Hosting a Zoom (Web Meet) Group Session

Zoom allows you to create group sessions when you are physically not able to meet up. 
It is recommended that you work from a computer enabled with a webcam, speakers, and a microphone.

The guide covers the following topics on how to host a Zoom meeting. Use the links below to navigate easily through the guide: 

• Accessing Zoom (Web Meet) 
• Hosting a Meeting
• Testing Audio - Speaker & Microphone
• Inviting Participants
• Group Chat
• Screen Sharing
• Breakout Rooms
• Adding Security Features
• Ending the Session

Step One: Accessing Zoom (Web Meet)

1. In your VU Collaborate Space select Toolbox in the navbar to activate a dropdown menu. Then select Web Meet (Zoom).

2. A new window will open, directing you to your Zoom account profile settings. 

Step Two: Hosting a Meeting

You can either host a meeting on the spot or schedule a meeting for a particular time or date.

2.1 Host a Zoom Meeting

1. Once inside your Zoom account settings, select HOST A MEETING located on the top right-hand side of the page. You will need to select one of the following meeting options: With Video Off, With Video On, or Screen Share Only.

The three settings With Video Off, With Video On, or Screen Share Only start the session in the mode selected. For example, selecting With Video Off will start the Zoom session with everyone's videos off, they can be turned on once in the meeting.

2. Once you have selected your meeting option, the following message will appear on your screen down below. Select Open Zoom Meetings. 

3. A meeting room should now appear with you as the host. 

2.2 Schedule a Zoom Meeting

1. Once inside your Zoom account settings, select Schedule a Meeting.

2. Give the meeting a topic name and under the topic, give the meeting a descriptive title to help others understand the context of the meeting. 

3. Set the date and time of the meeting and then select the approximate duration of the meeting. The duration, however, is for scheduling purposes only.

You can select the calendar symbol and the time dropdown to pick a date and time of choice.

The meeting can be joined before the set time and will not end after the selected length of time.

5. The registration option requires attendees to sign up before they can join the meeting.  

It's recommended to not use this option when hosting a Zoom session outside of university hours as individuals you invite might not log in with their VU Zoom account.

6. You may create your own password by typing numbers, text or symbols in the Passcode textbox or leave the automatically-generated password.

Participants joining from outside of VU Collaborate will be required to input the password before joining the scheduled meeting. This is set as the default option and cannot be changed.

You can also enable the waiting room setting by ticking Waiting Room to activate a waiting room feature that allows the host to control when a participant joins the meeting. Or tick Require authentication to join to enforce VU authenticated Zoom accounts being admitted into your session exclusively.

Participants will receive a message on their screen to let them know that the host will bring them into the Zoom room. As a host, you can add participants one by one or hold all participants in the waiting room and admit them all at once after you have set up the session.

7. You may select if you would prefer the host and participant's camera to automatically turn on or stay off when joining the meeting by selecting on or off for both Video settings.

Audio selection will allow you to select whether to allow users to call in via Telephone only, Computer audio-only, or both.  

It is recommended to leave the setting on both so participants can call with their phone if they have no internet access.

8. You may select if you would like to mute all participants upon entry of the Zoom session by selecting Mute participants upon entry. You may create premade breakout rooms by selecting Breakout Room pre-assign. Approve or block entry for users from specific countries/regions from having access to your Zoom session by selecting Approve or block entry for users from specific countries/regions and also the ability to add alternative hosts by typing in their email address in the search bar.

An alternative host means that other people can start your Zoom session for you and there can be more than one person ready to host/facilitate the session.

9. Once all settings have been finalised press Save.

10. Once the Zoom session has been scheduled you have the ability to do the following:

1. Start the Meeting
2. Add the Meeting details to your calendar on Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar and Yahoo Calendar.
3. Copy the invite link to send to others
4. Start the meeting and re-edit or delete the meeting

Step Three: Testing Audio - Speaker & Microphone

1. Now that you are inside the main room of the meeting, you will notice icons located at the bottom of your Zoom screen. On the bottom left-hand side click the arrow located on the Mute/Unmute icon. From the options, you will need to select Test Speaker and Microphone. 

2. Listen to the ringtone and if it can be heard, select Yes. If not, ensure you have selected the correct speakers and attempt the test feature once more. 

3. A microphone check will now take place. You will be prompted to speak and pause. If you can hear the replay, select Yes and from there a new window will pop up confirming the test is complete. Select Finish. 

Step Four: Inviting Participants

 1. Select the arrow on the Participants button on the Zoom toolbar and then select Invite.

You might need to hover your mouse over so that the icons can appear.

 2. You can choose to select Copy Invite Link to send a direct URL link via email or other applications or Copy Invitation to send an invitation paragraph with the URL link via email or other applications.

You may select Default email to open your standard email application to send the link types to the participants you wish to invite.

Step Five: Group Chat

1. Use the Chat option to send messages to all participants or the host (privately). 

In the chat bar, you can select the bubble which states Everyone, this will open a dropdown selection where you can choose if you would like to send a message to Everyone or the Host/Co-Host privately.

Step Six: Screen Sharing

1. Click on Share Screen to share your screen with the participants.

Please note that by default, the screen sharing feature is only enabled for the Host of the session. To change this, the Host will have to click on the arrow next to Share Screen and change the permissions in Advanced Sharing Options to allow All Participants to share their screen. 

2. Select the screen you wish to share and press Share.

Make sure to tick the Share Sound option if you want to share a video or a webpage with sound.

6.1 Annotation Tool

The annotation tool is a powerful Zoom tool that allows participants and hosts to draw, type, point and highlight on a shared screen.

1. Share any screen or select the Whiteboard option on the share screen selection to share a blank screen.

2. To access the annotations tool, you will need to select the drop-down arrow, View Options and then select the Annotate option. 

3. From there, a list of tool options will appear. Simply click on whichever tool option you would like to use to annotate the document currently being shared.

The example below (from left to right) is using a heart located under Stamp, an arrow located under Draw and blue text which can be accessed by selecting the Text option. 

The annotations option is available to all participants during any screen share. Selecting this option allows you to make annotations on the document being shared. All participants will be able to view your annotations. 

Step Seven: Breakout Rooms 

1. Use the Breakout rooms (which are sub rooms) to split a large group into smaller groups or pairs to discuss group work or to complete group activities. 

2. Select the number of breakout rooms to create and then select whether you want the allocations to be automatic, manual or to allow participants to choose their own breakout room. To finalise the breakout rooms settings you will need to select Create. 

3. The following options should now appear.

Select Assign if you would like to add any further participants to a particular room. The Options button will provide further setting options within the breakout rooms. Recreate will delete existing breakout rooms and allow the host to create new rooms. Open All Rooms will invite participants in the main room to join their assigned breakout room. 

4. If the breakout rooms have been opened, the following options will now appear. Broadcast Message to All allows you to send a message to everyone in the breakout rooms. Participants will view the message from within their rooms. Close All Rooms will close the breakout rooms and depending on your settings, will provide a countdown to when the rooms will close, prompting the participants to return to the main screen automatically. 

Step Eight: Adding Security Features

1. For added security features, click on Security at the bottom of the screen. The security icon in the meeting controls allows you as the host or the assigned co-host of a meeting to enable or disable options during a meeting to secure the meeting and minimize disruption during the meeting.

2. Click on Security at the bottom of the screen to enable added security features.

1. Lock Meeting: You will be able to lock the meeting where more participants will not be allowed to enter.
2. Enable Waiting Room: You can enable the waiting room where participants will reach a waiting room where they need to be approved by you to be allowed in the meeting.
3. Hide Profile Pictures: You can hide all profile pictures throughout the Session.

Ticking the following participant's options will allow them to do the following:

1. Share Screen: You can enable or disable the screen share within the main session.
2. Chat: You can enable or disable the chat and renaming features of the participants.
3. Rename Themselves: You can lock and unlock the option that allows participants to rename themselves.
   
4. Unmute Themselves: You can lock and unlock the option that allows participants to unmute themselves.
   
5. Start Video: You can lock and unlock the option that allows participants to turn on their camera's.
   
6. Suspend Participant Activities: Turns off all participant options at once (Option 1 - 5). You will need to re-tick all option that was closed if this has been selected.

Step Nine: Ending the Session

1. You can end the session by clicking on End on the bottom right corner.

2. Select End Meeting for All to end the session or assign a new Host and click on Leave Meeting so that the session can continue with another host.

Click on Participating in a Zoom Virtual Classroom, Accessing a Zoom Virtual Classroom and/or Presenting in a Zoom Virtual classroom for more information on how to use Zoom.