Visit TLED’s Teaching Consultations & Support page for comprehensive support in course design, technology tools for teaching, and other high-impact practices. Join our Facebook group where ACC faculty and staff are sharing insights, best practices, and advice. Collegewide updates are available on the Austin Community College Info Hub.

Search TLED
Search ACC
several people talking on a screen held in two hands

Web Conferencing

Web Conferencing Tools

Austin Community College (ACC) supports the following web conferencing tools:

  • Google Meet
  • Webex
  • Zoom

Google Meet

Google Meet is part of the Google Suite available to ACC faculty, staff, and students.

  • Attachments can be shared through Google Calendar announcements or Google Drive.
  • Meetings include automatic live captions (note: accuracy is not guaranteed).

View Google Meet Knowledgebase articles

Webex

Webex can be used on any device — PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone — to set up audio or video conferences with colleagues or students.

  • Supports up to 1,000 participants, though only 25 are visible at once.
  • Includes automatic live captions (not 100% accurate).

View Webex Knowledgebase articles

Zoom

Zoom is a cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars. It is the newest web conferencing tool available at ACC.

  • Gallery view supports up to 49 participants per screen.
  • Licensed accounts: unlimited meeting time with up to 300 participants.
  • Polling available (learn more about Zoom Polls).
  • Breakout Rooms available (learn more about Breakout Rooms).
  • Closed captioning can be entered by the host or assigned participant, or generated after recordings.
  • Post-meeting reports available when enabled in settings
    (learn more about Zoom Reports).
  • Co-hosting available — hosts can allow another person to start a meeting.

View Zoom Knowledgebase articles

Class for Zoom

Class for Zoom is an additional app designed for teaching.

  • Available on iPad and Android tablets (not phones).
  • Includes a Personal Meeting Room with an “Office Hours” feature (not widely available to faculty).

Important Note on Auto-Captioning

Auto-captioning in Google Meet, Webex, and Zoom is a helpful accessibility feature but is not 100% accurate. Faculty should monitor captions for accuracy.

Training and Support

  • Teaching Consultations: Get ideas on how to implement web conferencing tools into your courses. Request a Consultation
  • Training: Educational Technologists are available to provide training. Request Help
  • Workshops: Learn more about teaching and learning tools. View the TLED Calendar

Contact

For updates or additional support, email TLEDcomms@austincc.edu. To report outdated page content, email tledwebsite@austincc.edu.

Need help deciding which web conferencing tool to use? See the comparison chart below.

Web Conferencing Tools: Comparison Chart

Features Google Meet Cisco

Webex

 Zoom Class for Zoom
Max. # Simultaneous Video 50 25 49 300
Max. # Simultaneous Audio 50 25 300
Max. # Participants 250 2,000 300 300
Chat Feature ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Can Record Session ✔ ✔ ✔
File Sharing Capabilities ✔ ✔ ✔
Screen Sharing Capabilities ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Polling ✔ ✔ ✔
Whiteboard ✔ ✔ ✔
Breakout Rooms (Group Work) ✔ ✔ ✔
Remembers Content for Reuse ✔ ✔ ✔
Live Captioning ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Chat Transcripts Available ✔ ✔ ✔
Attendance Reports ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Students can Create a Session ✔
Voice Over Internet Protocol ✔ ✔ ✔
Voice Over Phone ✔ ✔ ✔
Mobile Device Capable ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Integrated with Blackboard ✔ ✔
Green Screen Compatibility ✔ ✔ ✔
Waiting Room feature ✔ ✔ ✔
Personal Meeting Room ✔ ✔ ✔
Video Pinning ✔ ✔ ✔
Blur/Virtual Background ✔ ✔ ✔

Related Links