This article is part of a larger series on Remote Teaching Resources

For a detailed comparison of Google Meet, Zoom, and Canvas, please scroll to the end of this article.

Proper "Netiquette" For Video Conferencing

In the same way, in-person classes and meetings require proper etiquette for attendance, order & productivity, virtual meetings require their own "netiquette" to help optimize everyone's experience.  Read this article for guidelines on how to best host & attend a video conference.

Asynchronous Applications

Video conferencing software is the primary tool for Synchronous online teaching.  However Google Meet, Zoom, and Canvas all have the ability to record their meetings, which you can post for your students to view later.

Synchronous Applications

Canvas Conferencing, Zoom, and Google Meet are all synchronous options for conducting remote classes. You and your students will be able to see each other in a video call during your regularly scheduled class time. Some general notes about video conferencing for synchronous remote classes:

• Class meetings should occur during the regular time slot of the class to prevent scheduling issues with other classes.
• Make sure students have access to the call well before class time so that they are not late for the call.
• Regardless of what video conferencing software you use, Canvas should still be used for assignment submissions, distributing files to students, grading reporting, etc.

Google Meet

All apu.edu accounts have access to Google Meet. It is a free video-conferencing service offered through Google which can be connected directly to your Google Calendar. For detailed instructions on how to schedule Google Meet meetings, please reference our Google Meet instruction article for basic instructions on using Google Meet.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing service that is new to many at APU. Zoom offers optimized video conferencing for large groups, up to 100 callers. For more instruction, check out Zoom’s 1-minute quickstart videos or their more in-depth video tutorials & training.

Canvas

For more information on using Canvas Conferences, check out Canvas' support page.

Video Conferencing Software Comparison

* Zoom can integrate to automatically create Zoom events in Google calendar. This requires installing the Zoom for GSuite browser extension.

† Google has temporarily enabled this feature through July 1st, 2020.

‡ Google Meet does not have “moderator-only” controls. Any participant can screen share, mute participants, or kick participants.