Microsoft Teams and Zoom are two of the biggest platforms used for learning, collaborating and working. Each platform has its own identity, packed with must-have features and some hidden ones too! It can be hard deciding which is best for a particular event. But don’t worry, hopefully, this article will help guide you.
Using Zoom and Teams has highlighted things that I believe all staff need to consider before choosing which platforms to use when delivering their teaching. As an engineering student, most of my lecturers had chosen Microsoft Teams to deliver online lectures, tutorials, and labs. This was good as it meant that there was consistency across the board and made my life slightly easier, not having to navigate between two different applications and getting used to them both. However, having said this, as a visually impaired student, it would have been beneficial to discuss which platform was more accessible for other students and me in the course and to ensure that the platform was as accessible for all. This discussion could have further been complemented with an introductory session to further familiarise myself and others with the layout of the application and how it would be accessible to me. Even though this was not the case for me, I believe it would be essential for staff to keep this in mind for future students and cohorts.
In this article, I have considered some of the key aspects that will hopefully guide you in choosing the best platform for your teaching.
Contents
Comparison
Are you looking for a fully built platform; for long term use, where you can share files and have more choice for the applications used when collaborating? Or are you looking for something more spontaneous and more viable for short term (continuous/non-continuous) meetups?
If your preference was the latter of the two, then Zoom may be for you. With Zoom, you can send invitations for meetings to participants and have access to some of the simpler features, such as the chat function, sharing your screen, recording sessions and having the option of break out rooms. Additionally, Teams integrates all of its Office 365 applications for ease of collaboration. As a result, files can be uploaded and downloaded with live changes occurring and updating the file without the hassle of uploading the file each time. Furthermore, the platform allows you to store files in different ‘channels’, create a calendar with all scheduled sessions and have recordings of sessions held in the chat of each of the channels. Meeting notes can also help participants ensure that they didn’t miss anything in a session; Teams has you covered with this feature, as after your session, Teams automatically adds a recording to your account.
Accessibility
When choosing between the two platforms, do you consider accessibility options, such as live captions or participants using screen readers/ speech to text software, important?
A student-led project was carried out last summer to compare how both Zoom and MS Teams hold up in terms of their accessibility options. The tests carried out were designed by students from the Human Computer Interaction design field and with experience in systems testing. Throughout the testing process, both platforms were put to the test, on both iOS and Windows platforms, whilst simultaneously using screen readers, such as VoiceOver, NVDA, Narrator and Dragon.
In this section, there are quite a few points to consider. From how live captions and transcripts are produced to the various screen readers responding to each platform. Below are some key points that summarises some of the general and specific accessibility tools that each platform offers and some issues that both platforms run into when attendees use a variety of screen readers. It is important to consider that certain screen readers tested, showed that not all functions are picked up by the screen reader and work as seamlessly as possible. There are some points to consider when students use screen readers to access meetings.
Zoom
Useful functions
- Chat function
- Reactions
- Breakout Rooms
- Recording function
- Screen share – multiple people can share a screen at once
- Meeting control: can mute all participants who then cannot unmute unless the host does so
- Live captions and transcripts are available
Accessibility
VoiceOver (iOS)
- Broadcasted images were not read out – Screen sharing – does not pick up advanced options i.e. which screen to share
ClaroRead+ (iOS + Windows)
- Broadcasted images were not readout
- Does not recognise any of the buttons or reaction options
- Does not read out messages in the chat
NVDA (Windows)
- When screen sharing – there was no focus border to show which screen was shared (automatic setting in Zoom)
Teams
Useful functions
- Chat function
- Reactions
- Breakout Rooms
- Recording function
- Screen share – only one person can share a screen at any one time
- Meeting control: can mute all participants who can then unmute themselves
- Focus Mode: takes away cameras on-screen and reduces cognitive and visual load enabling participants to focus on content
- Live captions and transcripts are available
Accessibility
VoiceOver (iOS)
- Did not recognise all options on the menu bar
ClaroRead+ (iOS + Windows)
- Did not recognise the raised hand function
- Did not recognise the share button also when in use
- Did not find the whiteboard option
NVDA (Windows)
- Does not allow you to click on/off the mic
- When in the breakout room – it does not give the option to leave the room but rather the whole meeting
The results highlight some of the challenges users face when using various screen readers. It is important to note that whilst these issues may not be resolvable, there are ways to mitigate the extra stress it may cause attendees. For example, providing additional time when completing a poll or sharing a screen, would allow those who may face any challenges using their screen readers to find a solution and gain support in other ways to complete tasks. Once again, a session to introduce the platform at the start of the academic year would be great for students to see how well their screen readers and other assistive technology hold up and give them an insight into some of the issues they may face.
Engagement and Participation
Engaging with your meeting participants is also very significant. Could the flexibility of this persuade you to go with a particular platform? Both Zoom and Teams enable you to share your screen, opening the opportunity to the infinite number of platforms that could be shared – with the added functionality on Zoom, where other participants can control each other’s shared screens. Sessions online can be passive and dull at times, but don’t worry, Teams and Zoom have got you covered. As mentioned above, Teams allows you to integrate Office 365 apps into everything you do, it also has hidden features such as Wikis, where everyone can edit a file; great for asynchronous and synchronous tasks. But if you are looking for something outside of the Teams bubble, Zoom allows you to use third-party applications, such as the collaborative whiteboard platform Miro – Zoom App.
Recommendations
From some of the key considerations above, here are some of my recommendations to think about:
- When picking either platform, it is essential to consider that consistency and familiarity are vital, especially for those with disabilities, such as visual impairment. For example, if you are going to use either Zoom or Teams from the start, then stick to either platform throughout the year and ensure that no matter who is leading the module, they understand the importance of using the same platform. This will alleviate the extra anxiety and stress that students face.
- Secondly, it is important that the staff member is familiar with the platform to make the most of the features. In my online learning, I have had many cases where lecturers aren’t aware of the features to record sessions, mute participants and even ensure that they have full control of the session which results in students taking over. Furthermore, this also goes for picking the right type of meeting for the style of teaching. Rather than using a Teams meeting for a lecture with over a hundred participants – which could get out of hand, a Teams Live event would be more advantageous in ensuring that the teaching space is a safe learning environment and still allow students to interact with staff using the chat function. This small consideration can make all the difference in the entire experience for all students.
Conclusion
Overall, both Teams and Zoom are great platforms for pretty much everything. It can be tricky to decide which one is best to use. I hope this article has helped you decide which one suits your needs and your students. Teams is a great platform for an all-inclusive integration of the whole Office 365 suite for teamwork. Whereas Zoom is a short and sweet platform, great for small group collaborations. So I guess the ultimate question is, which one of these platforms makes the cut for you?
Image attribution: Leanne Walker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Thanks for this excellent comparison, it really helped me choose!
Really good points- particularly the accessibility testing. thank you