Wayne State has acquired a license for the popular Zoom video communication service, and Computing & Information Technology (C&IT) is making final preparations to begin distribution of accounts.

Beginning Monday, June 29, Wayne State students, faculty and staff will be able to host Zoom meetings that last longer than 40 minutes.

"We're anticipating that all accounts will be available by July 6," said C&IT Associate Director of Academic Applications, Nathan Chavez. "Zoom is going to make a big difference in how our faculty are able to work with students in online courses."

The Zoom license was purchased to replace Big Blue Button as the university's online conferencing tool for the classroom, a change scheduled after the end of the 2020 spring/summer semester. Wayne State administrative staff should continue using Microsoft Teams for day-to-day collaboration and conferencing, as it is tightly integrated with Office 365.

Wayne State Zoom license features 

• Host meetings up to 24 hours in length
• Up to 300 attendees per meeting
• Participants can join via computer, mobile app (iOS Android), or phone call
• In-meeting collaboration options
  • Breakout Rooms
  • Polling
  • Chat and File Transfer
• Accessibility options
  • Record meetings and save them online (transcription available)
  • Closed captioning options

It is important to note that the university's Zoom license excludes premium features such as Zoom Webinar, Zoom Rooms, and the Healthcare option. Wayne State departments that require these features must purchase and maintain separate Zoom licenses; contact the C&IT Help Desk or fill out this request form to discuss your needs.

C&IT is finalizing the integration of Zoom with Wayne State’s technology infrastructure. When complete, enrolled students — as well as current faculty and staff — will enjoy: 

• Easy access to Zoom with your AccessID and password
• Seamless connection with our learning management system, Canvas
• Schedule, host or attend online meetings directly from Outlook

"There is a lot of excitement around Zoom and the possibilities for the virtual classroom. I look forward to seeing Warriors using this new tool to remain safe while continuing to teach, learn and collaborate," said Chavez.

Next week we will share additional details, including how to convert Zoom accounts to the Wayne State license and a training schedule. In the meantime, check out live Zoom webinars, video tutorials, and Wayne State curated list of Zoom online documentation.

For questions or concerns about Zoom, contact the C&IT Help Desk or submit a support request form at go.wayne.edu/zoomform.

C&IT is Wayne State University's central IT organization, in the Division of Academic Affairs. Daren Hubbard is Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Wayne State University and Associate Vice President for C&IT. For support Wayne State IT systems or services, please contact the C&IT Help Desk at 313-577-4357 or helpdesk@wayne.edu. Find FAQs at tech.wayne.edu/kb and follow us on Twitter @WayneStateCIT for instant updates.