HyFlex Classroom: FAQ

If you have content saved on a laptop, tablet, or phone, you can present it to online and in-person students by joining the Zoom meeting again — in addition to joining from the instructor station PC — from your secondary device and sharing your screen.

1. Sign in and join the Zoom meeting on the instructor station PC to take advantage of the audio and video capabilities of the HyFlex room, as usual. Keep your microphone and camera on.
    
2. From your secondary device, join the Zoom meeting again as a guest just for screen sharing. On the secondary device, keep the microphone and video off and your speaker output/volume off to prevent audio interference. Make this device a "co-host" in your Zoom meeting to simplify the presentation process.
    
3. In Zoom, share the screen on your secondary device to present the content to your online students.
    
4. For your in-person students, on the instructor station PC, click, hold, and drag your Zoom meeting window — which should now be displaying the content from your secondary device — to the “Projector/Share Screen” monitor and make sure the projector is on, so the students in the room can also see the content. 

   For detailed instructions, review the related article here - Zoom: Host a meeting using two devices

Open VMWare Horizon Client and log in. Check your display settings before you access the necessary virtual lab. By default, you would have an extended desktop, which makes it a challenge to access other applications, including your Zoom meeting, at the same time. This is far from ideal for HyFlex. To change your display settings:

1. Right-click on the virtual machine you want to access.
    
2. In the menu, click Display > Window - Large (or Window - Small if preferred).
   This will ensure your virtual machine displays in a separate application window that you can move around the desktop and easily minimize when not in use.
   
    
3. Click, hold, and drag the virtual desktop window to the “Projector/Share Screen” monitor when you need to share that content with your students.

Yes. Select the appropriate preset camera view (typically Left Whiteboard or Right Whiteboard) or use manual control to move the camera exactly where you need it. Make sure you are not sharing your screen in Zoom, so your camera can be the focus for online students. Spotlight your video in Zoom if desired to ensure students can see it clearly, using the full size of the Zoom window.

You may notice that your handwriting appears backwards in your self-view. Zoom will always show your video correctly for attendees, but by default, it will looked mirrored to you as the presenter. If this bothers, you can unmirror your video by following these instructions.
 

1. Click the tiny chevron ^ icon to the right of the camera icon.
    
2. In the menu, click Video Settings....
    
3. In the Settings window, make sure Mirror my video is un-checked.
   
4. Exit out of the Settings window.

Keep in mind that this writing may sometimes be difficult for online students to see, especially if they have a slower Internet connection or smaller screen. Using digital annotation tools may be a better alternative in that case.  

In a HyFlex room, the camera and microphone automatically power on when the computer turns on; this is purely for ease of use.

The room audio and video do not go anywhere automatically. Much like having a built-in webcam or headset microphone at your computer, they are just available when you need them. The audio and video are only being sent out if the instructor is using them in a video conferencing tool like Zoom or Teams.

The camera and microphone can only be accessed remotely by authorized IT personnel when maintenance or troubleshooting is necessary.

Yes, you can see it using the Windows Camera app. Click the Start icon and type “Camera.” Click the Windows Camera app to open a self-view camera window. Use the touch screen control panel to change your camera view if desired.

Yes, you can. We recommend putting in-person students together in groups, and online students together in groups separately, to avoid audio issues or interference. Online students can communicate with one another using the breakout rooms feature in Zoom.

Follow the directions below to share the document camera feed with your students. This process varies slightly from a standard classroom. 

Video Instructions: 

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Written Instructions: 

1. Turn on the document camera (using the power button on the device).
    
2. Turn on the projector if needed (using the touch screen control panel).
    
3. Double click the Doc Cam icon on the desktop. 
    
4. This will open a web browser with live video from the document camera. You may need to click a box in the browser window to allow camera access.
    
5. Click, hold, and drag this browser window to the monitor labeled "Projector/Share Screen." This screen will automatically display the document camera on the projector for your in-person students. 
    
6. To share the document camera with online students in Zoom, click Share Screen in the meeting controls, select the "Projector/Share Screen" monitor, then click the Share button. Now online students can also see the document camera at the same time through Zoom screen sharing.

When in-person students are presenting, select an appropriate camera view for their presentation. Spotlight your camera in Zoom if desired. If the student has presentation materials to share, make sure they share their screen in Zoom and on the projector. Set a custom camera preset to easily return to the presentation location later.

When online students are presenting, click and drag your Zoom window onto the monitor labeled “Projector/Share Screen” and make sure the projector is on. Spotlight the student’s camera in Zoom if desired. Have them share their screen in Zoom if they have presentation materials to share.   

Typically, HyFlex rooms will only be scheduled for HyFlex courses or events. On the rare occasion that you are using a HyFlex room for a traditional in-person class (without a Zoom recording), review the content below to learn more.

Video overview: 

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Written overview: 

The HyFlex control panel has extra options, but the ones you need for an in-person class are highlighted in red. 

Projector:

[ON] [OFF] - Turn the projector in the classroom on or off.
[MUTE] - Will black out the screen and mute the audio without turning off the projector. When you are muted, this button will display red. Pressing it again will toggle it back on.

Input source:

[PC] [LAPTOP] - Select what you would like projected to the screen in the classroom.

Volume:

[UP] [DOWN] - Controls the volume of the speakers in the room, independent of the computer volume.
[MUTE] - Mutes the speakers completely. When it is muted, this button will display red.

 

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Using the projector: 

1. Turn on the projector (using the control panel).
2. Click, hold, and drag the windows you want to share to the monitor labeled "Projector/Share Screen." This content on this screen will also display on the projector simultaneously. 

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Using the document camera: 

1. Turn on the document camera (using its power button). 
2. Turn on the projector (if needed).
3. Double click the Doc Cam icon on the desktop. 
4. This will open a web browser with live video from the document camera. You may need to click a box in the browser window to allow camera access.
5. Click, hold, and drag this browser window to the monitor labeled "Projector/Share Screen." This screen will automatically display the document camera on the projector for your students.