This article covers using video conferences for individual meetings and small group collaborations. To learn about using video conferences for teaching or learning within Canvas, see Video Conferences for Instruction.
Wharton offers two main supported video conferencing solutions:
Your classes may use a mix of the two tools; be sure to check with your professor. A third option, Microsoft Teams, is offered by Penn and is sometimes used by staff across the University. Teams is not covered in this article.
This feature comparison of Zoom and BlueJeans can help you choose between the two.
Before You Start You will need the following before you can complete this task:
An active PennKey account
Faculty and Staff: admin access to your devices (to install the app)
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based cross platform video conferencing service. Zoom makes it easy to collaborate with your colleagues, and can be started and joined via a PC, Mac, smartphone, or regular landline (audio only). Each meeting can accommodate up to 300 participants and supports recording of the meeting and screen/media sharing. All Wharton students, faculty, and staff have access to Zoom.
Install the Zoom App
The native Zoom app isn't required to use Zoom, but we highly recommend it for the best Zoom experience. Read the article entitled "Logging into Wharton Zoom" for instructions detailing installing and logging into the Windows, Mac, and mobile versions of the app.
Accessing Zoom Meetings
If your Zoom meeting is for a Wharton class, it most likely was created through Canvas. Please log into Canvas first, launch your class, and then choose Zoom from the left navigation pane.
Although we recommend accessing any video conferences created in Canvas by logging in via Canvas, it's also possible to see all your meetings by logging directly into the meeting software ( https://upenn.zoom.us).
Enter your PennKey username and password click Log in.
Click Meetings on the left menu.
Click the Schedule a New Meeting button.
Enter the meeting details including:
Topic. Set a topic for the meeting – it's required and will be seen by anyone who is invited or attends the meeting.
Description. This is optional.
Time and Date. Set the date, start time, and duration. The Time Zone defaults to Eastern Time.
Meeting Frequency. If this meeting will repeat regularly, check Recurringmeeting and enter the recursion sequence.
Registration. Registration is off by default. To require all attendees to register before the meeting using a form, enable this option. (You'll set up the form after scheduling the meeting.)
If this meeting is for coursework we recommend you keep this disabled.
Meeting ID. By default "Generate Automatically" is selected, and we recommend you keep this default. You can use your Personal Meeting ID, though be warned that ID isn't unique to this meeting (though it is unique to you).
Passcode. By default, all Zoom meetings require a passcode, which is displayed in the security section. You can customize this passcode, though we recommend you don't disable it.
Waiting Room. The Zoom Waiting Room is enabled by default.
Require authentication to join. When enabled you can limit attendees of this meeting to "Penn users only" or "Anyone with a Zoom account." Attendees will have to log in with their Penn Zoom or general Zoom credentials in order to join the meeting.
Video. Video can be turned on or off by default on entry for hosts and attendees. The default is off.
Audio. The audio options for all Zoom meetings includes both Telephone and Computer Audio. This cannot be changed.
Additional Meeting Options. All additional options are off by default for meetings, and include:
Allow participants to join anytime - enable this to allow attendees to join the meeting and chat before the host arrives.
Mute participants upon entry - enable this to make sure participants are muted when they join the meeting.
Breakout Room pre-assign - Breakout Rooms are covered in detail in this article.
Automatically record the meeting - All attendees will be notified that the meeting is being recorded.
Approve or block entry to users from specific regions/countries - Enabling this will allow you to block specific regions from joining, or limit your meeting to participants from certain regions.
Alternative Hosts, and all the other possible roles available in a Zoom meeting, are described in this Zoom support article.
Click Save to schedule your meeting.
Your meeting is scheduled. Click the Copy Invitation link to get the meeting details.
Click Copy Meeting Invitation and paste the information into an email to send to the attendees of the meeting.
BlueJeans
BlueJeans is a cloud-based cross platform video conferencing service that makes it easy to collaborate with your colleagues. BlueJeans can be started and joined via a PC, Mac, smartphone, or regular landline (audio-only). Each meeting can accommodate up to 200 participants and supports recording of the meeting and screen/media sharing. All Wharton students, faculty, and staff have access to BlueJeans.
Install the BlueJeans App
The BlueJeans app is easy to use and gives you access to more features. Although you don't need to have this installed to use BlueJeans, using it will provide a better experience.
Open the App and enter your full pennkey@wharton.upenn.edu email address.
The PennKey sign-in website should launch. Enter your PennKey credentials and sign in.
After successfully signing in with your PennKey, you will be redirected back to the app.
If you are prompted to add your calendar, we recommend you pick the appropriate calendar app (you can do this step later using the Settings menu if you prefer):
Faculty and Staff: choose your Outlook calendar since this will sync with the BlueJeans meeting you will schedule through Canvas.
Students: Choose Google Calendar so your meetings sync with your class calendar.
Accessing BlueJeans Meetings
If you haven't used your Wharton BlueJeans account yet you must first activateit by visiting http://meeting.upenn.edu, clicking "Login." and logging in with your PennKey.
If your BlueJeans meeting is for a Wharton class, it most likely was created through Canvas. Please log into Canvas first, launch your class, and then choose BlueJeans from the left navigation pane.
Although we recommend accessing any video conferences created in Canvas by logging in via Canvas, it's also possible to see all your meetings by logging directly into the meeting software.
Authenticate using two-step verification, if prompted. (Your browser may already be authenticated, in which case this step is not necessary.)
Once you are logged in, you'll see you have the option to schedule, start or join a meeting.
Scheduling a Meeting
Follow these directions to schedule a meeting (this is not the recommended method for scheduling a meeting for a class that is using Canvas; See Video Conferences for Instruction) :
You can also choose to tick Repeat Meeting and make more precise date and time settings for a series of meetings.
Type in the email addresses of your meeting participants. If you don't want to type or copy/paste email addresses in now, you will be able to add them later or copy a link to send to participants separately. You can post this link on Canvas, send it to a mailing list, or distribute it to your class in another way. Be aware that anyone with the link will be able to join your meeting, so you should take care not to post it publicly.
To create the basic meeting, click the Schedule button. For more advanced options, click Advanced and review the recommended options in Step 7 below, then click Schedule.
Recommended advanced settings:
If you've already created the meeting, locate it on the list and click on Edit, and then Advanced.
Scroll down and click on Advanced
To prevent distracting echoing, feedback, and background visuals and noise for you and other participants, check the box next to the following settings :
Enable Auto-Recording (recommended for classes)
Mute participants on entry
Turn off participant video on entry
Silent participant entry mode
These settings also ensure that no sound will play as participants enter and exit the meeting. For complete information on advanced settings, see Advanced Features, below.
To copy the link to your meeting, click the icon next to the meeting URL.
Advanced Features
Advanced features are useful in customizing your meetings. You can customize them on a per meeting basis, or for all the meetings that you schedule.
Scheduled meeting sessions: for meetings that you are scheduling, any changes you make will only affect that meeting.
Personal settings: if you make changes in your personal settings, that will affect all meetings that you schedule.
For security, moderators have the ability to lock out users from joining their meeting (indicated with a lock icon at the top left corner of their screen).
Feature Recommendations
Zoom and BlueJeans have a large number of feature settings. Here are suggestions for a variety of settings across both Zoom and BlueJeans.
Zoom feature
BlueJeans feature
Recommendation
Auto record
Leave this disabled by default; however, you can choose to record an individual meeting.
Enable join before host
Start without moderator
Leave this disabled, so that the meeting can go on without you if needed. Use the Moderator setting if you don't want people entering the meeting before you join – but make sure to give your moderator passcode to anyone else who might need to start the meeting.
Mute participants upon entry
Mute on entry
Leave this disabled, unless you have a specific reason not to have people announce themselves as they join the meeting.
Turn off video on entry
Turn off video on entry
Leaving this disabled, unless you have a specific reason not to have people be seen as they join the meeting.
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Always encrypt
Leave this disabled; if the meeting must be encrypted you can add it.
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Cropping video
Leave this disabled, but you can enable the feature if you wish.
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Disable chat messaging
Leave this unchecked so people can communicate with you; if you don't want any option to chat, you can disable it by checking the box.
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Participant name in email
Leave this disabled, but you can change this setting if you want.
Zoom feature