A New Zoom Experience

Zoom has rolled out new enhancements this summer and below you’ll find a roundup of what is available to the Duke community. You may have already noticed some of them, but in case you haven't, go into your Zoom account settings and check them out. 

Please note that in order to access these enhancements you must update to the latest version of your Zoom client (version 5.7.1 as of July 13, 2021).

Closed Captioning/Live Transcription

Zoom now supports automated captions, or subtitles, during meetings, allowing for greater accessibility. Go to Account Settings and enable Closed Captioning (you may also want to enable the option to Save Captions). Then click on Live Transcript during a meeting you are hosting to enable captioning in real time. To format the size, font and color of the subtitle text, click on the button’s dropdown menu. You can also view and save the transcript before ending the meeting. As meeting host you can also allow individual attendees to request live transcription. 

Copy and Paste in Chat

Meeting attendees can now copy and paste text from the chat into a text document. The meeting host is able to save all chat messages during a meeting. If that option is not chosen, all chat messages will be deleted.

Gender Pronouns Enabled

Zoom users can add pronouns to their profiles and selectively share them during meetings. To add your preferred pronouns, go to duke.zoom.us, click on Profile, then Edit. There is the option to enter your pronouns and to choose how often you would like to share them in a meeting or webinar. 

Immersive Views

Up to 25 meeting attendees can be included in a single virtual background. To enable immersive views, you must enable it in your Zoom settings before your meeting. Once you start the meeting click on the View button in the upper right corner of your screen. There are viewing options for Speaker, Gallery, and Immersive. This enhancement allows meeting hosts to upload a single virtual background to recreate the feel of a coffee shop, fireside chat or conference room.

Learn more about Zoom on the OIT website.