Zoom News: Creating a Personalized Avatar for Meetings & Updates to Polls

Zoom News

Zoom has recently added some exciting new features that you can use during a class session. The new avatar feature allows for users to create custom human avatars, expanding on the previously included animal avatars. Poll features have also been expanded, allowing hosts to create and edit polls during a session rather than having to set them up in advance.

Personalized Avatars

Avatars can add an element of fun to meetings. They can be used in conjunction with virtual backgrounds and Zoom’s immersive view. These features can be used for educational purposes such as role play scenarios and experiential learning.

Avatars may also be a comfortable option for users who don’t want to turn on their camera. Avatars are three-dimensional and mirror head movements, communicate limited facial expressions, and some upper body movement. The avatars, however, do not react to arm movement or hand gestures such as the thumbs-up or raised hand which are normally available in Zoom. For hosts and participants, the experience of facing an avatar may be more pleasurable than an empty box, user’s initials, or static image. Although the user’s camera is being used, Zoom does not use facial recognition software to identify the user or keep a record of the person’s face who is using the avatar option.

Picture of a personalized avatar used in a Zoom meeting.

To learn how to create and use avatars in Zoom, please visit: Using Avatars in Meetings and Webinars.

Create Polls and Quizzes During a Meeting

Hosts or co-hosts can now create and edit polls or quizzes in the desktop app while in a meeting. Previously, it was necessary to go to the web portal to create or edit a quiz. The meeting controls now allow for you to create basic or advanced polls and quizzes along with the option to save the new poll/quiz to your Polls/Quizzes Library.

To create or edit a poll or quiz during a meeting:

  1. Click on the “Polls” button in your meeting controls.Picture of the Zoom meeting controls, with an arrow pointing to the Polls button
  2. You will see the saved polls from your Polls/Quizzes library. To edit an existing poll or quiz, click on the three dots (A) to the right of the poll/quiz name and then click “edit” (B). Your poll/quiz will open for you to edit. Click “save” (C) when you have completed your changes.Picture of the Zoom Polls window, showing the poll library. An arrow labeled 'A' is pointing to the 3 dot menu next to a poll. Picture of the Zoom Polls window, showing the menu options when clicking the 3 dot menu next to a poll. An arrow labeled 'B' is pointing to the Edit option.Picture of the Zoom Polls Edit window, showing the options for editing a poll, including the question title, question type, and possible answers. An arrow labeled 'C' is pointing at the Save button.
  3. To create a new poll or quiz, click the plus sign (A) at the top right of the window. You will see options (B) to create a basic or advanced poll/quiz. You will also see the option (C) to save the new poll/quiz to your library. Click “next” (D) to begin and “save” when you are done.Picture of the Zoom Polls window, showing the poll library. An arrow labeled 'A' is pointing to the add (plus) button.Picture of the Zoom Polls Add selection window, with the options to create a Poll, or create an Advanced poll, and a checkbox to add to polls/quizzes library. An arrow labeled 'B' is pointing to Polls and Advanced Polls andd Quizzing. An arrow labeled 'C' is pointing to the checkbox to add to the polls/quizzes library. An arrow labeled 'D' is pointing to the Next button.

To start using these features, first make sure to update Zoom. You can find instructions on how to do so here: using the most current version of Zoom.

For more information on creating polls and quizzes in Zoom, as well as using the Polls/Quizzes library, please visit the following: Conducting Polls in Meetings and Conducting Advanced Polls and Quizzes in Meetings.