Virtual Quizzing
The following are the specific processes and rules for virtual quizzing. These are all considered overlays to the existing processes and rules of Quizzing. Begin first with the set of rules for your jurisdiction, then apply the following as overrides.
Required Equipment
To participate, quizzers must use a computer with a speakers, mic, and the ability to load Slack and Zoom. It's strongly recommended though not required that each quizzer use some sort of headphones or audio ear pieces. It's theoretically possible to use a smart phone or tablet as a quizzer, but it's significantly more difficult.
Coaches are encouraged to use their own devices; however, if a coach is in the same physical location as a quizzer on the coach's team, it's theoretically possible for the coach to share the quizzer's device, though this will require the coach and quizzer to work out a means by which the coach can quickly unmute to call a timeout or substitution.
For spectators, any web-enabled device should work fine.
Process
Meet Coordination and Discussion
Everyone involved in the virtual quiz meet (quizzers, officials, coaches, spectators, etc.) should join the Bible Quizzing Slack forum. If you need an invitation for access, contact Gryphon. Change your display name in Slack to "Firstname Lastname (REGION OR TEAM NAME)". For example: "Gryphon Shafer (PNW)" or "Evie Shafer (MAD1)".
Once signed in, join the primary meet channel, which for PNW is: #pnw-quiz-meet. This is a chat location area for the meet itself, almost like room 1 during a break in quizzing. Announcements will happen in the #pnw-quiz-meet channel. If you need help with anything meet-related, please ask in this channel. Those who are able to render assistance, please do so. Non-meet general chit-chat should happen in the #general channel or elsewhere.
Entering Quiz Rooms
Prior to a each quiz starting, a short announcement will be made in #pnw-quiz-meet with a link to the Zoom and the teams involved. When the announcement happens, everybody with interest in that quiz should join the Zoom.
Once connected to the Zoom room:
- Chat pane open
- Participants pane open
- Mute audio (unless you're the QM)
- Video off (unless you're the QM)
- In the participants pane, change your name:
- Quizzers, change to your team name and full name: "XYZ2 Firstname Lastname"
- Officials, change to your job title and full name: "QM Firstname Lastname"
- For everyone else, change to your full name: "Firstname Lastname"
- Quizzers: In the chat pane, change the "To" from "Everyone" to the room's QM only.
Everyone should turn off video and mute audio (except the QM) and all quizzer's should setting their chat messages to go to the QM only. This will dramatically improve reliability of the trigger ordering for quizzers who have slow network connections.
Quiz Operation
Prior to each query:
- All quizzers should type a character into the chat window text entry field, but don't click enter.
- Select from the chat dropdown the option to send your text only to the QM.
- The QM should type a series of dashes, but not type enter.
During the query preamble, the QM will press enter upon saying, "Ready. Begin." When a quizzer wants to signal a trigger, they press enter. The QM's display ordering is the only official ordering for trigger win criteria.
Quizzers: Only click enter if you are actively attempting to win the trigger. (As in, don't trigger a second after the first trigger, just to signal that you're participating.)
Rules
There are some exceptions and special cases rules for virtual quizzing.
- Quizzes should be started on time regardless of whether all participants are in the Zoom conference; however, quiz delays are acceptable if an entire team is still quizzing in another virtual room.
- Quizzers can come and go from the Zoom meeting without impact to scoring and without need of a timeout.
- If a quizzer types enter during the query preamble but prior to the QM typing enter of the query-start dash sequence, the trigger will be ignored by the QM.
- Queries will not be redone for equipment malfunction or network/software problems.
- Timeouts
- A QM will use the breakout rooms feature in Zoom to allow for timeouts.
Back-Channel Conversations
Back-channel conversations are prohibited between quizzers who are quizzing. Communications in the Zoom chat window are limited to only those which would be considered acceptable to be done loudly in a physical room at an in-person quiz meet.
Back-channel conversations are permitted between any coaches, inactive (subbed-out) quizzers, and spectators so long as these take place outside the Zoom "room".
Back-channel conversations are permitted (and encouraged) between the officials.
Officials' Technical Setup
A designated official from each virtual "room" (likely but not necessarily the QM) will be responsible for setting up a Zoom conference for each quiz in his or her virtual "room." The following are the recommended settings for the Zoom user account (set in settings under the user account):
- Meeting
- Host video: On
- Join before host: On
- Require password for participants joining by phone: On
- Mute participants upon entry: On
- Private chat: Off
- File transfer: Off
- Always show meeting control toolbar: On
- Screen sharing: Off
- Breakout room: On
- Allow host to assign participants: On
- Virtual background: Off
Links to these Zoom conferences should be posted in the #virtual-meet channel. These link posts should include all Zoom connection information including ID and password. An easy way to get this is from within Zoom, select Manage Participants and click the Invite link followed by the Copy Invitation button.
Zoom "Room" Setup Instructions
The meet administrators will provide each room staff with credentials to a Zoom account for the meet.
- Visit the Zoom web site
- Click "Sign in" near the upper-right of the page and sign in
- Click "Host a meeting" (with video on) near the upper-right of the page
- Join with computer audio (if presented the choice)
- You may need to move your mouse cursor over the video screen to see the menu at the bottom
- Click the "Start Video" option in the lower-left of the screen
- Click the up arrows to the right of the "Mute" and "Stop Video" buttons and set settings as desired
- Click the "Manage Participants" (to open the participants pane)
- Click the "Chat" button (to open the chat pane)
- Adjust the window and pane sizes to your preference
- Set your official name
- In the participants pane, mouse over your account's name
- Select the "More" then "Rename" option (when each appears)
- Change your name as prescribed in the Virtual Quizzing rules
- Turn off "Remember for future meetings" option
- Click the "Breakout Rooms" button/icon
- Create 3 rooms with assignment done manually
- Hover over each room name and rename it to the team name
- Assign quizzers to these sub-rooms as they arrive
- Follow any other Virtual Quizzing rules or procedures
QMs, as quizzers arrive:
- Check the roster versus participants pane to confirm present status
- Ask each quizzer to unmute and say hello to confirm audio functionality; this can also be done with an audio test akin to an in-person meet lights test
- Consider running a practice trigger or two if time permits
It's recommended that the official that manages the Zoom room enable (in settings) the meeting timer because at 40 minutes, the meeting will end. Be sure to keep the quiz under 40 minutes. When complete with the quiz, be sure to end the meeting, not just exit.