»How Can a Guest Speaker on Zoom See and Engage With Students in the Classroom?

Chapman classrooms are equipped with special technology for hosting Zoom meetings, which makes it possible for a guest speaker to join your class from almost anywhere in the world via Zoom.  We have two main types of Zoom-enabled classrooms: Connect and Flexcam.  In Connect classrooms, the classroom camera is fixed and faces the front of the room.  In Flexcam classrooms, the classroom camera can be turned to face the students.

When you have a guest speaker joining your class via Zoom, you likely want your guest speaker to be able to see your students in the classroom and engage with them.  This page presents a few different ways to accomplish that in a Connect classroom using additional cameras.

This page assumes that you have already created a Zoom meeting, shared the Zoom meeting information with your guest speaker, and started the Zoom meeting in the classroom.  If you need a refresher on these preliminary steps, please see: Using Zoom in Your Classroom.

In the following 7-minute video (recorded in a Chapman Connect classroom), we demonstrate three different options for allowing a guest speaker on Zoom to see and engage with students who are physically present in the classroom.  You can select CC in the lower-right corner of the video to turn on captions.

To help you choose the best option for you and your students, we have also summarized the options below, including the instructions and pros and cons for each option.

Option Instructions Pros Cons

Instructor joins the Zoom meeting on a second device in the classroom

(for example, an iPhone or laptop with webcam)
  • Open the Zoom app on your device.
  • Sign in via SSO with your Chapman Zoom account.
  • Select Join.
  • Enter the Meeting ID of the Zoom meeting running in the classroom.
  • Select Don't connect to audio.
  • Join the meeting.
  • Turn video on.
  • Face the camera toward the classroom.
  • Simple solution.
  • You are in control.
  • If you use a mobile device, you can move around the classroom, allowing for dynamic interaction with your students and guest speaker.
  • Risk of audio interference (feedback) if you accidentally connect to audio in the Zoom meeting on your second device.
Instructor requests a flex cam from Media Services
  • Open a Service Desk ticket to request a flex cam.
  • Be sure to provide as much context as possible and include your classroom information.
  • Media Services will work with you to determine if a flex cam is the right solution for your needs and if one is available.
  • Provides an additional camera that can face the classroom.
  • Easy to use.
  • No risk of audio interference.
  • Requires advance planning.
  • May not work in some classrooms.
  • May not be available.
Students join the Zoom meeting on their devices in the classroom
  • Share the Zoom Meeting ID with students.
  • Students open the Zoom app on their devices.
  • Select Join.
  • Enter the Meeting ID of the Zoom meeting running in the classroom.
  • Select Don't connect to audio.
  • Join the meeting.
  • Turn video on.
  • Guest speaker can see students very well.
  • Students can use Zoom features (such as reactions and chat) to engage with the guest speaker.
  • Risk of audio interference (feedback) if students accidentally connect to audio in the Zoom meeting on their devices.  With many people joining the Zoom meeting in the classroom, there is a greater chance of this happening, and it can be difficult to determine which device is causing the interference.

What if someone accidentally connects to audio?

If you opt to join the Zoom meeting on a second device or have your students join the Zoom meeting on their devices in the classroom, you may hear feedback due to someone accidentally connecting to audio.  Fortunately, this is easy to fix.

If someone has accidentally connected to audio, they will see a microphone in the lower-left corner of the Zoom meeting on their device.  The microphone may be muted or unmuted.

Not Connected to Audio Connected to Audio
Not connected to audio in Zoom Connected to audio in Zoom

They can select the caret next to the microphone to leave audio.

Leaving audio in Zoom

Questions? Need support?