Zoom for Education – Virtual learning has converted the new normal for many teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Although the transition may not be easy, we want to provide resources to help users create safe and effective virtual classrooms on Zoom.
We have registered some frequently asked questions about using Zoom in virtual education and online learning.
Table of Contents
Zoom Meetings or Zoom Video Webinars to host a class?
Both meetings and seminars are two great ways to connect and engage with large audiences and even collect information of interest when requesting registration. However, conferences and webinars have some differences:
- Meetings planned to be highly collaborative, allowing attendees to use audio and video, share their screen, and explain in a live, interactive environment.
- Webinars give you more control over your audience. Instead of interacting through video and audio, attendees interact with the host and each other using chat and a Q&A panel.
- Meetings can be helpful for collaborative classroom and practice environments where students can interact directly with the content actuality shared and with each other. Webinars are great for online conferences: learners can listen, view content, and submit questions using the Q&A feature.
- To help you agree which is the best option for you, check out this table for a comparison between our licensed meeting and webinar accounts:
Best Ways to Set Up a Safe and Productive Virtual Classroom
| Feature / Setting | What It Does | Why It Is Important |
| Require Passwords | Create a password for meetings or webinars and share it only with students. | Ensures only authorized students can access the class and prevents outsiders from joining. |
| Request a Check-In (Registration Approval) | Monitor who joins the class and approve participants manually if needed. | Helps control access and confirm that only registered students attend. |
| Enable Waiting Rooms | Participants wait in a virtual room until the host admits them. | Prevents students or unknown users from entering automatically. Allows the teacher to approve each student individually or all at once. |
| Disable Screen Sharing (for Students) | Restricts screen sharing to the host by default. | Prevents students from sharing unwanted or distracting content. Maintains classroom focus. |
| Disable Private Chat | Stops students from sending private messages to each other. | Reduces distractions and prevents inappropriate communication between students. |
| Manage Participants | Allows the host to mute, remove, stop video, or restrict name changes. | Maintains discipline and removes uninvited guests quickly. |
| Lock the Meeting | Prevents new participants from joining once the meeting starts. | Stops late entries and blocks unauthorized access after class begins. |
Zoom for Education Plans & Pricing
| Plan Name | Approx Price | Billing Cycle | Key Features |
| School and Campus | $10 / license | Per month | 300 participants, HD meetings, Team Chat, Whiteboard, basic cloud storage (Pumble) |
| School and Campus Plus | $15 / license | Per month | All School & Campus features + phone support, more storage, workspace reservations |
| Enterprise (Education) | Custom pricing | Custom | 500 participants, larger webinars, unlimited cloud storage (negotiated) |
| Zoom Meetings Education | ~$90 / license | Per year | 30-hour meetings, 300 attendees, Team Chat, 1 GB cloud storage |
| Zoom Webinars (Edu add-on) | ~$340 / license | Per month | Webinar support for large audiences (requires Meetings license) |
| Zoom Phone (Edu add-on) | ~$15 / license | Per month | Calling in US/Canada, emergency routing etc. |
| Zoom Rooms (Edu add-on) | ~$49 / room | Per month | Room control, scheduling display, whiteboard tools |
Benefits of Using Zoom in Education
- Connects Teachers & Students Anywhere
Allows live classes with students in different locations. - Interactive Learning
Features like screen sharing, whiteboard, polls, and chat make lessons engaging. - Supports Large Groups
Can host classes with many students at the same time. - Recorded Lessons
Teachers can record classes so students can watch later for revision. - Breakout Rooms
Enables small group discussions or team work inside a class. - Flexible Devices
Works on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. - Easy to Use
Simple interface makes joining and hosting classes easy for students and teachers. - Secure Meetings
Includes security features like passwords and waiting rooms. - Integrates with Other Tools
Can connect with Google Classroom, calendars, LMS platforms, etc. - Cost-Effective
Many schools can use Zoom plans that fit their budget. - Record Attendance & Participation
Tools to help track who is in the class and how they participate. - Accessibility Features
Options like closed captioning help learners with different needs. - Supports Hybrid Learning
Useful for schools where some students are in class and others are remote.
Zoom vs Other Virtual Classroom Tools
| Feature / Tool | Zoom | Microsoft Teams | Google Meet | Cisco Webex |
| Ease of Use | Easy, familiar interface | Moderate, feature-rich | Very easy, browser-first | Moderate, some complexity |
| Breakout Rooms | Yes (strong support for group work) | Yes | Limited (better in paid tiers) | Yes |
| Educational Tools | Polls, whiteboards, annotations | Assignments, Teams chat, Office integration | Basic screenshare & captions | Recording & whiteboards |
| Integration With LMS | Good (Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard) | Very good (Office 365 apps) | Good with Google Classroom | Good with educational LMS |
| Participant Limits (Free) | ~100 with time limits | ~100 | ~100 | ~100 |
| Best For | Large classes & interactive sessions | Institutions using Microsoft apps | Simple, quick meetings | Secure & enterprise-scale |
| Pricing Structure | Education plans, extra features cost | Included with Microsoft 365 plans | Part of Google Workspace | Paid plans |
How do I make sure my classroom is secure?
Several features and default settings can use on the go to ensure the safety of your Zoom classes.
On the Security icon in your meeting window, you can find and enable all security features. This feature permits a host or co-host to:
- Lock the meeting
- Enable waiting room
- Remove participants
- Restrict the capacity of participants to share their screen, chat, change their name, and annotate
As an added layer of security, waiting rooms and meeting passwords enables by default for free Basic accounts, paid Pro accounts, and our K-12 accounts. Passwords require for K-12 charges.
How Can I Check Who Attended the Virtual Classroom?
| Method | How It Works | When to Use | Benefit |
| Attendance Report | Download the meeting attendance report from the platform dashboard. | After the class ends. | Shows full list of participants with join and leave time. |
| Participant List During Class | View the live participants panel while the meeting is ongoing. | During the class. | Helps track who is currently present. |
| Registration Report | If registration was required, check the approved registrants list. | Before or after the class. | Confirms who registered and attended. |
| Waiting Room Log | Review who entered through the waiting room. | During and after session. | Helps verify each admitted participant. |
| Chat Record | Save chat messages and check participant names. | After the class. | Confirms active participation. |
| Platform Analytics (Admin Panel) | Use school or institutional admin dashboard reports. | After session (for teachers/admins). | Detailed data including attendance duration and activity. |
| Manual Roll Call | Call student names verbally during the class. | At the start or mid-session. | Simple and immediate confirmation of attendance. |
How Can I See All My Students on Video?
- Switch to Gallery View
Change your meeting layout to Gallery View (or Grid View) to see multiple students at once instead of only the speaker. - Ask Students to Turn On Their Cameras
Request students to enable their video at the start of class for better interaction and engagement. - Adjust Your Screen Layout
Resize the meeting window or use full-screen mode to display more participant videos. - Use Multiple Pages (If Needed)
If you have many students, scroll through pages in Gallery View to see everyone. - Pin or Spotlight Students
If you want to focus on a specific student while still seeing others, use the pin or spotlight feature. - Check Participant Video Settings
Ensure video settings are enabled and not restricted in meeting controls. - Use a Larger Monitor (Optional)
A larger screen allows you to see more students clearly at the same time.
Conclusion
Zoom for Education provides a reliable and structured platform for online learning. It combines security tools, classroom management features, and interactive learning options to create a safe and engaging virtual environment for students and teachers. For more updates please visit our website