Dear UCSC Instructors,
Welcome back to the start of a new academic year. We know that many of you have dedicated much time this summer designing courses that will be delivered remotely. In an effort to support remote instruction we wanted to bring to your attention the following information regarding Zoom Bombing and other online disruptions, along with support resources that are available to you.
Resources for Instructors to prevent Online misconduct
As we begin the academic year mostly remote, we want to encourage you to understand the Zoom protocols that can assist with preventing Zoom Bombing and can enhance your teaching through this modality. We have listed the following resources, that can be helpful in your process:
- Instructions to Secure Zoom Class Meetings
- For Assistance on Learning Zoom
- For Resources about Teaching While Remote (keepteaching)
- For Resources for Teaching and the Learning Environment (CITL)
Should a Zoom Bombing instance occur in your zoom classroom space, here are the following reporting options:
For instructors and students who may need support due to impact:
- The Resource Centers (for students and all employees)
- Counseling and Psychological Services (for students)
- Employee Assistance Program (for all employees)
- Title IX (for students and all employees)
- CARE (for students and all employees)
Reporting Online Misconduct
As the campus entered into shelter-in-place orders in March, Online Education and the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning responded swiftly by creating links to best practices for Zoom teaching and learning, including ways to minimize Zoom Bombing (see https://keepteaching.ucsc.edu/digital-tools/zoom). Despite the university’s efforts, with the sudden transition to remote instruction, Zoom Bombing occurred in a few classes, causing harm and consternation for students, graduate teaching assistants and instructors. While most instructors took all known precautions in accordance with the most recent Zoom security settings, those intent on disrupting classes and events at UCSC and elsewhere found ways to circumvent these precautions.
In response, understanding that these incidents might persist, the Dean of Students Office, in partnership with the Hate/Bias Response Program and the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, developed a Zoom Bombing Misconduct Team. The role of the team is to triage incidents of reported online misconduct to appropriate support resources and response resources. The team is composed of members of the Hate/Bias Response Team, ITS, and the UCSC Police Department. Online misconduct may be reported by emailing help@ucsc.edu or through the Student Conduct reporting form. Both reporting methods will reach the Zoom Bombing Misconduct Team. Any reports of online class disruption, including those using modalities different from Zoom may be reported to the Zoom Bombing Misconduct Team.
What Happens After a Report is Made
A member of the Zoom Bombing Misconduct Team will reach out to the reporting party and the instructor of record (if different than the reporting party) to inquire about the incident and provide options and resources. Depending on the type of disruption, ITS, Student Conduct or UCPD may begin investigating. ITS uses their technical expertise to track IP addresses in hopes of identifying the person(s) responsible for the online misconduct. In the case of non-affiliates causing the disruption, the University Police Department works with local law enforcement and the FBI to investigate. In the event ITS is able to identify the individual and/or individuals participating in this misconduct, will forward this information on to the appropriate officials. Staff from Online Education, ITS, and the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning are available to work directly with instructors to review their Zoom settings and ensure that classes are using settings that correspond to the most updated Zoom security capacities.
Since March, the team has received 24 Zoom Bombing reports. From those reports, 3 were reported to the FBI, and 18 reports identified perpetrators. Of the person(s) involved, 9 were students who were summoned by conduct, and 3 were admitted students. Of the 3 admitted students, following a conversation with admissions about their conduct, 2 did not submit their SIR forms, and 1 had their admission rescinded. Some students were responsible for multiple disruptions.
We want to ensure that all instructors are aware of the resources to which they have available to support their success as educators. Ultimately, instructor success is also interconnected with the success of our students. While disruptions do happen in all educational settings, we are hopeful that using these resources will help minimize the number of disruptions during remote instruction. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us, or any of the teams mentioned in this communication, for support. We wish you the best of luck in the 2020-21 academic year.
With warm regards,
The Zoom Bombing Misconduct Team