If you are a student in any level of ASL class, in Fingerspelling, Conversational ASL, or in Deaf Culture, ASL coaching can help! Here is a rundown of how to best use the ASL Virtual Lab, which is primarily using Zoom.

Step 1: Access your Canvas

If you are in any ASL class, look in your Canvas for that class, all of the ASL teachers have posted a link to access the Zoom conference in your Canvas, and they will continuously update the link each time it expires. If you have trouble finding the link, please reach out to your teachers, they will know where they have posted it in their Canvas. The ASL Virtual Lab is available during the same hours that we were when the campus was open, from 10:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday.

Step 2: Enter the Zoom meeting (Computer or Laptop)

Now that you have the link, all you need to do is click it! If you are on a computer or laptop, it will open a page that says launching. If you already have Zoom installed, it will open a prompt to, “Open Zoom.” Select that, and the Zoom meeting will launch! If you do not have Zoom already installed, a screen will pop up giving you the option to either, “click here to launch the meeting, or download & run Zoom.” I recommend you select download, I tested using the browser for a meeting, and you lose some functionality, including seeing everyone in the meeting at once. When you select download, it will show a download on the bottom left hand corner of your screen. Select the download and launch it, when it completes it will open up and you will join the Zoom meeting!

Step 2.5: Enter the Zoom meeting (Phone or Tablet)

If you are at all able to, I recommend accessing Zoom using a computer or a laptop, but if you only have a phone or tablet, you can still use Zoom. Download and install the Zoom app from whichever app store your device uses. Once the Zoom app is installed, select the Zoom link from Canvas. It will give you a prompt that says, “Open with,” that has multiple apps to select from. Select Zoom. It will ask you to enter your name, please do so so we know who you are. It will then launch the meeting for you! On phone or tablet, you will only be able to see one person at a time, but just let us know you are using a phone or tablet, and we will set you up with a one on one tutoring session.

Step 3: Using Zoom for Coaching

Once you have entered the meeting, the rest is easy. First select, “start video,” in the bottom left hand corner if it is not already started. In the meeting itself you will see either one person or a bunch of people. If you see only one person and everyone else is either absent or tiny, move your mouse and select gallery view in the top right hand corner. Lastly, if you are having any technical difficulties at all, don’t be afraid to ask for help! You can use the chat by moving the mouse toward the bottom of the screen and selecting, “Chat,” to type any questions you have, whether they are related to assistance with technology or tutoring. If you don’t know how to phrase a question you have in ASL, then use the chat! We will be happy to assist you with your question, and can even show you how to ask it in ASL so you are ready next time. If you want one on one tutoring, just ask one of the tutors, and as long as there are enough tutors available, one of us will jump in a private session with you and help you out. If you just need some conversational practice, then you are in the right place too.

Step 4: Still confused?

This isn’t really a step, but if you are having any problems at all, please feel free to reach out to me and ask for help. My email is gregory.mcnulty@wnc.edu. Good luck with your semester, hope to see you in the ASL Virtual Lab soon!