Tips to Help Avoid Zoom Bombing

Contributed by Sam Houston, Learning Technology Administrator

Zoom bombing refers to the unauthorized intrusion into a Zoom virtual meeting by an individual or group with the intent to disrupt the session. This can take many forms, such as using vulgar or offensive language, displaying explicit or disturbing images, and hijacking the screen to share inappropriate content. In some cases, zoom bombers might also use the opportunity to steal sensitive information, such as passwords.

Zoom bombing has become a growing concern as the use of Zoom, and other video conferencing platforms has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for virtual classes and meetings. The ease of accessing Zoom meetings and the lack of security measures have made it easier for attackers to disrupt these sessions. To protect against zoom bombing, it is important to take the necessary steps to secure your Zoom meetings, such as using passwords, waiting rooms, and enabling controls for screen sharing and file transfers.

To access Zoom in a browser window and set up a meeting, first log into https://go.uhcl.edu, then click the Zoom tile. Below are some tips to help prevent Zoom bombing in your meetings – settings can be implemented during the meeting creation process and during the meeting.

• Use a Waiting Room: This feature allows you to control who can join your meeting and ensures that only authorized participants enter. Note: In UHCL’s Zoom settings, the waiting room is selected by default. To avoid unwanted users joining your meeting, please do not disable the waiting room. Instead, designate someone to join your meeting simply to monitor the waiting room and to let invited participants into the meeting.
• Enable Passcode: Requiring a passcode to join a meeting adds an extra layer of security. Make sure to share the passcode only with those who need it – Zoom automatically creates a passcode. Note: In UHCL’s Zoom settings, the passcode is selected by default. If you share the invite link, the passcode is in the link, so anyone with the link will be able to join the meeting. Make sure to send the invite link only to those users you want to join your meeting. Alternatively, share the meeting ID and passcode with those users you want to join your meeting. Below is a screenshot of what the Passcode and Waiting Room settings look like when you set up a meeting in Zoom. To prevent unwanted users, please leave both boxes checked when creating a meeting!
  

• Meeting ID Automatic Generation: Instead of using your Personal Meeting ID for meetings, allow Zoom to generate an automatic meeting ID. This will prevent users from attempting to join your personal meeting at any time outside of a scheduled meeting.
  

• Enable Screen Sharing Controls: You can control who can share their screen during a meeting. In a browser window, log into https://go.uhcl.edu and click the Zoom Tile. Go to Settings > In Meeting (Advanced) > Screen Sharing and select "Host Only" to prevent unauthorized screen sharing. Additionally, the “Share Screen” settings can be edited during a meeting. At the bottom of the Zoom screen, click the up-arrow next to Share Screen > Click Advanced Sharing Options.

• Disable File Transfer: Zoom allows you to disable the file transfer feature in settings, which can prevent the sharing of inappropriate or malicious files.

• Use the Remove a Participant Feature or Report a User Feature: If someone starts to cause problems in your meeting, you can remove them by clicking “Remove” or "Report” from the Participants screen. To remove or report a participant, click the three dots next to their name in the Participants list and click Remove or Report and follow the popup prompts (Please see the screenshots below).

• Educate Your Participants: Let your participants know the rules of the meeting and what is expected of them! Encourage them to report any disruptive behavior.

By following these tips, you can help ensure that your Zoom meetings are secure and free from disruptive behavior.

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to contact the OIT Support Center at either 281-283-2828 or supportcenter@uhcl.edu, and a member of our team will be in touch to assist!

Canvas Preview Tip: Using Rubrics with Canvas Discussions

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

What is a rubric? A Canvas rubric is an assessment tool used in the learning management system (LMS) Canvas. It allows teachers to create a set of criteria for evaluating student work and assign point values to those criteria. The rubric is then used as a guide for grading and provides a clear and consistent framework for evaluating student performance. The points are summed up to arrive at a total score, which provides a quantitative measure of the student's performance on a particular assignment or project.

Why would I use a rubric? Instructors use Canvas rubrics for several reasons:

• Clarity and consistency: A well-designed rubric provides a clear and concise set of criteria for evaluating student work, making it easier for instructors to grade assignments and provide constructive feedback.
• Improved communication: A Canvas rubric helps instructors communicate their expectations to students, reducing the likelihood of confusion or misunderstandings.
• Objectivity: Using a rubric helps instructors to grade assignments objectively, reducing the influence of personal biases and ensuring that all students are evaluated according to the same standards.
• Increased efficiency: Grading with a rubric can be faster and more efficient than grading without one. It eliminates the need for instructors to create grading criteria from scratch for each assignment, allowing them to simply refer to the rubric for guidance.
• Student engagement: Providing students with a copy of the rubric before an assignment is due can help to improve their understanding of the assignment requirements and increase their engagement in the learning process.

For our Canvas “early birds” and “early adopters,” the following steps outline how you can add a rubric to a graded discussion in Canvas. To access these steps accompanied by screen captures, please visit our blog post of this article.

Start by clicking the Discussion link in the Canvas course menu and then click on the discussion name to which you want to add a rubric.

 The default screen after Add a Rubric prompts you to create a new one from scratch. To do so, you will enter a title for the rubric, create the rubric criteria, ratings, and points, choose your options, and click the Create Rubric button.

You can also use an existing rubric. To find an existing rubric, click the Find a Rubric link. You can find rubrics that were created in previous graded discussions as well as rubrics created in other courses where you have an instructor role. To find an existing rubric you will first need to select the course from the left column. In the second column, locate and click the name of a rubric. You can view the criteria and points in each rubric and set rubric options. To select a rubric for the graded discussion, scroll to the bottom of the rubric and click the Use This Rubric button.

For both new rubrics and using existing rubrics, the options include the following:

• Option 1: Write free-form comments to students in SpeedGrader. With using this option, no ratings are used to assess the student, and criterion values are assigned manually.
• Option 2: Removal of points from the rubric. You use this option to remove points from the rubric. Students can still be rated using the rubric criterion.
• Option 3: Don’t Post to the Grade Book. Students can see rubric and outcome results in the grades and submission details pages, but results will not be posted to the Learning Mastery Gradebook.
• Option 4: Use the Rubric for Grading. Use the SpeedGrader with the rubric to grade assignments.
• Option 5: If you don't want students to see the score total for the rubric, select the Hide score total for assessment results. Students can still see the point values for each criterion, but the total score will not be shown at the bottom of the rubric. This option is only available if the rubric is not used for grading and only applies to students when they view rubrics from the Grades page.

In the coming months, we will explore tools in Canvas that support teaching and learning in greater detail. For more information, check out the Canvas Basic Guide by Instructure. In the meantime, if you have any Canvas-related questions, please contact OIT's Support Center. Our Support Center colleagues will create a help ticket for your request, and it will be assigned to the most appropriate member of the IDT team.