download, then select Update.
^^ Back to top

Turn on Technology

Zoom+ Rooms and Trimodal Rooms need to have the touch screen monitor and Desktop Content PC turned on if not on already. In Zoom+ Rooms, the projector will also need to be turned on.

Turn on the Projector

  1. Press the ON button on the remote control.
  2. Wait for the status light on the projector to become solid.

Note: The lamp may take up to 20 seconds to warm up.

Turn on the Touch Screen Monitor

Tap the monitor that is labeled Touch Screen to wake up the Zoom computer and view the Zoom menu.

Turn on the Desktop Content PC

Move the mouse or tap the keyboard to wake up the content PC.

^^ Back to top

Share Content without Zoom

If all students are joining class in-person, instructors can share content using either the Desktop PC or another device.

Share Content with the Desktop Content PC

  1. Tap the monitor labeled Touch Screen to wake up the Zoom monitor and view the Zoom menu.
  2. Move the mouse or tap the keyboard to wake up the content PC.
  3. Tap Content PC on the main Zoom menu.
  4. On the popup that opens, tap Share to Meeting.
  5. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on the keyboard to log into the content PC and use it as normal.

    6. Note: If the PC goes to sleep, the “Start Sharing” option will not display, in its place will be “Plug HDMI cable into device.” This message is misleading as there is no HDMI cable to be plugged in. The PC just needs to be woken up by moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard.

Share Content with a Laptop/Tablet/Phone

  1. Connect the device to WI-FI as this room does not offer a physical cable.
  2. Tap Share Content on the podium touch screen monitor.
  3. Choose an option for sharing:
    • Zoom App: Share screen using the Zoom desktop client. To use, type in the sharing key that displays on the podium touch screen monitor.
    • Use Browser: Share from an external device by navigating to the meeting via share.zoom.
      1. Type in meeting ID on an external device.
      2. Tap Share Screen from the toolbar menu.
      3. Enter meeting passcode.
      4. Select the window to share.
^^ Back to top

Start a Meeting

The Meeting ID is needed to start a meeting in a Zoom+ or Trimodal Room. If a passcode has been set for the meeting, this will be entered as well.

  1. Turn on the computer and tap the screen.
  2. (In Zoom+ Rooms) Turn on the projector using the remote.
  3. Ensure monitor is on and displaying the Zoom menu.
  4. On the touch screen monitor, select Join [A].
    image of a computer monitor with zoom room home menu
  5. Enter the Meeting ID.
  6. Enter the passcode if one was set.
  7. The meeting will begin with the Zoom+ or Trimodal computer as the host.

    8. Note: The room as the host will have limited capabilities.

Change View

  1. Select View in the meeting toolbar.
  2. Choose one of the options:
    • Gallery View: Display the students who have accessed the class remotely.
    • Thumbnail View: Displays the last participant to speak with thumbnails of other participants.
    • Speaker: Display the remote participant who is currently talking.
    • Content Only: Display the PC or document camera content being shared.

      Note: The Content Only option will only become available if the option to share content has already been selected.

^^ Back to top

Share a Screen

  1. Select Share Screen on the meeting toolbar.
  2. Choose an option for sharing:
    • Zoom App: Share from an external device using the Zoom desktop client.
      1. Connect the device to WI-FI as the room does not offer a physical cable.
      2. Type in the sharing key that displays on the podium touch screen monitor.
    • Use Browser: share from an external device by navigating to the meeting via share.zoom.
      1. Type in meeting ID on an external device.
      2. Tap Share Screen from the toolbar menu.
      3. Enter meeting passcode.
      4. Select the window to share.
    • Use laptop with Content PC: Display documents, files, web pages, etc. from the desktop PC.
      1. Tap Start Sharing.

        2. Note: If the PC goes to sleep, the “Start Sharing” option will not display, and in its place will be “Plug HDMI cable into device.” This message is misleading as there is no HDMI cable to be plugged in. The PC just needs to be woken up by moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard.

      2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete on the keyboard to log in and use PC as normal.
  3. To have a student share, select Advanced Sharing Options.
  4. Under "Who Can Share?" select All Participants.

Use the Document Camera

In Trimodal Rooms, there is also a document camera that can be used in class meetings.

  1. Slide the power button on and lift the armature up.
  2. Select Share Screen on the Zoom meeting toolbar.
  3. Select Start Sharing.
  4. When finished, slide the power button into the off position. The image will default back to the Content PC if that was displayed previously.
^^ Back to top

Use a Whiteboard

Zoom Rooms will have two available options for creating a whiteboard:

  • Whiteboard Classic: A legacy version of the whiteboard that allows for simple drawing or collaborative activities
  • Whiteboard New: An updated version that offers more options for sharing the whiteboard and templates for collaborative work

Use Whiteboard Classic

  1. Select Whiteboard on the meeting toolbar.
  2. Select Whiteboard (Classic).
  3. For accessibility, it is recommended to change the background of the whiteboard to black by selecting the moon icon [A].
    image of computer monitor with zoom whiteboard open and label on moon icon
  4. Use the touch-screen monitor to draw or write on the whiteboard.
  5. To close the whiteboard, select Close.
  6. An option to send the whiteboard will open. Skip this or enter an email address to save.

Use Whiteboard New

  1. Select Whiteboard on the meeting toolbar.
  2. Select Whiteboard (New).
  3. Choose whether all participants will be able to Edit or just View the whiteboard.
  4. Choose additional sharing options. 

    Note: If a whiteboard is created in a scheduled meeting, it will automatically be shared with the creator of the meeting via email.

  5. Select a template from the available options or select New to open a blank whiteboard.
  6. Use the touch-screen monitor to draw or write on the whiteboard.
  7. Once finished, select the X in the upper corner of the whiteboard near the sharing key [A].
    image of the corner of the zoom whiteboard with a label on the x symbol
^^ Back to top

Use Additional Controls

Other features can be accessed by selecting the ellipsis (More) on the meeting toolbar.

Change Camera Settings

By default, both the front and back cameras are on. 

  1. Select More.
  2. Select Camera Control.
  3. By default, the Manual settings page will open. There are three main options for adjusting the camera movement:
    • Manual: Camera settings are manually adjusted using controls for panning and zooming as well as pre-set options.
    • Auto-framing: (Not recommended) The camera will automatically readjust and capture a full view of the room. This option is not recommended as it may attempt to capture images on the room monitors.
    • Multi-stream: The “instructor” camera will capture streams of multiple room participants based on movement.
  4. When "Manual" is selected, select the camera name to reveal a dropdown list with both camera names [A].
  5. Select the name of the camera for which to change settings. The "Instructor" camera is in the rear of the room, facing the instructor. The "Classroom" camera is in the front, facing the class.
  6. Choose from 3 preset options [B].
  7. (Optional) Use the + and - buttons to further adjust zoom in and out [C].
  8. Use the arrows to pan the camera in different directions [D].
    image of computer monitor with zoom menu for camera controls open

Record the Meeting

  1. Select More . 
  2. Select Start Recording .
  3. To end the recording, select Stop Recording.
  4. The recording link will be sent to the email of the host that scheduled the meeting.

Record a Class in a Flex Room

Flex courses are not recorded automatically. If instructors plan to share class recordings in D2L, it is recommended to do the following:

  1. Set up Zoom sessions that will automatically record to the cloud (see Creating a Zoom Meeting).
  2. Add a Zoom link to the Content of the D2L site. This will act as a repository for the class recordings that students can access.

Use Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms can be pre-assigned or created in a meeting. See Creating Pre-Assigned Breakout Rooms for information on creating groups ahead of time.

Enable Breakout Rooms

Before breakout rooms can be used in a meeting, users must change settings from the Zoom web portal. See the instructions to Enable Breakout Rooms for information.

Open Breakout Rooms

  1. From the meeting toolbar, select More. 
  2. Select Breakout Rooms.

    Note: If breakout rooms were pre-assigned, use the instructions to Open Pre-Assigned Breakout Rooms.

  3. A popup window will open. Input the number of breakout rooms to create [A].
  4. Choose whether to assign participants manually or automatically [B].
  5. Select Create [C].
    image of desktop monitor with breakout room menu and labels on options
  6. Once groups have been created, select Open All Rooms.
    • To join a breakout room, the host can use the "Join" button from the breakout room assignment window.
    • To leave a breakout room, select Leave. Then, select Leave Breakout Room [A].
      image of desktop monitor with zoom window open and a label on the menu for leaving a breakout room
    • To join a different breakout room, select More in the meeting toolbar. Then, select Breakout Rooms again to pull up the "Breakout Room Assignment" window.

Use Live Transcription

For accessibility purposes, live transcription and captions can be turned on during a class meeting.

  1. From the meeting toolbar, select More.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the "Transcription" tab, select the toggle for Live Transcription.
  4. (Optional) Modify the caption size using the listed options.
  5. When finished, exit the "Settings" window.
  6. All users will be able to see the captions.

Use Polls

Premade polls can be used within a meeting in a Zoom Room. Polls cannot be deployed if a new meeting has been created and started from the desktop, and they cannot be created from the desktop. Polls can only be deployed if the meeting and poll(s) were created ahead of time. See Zoom's guide on creating polls for more information on creating premade polls.

The Zoom Room must be host or cohost of the meeting to deploy a poll.

  1. From the meeting toolbar, select More.
  2. Select Polls/Quizzes.

    Note: This option will only be available if there are premade polls attached to the meeting. See Zoom's guide on creating polls for more information.

  3. A window will open displaying the available polls. Select the poll to launch.
  4. The poll question will display. Select Launch Poll.
^^ Back to top

Use the Zoom Client in a Zoom Room

Some standard Zoom features are not accessible from the podium monitor in a Zoom Room. To use these features, instructors can download the Zoom client to their laptop and bring it into the Zoom Room. The Zoom client can be downloaded from depaul.zoom.us.

To use a laptop in a Zoom Room, note that the audio and microphone on the laptop must be muted.

Note: For large classes or classes in which these tools will be used frequently, instructors can request an Online Learning Assistant (OLA). Instructors can meet with the instructional designer assigned to their department to decide if an OLA would be beneficial.

Mute Zoom Client Audio

In order to use a laptop and the Zoom client in a Zoom Room, the microphone and audio on the laptop must be muted once the meeting has been started.

  1. On the laptop, use the Zoom client to start the meeting.
  2. If not muted by default, mute the microphone by selecting the microphone.
  3. Mute audio on the laptop. Depending on the laptop model, this setting may be on the keyboard or in the system preferences.

Use Chat

Chat is available in Zoom+ and Trimodal Rooms on the podium monitor. However, if chat is necessary for the class meeting, it is recommended to use a laptop with the Zoom client for ease of viewing notifications and for the ability for the host to respond to participants. See the Zoom page on Using in-meeting Chat for more information.


Pair a Whiteboard

To assign a participant as owner, allowing for additional sharing options, users can pair a laptop with a whiteboard. This option is only available with Whiteboard New. 

  1. With the whiteboard up on the desktop monitor, select the pairing icon in the Zoom client [A].
    screenshot of the zoom desktop client with a label on the pairing icon
  2. When prompted in the Zoom client, choose self as owner.
  3. On the desktop monitor, select the participant icons [A].
  4. To request that participants follow along with edits as they are made, select the magnet icon next to the picture of the participant to follow [B]. To request to follow another collaborator, select the binoculars icon next to the collaborator's picture [C].
    screenshot of the participants area in zoom whiteboard
  5. Continue using the whiteboard. To navigate between pages, select the page icon [A].
    screenshot of zoom whiteboard pagecount

    Note: This icon may be hidden behind the participant count.

^^ Back to top