Managing large classes in Zoom (Zoom Meeting vs Zoom Webinar)

If your large class does not require student interaction, we recommend pre-recording the session and making it available to students rather than streaming a session in real time. This will minimise problems students may experience due to bandwidth and latency issues. To find out how to pre-record your classes see how do I deliver my lectures online?

If your large class requires students to interact with you, the materials and each other, you can use Zoom Webinar.

By default you have access to Zoom Meeting, but there is a related tool called Zoom Webinar.

There are a few key differences between the tools. Zoom Webinar doesn’t have Breakout rooms, and the Host is the only one with voice and video; students can’t turn on their webcams. This can be useful for very large Zoom sessions.

Feature Zoom Meeting Zoom Webinar

Instructors have license immediately

  • Yes

Screen sharing

  • Yes
  • Yes

Polling

  • Yes
  • Yes

Students can turn on their video and audio

  • Yes (though hosts can also mute these)
  • No (only hosts and panelist can)

Students can see list of other students present

  • Yes
  • No

Chat (all participants see questions)

  • Yes
  • Yes

Q&A (questions that are private to teacher until answered)

  • No (private chat messages are possible)
  • Yes

Breakout rooms

  • Yes (*there are room number limits, for different participant numbers)
  • No

Maximum students

  • 300 (can be upgraded to 500 on request)

* see ‘Limitations’ on the managing breakout rooms page for maximum number of participants, for different numbers of Breakout Rooms.

This page was last updated on 12 Apr 2024.

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