Zoom: Creating a Session for Online Courses

This page goes over how to create a session for online courses including recommended Zoom settings, guest speakers, and Help Desk contact information.

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Creating a Session

Instructors must load their own class sessions in Zoom in order to be the host of the meeting. Prior to the start of the semester, the Help Desk will load a Zoom module onto your course’s Canvas page. The link will appear in the Instructor Work Zone on the left in Canvas. When you click on the link, you will see a screen that looks like this:

Screenshot of Zoom module with no meeting sessions as an example

Click the blue button in the top right corner that says Schedule a New Meeting. A pop up window will prompt you to create the settings for your meeting. The "Topic" field will default to the name of your course. The "Description" field can be left blank.

Example of Zoom description bar

Recommended Settings

The following are the recommended settings for class sessions in Zoom:

  • Make a recurring meeting that occurs weekly on the day of your course so that the meetings throughout the semester are already scheduled.
  • Set meeting start times for the time class starts.
  • Leave the video off for both the host and the participants. Participants can still turn their video on manually within the session.
  • Select Allow participants to join anytime so students can join the session prior to your arrival and not have to wait in a waiting room (unless "Waiting Room" is selected).
  • Mute participants on entry and record the meeting automatically in the cloud.

Meeting tab with sections on Topic, Description, When, Duration, Time Zone for your meeting

In depth meeting settings including registration, security, video, audio, and alternative hosts

Browser vs. Zoom Software

Once you have a meeting scheduled, you have the option to run it in either your browser or through the downloaded Zoom desktop application. We strongly recommend you download the Zoom desktop application to have access to all of Zoom's features. 

The Zoom application enables you to join a meeting faster and runs more consistently. It also offers a larger amount of advanced settings.

The picture below shows some of the options available in the software that are not available when Zoom is opened in a browser.

Please note that the browser version of Zoom works best for scheduling non-class meetings and viewing account details. You can sign into the browser by going to illinois.zoom.us.

Zoom settings of the software versus browser options

Meeting ID

Each Zoom session has a unique Meeting ID. The Meeting ID can be shared with people you invite to join the session.

Read more about Meeting IDs here.

Guest Speakers

Participants are not allowed to screen share unless given access by the host of the meeting. Hosts can enable screen sharing abilities within the meeting. If you would like to give your guest speaker more administrative powers in addition to presenting, such as the ability to mute participants and control the recording, you can make them a co-host. 

Please reach out to the Help Desk if you would like a GA to send an email to your guest speaker with instructions on how to join your meeting and tips on how to best utilize Zoom.

Read more about co-hosts here.

Importing Scheduled Zoom Sessions into Canvas

Recurring Zoom meetings can be created in the Zoom desktop application and imported into the course's Zoom module.

  • After opening Zoom, click the Schedule button
    • When creating your meeting settings, you can follow the guidelines above in "Recommended Settings." Take note of the recurring meeting selection if you are scheduling your class sessions.

Main log in screen for zoom on application with the schedule button circled in green

  • When you've created your meeting in the Zoom desktop application, click Meetings at the top of the window and take note of that specific meeting's Meeting ID. 

Zoom settings for a specific meeting creation

An example meeting looks like once set up

  • In your Canvas course's Zoom module, click the three dots icon on the right side of the screen. Beneath that, select the "Import a Meeting" option.

The canvas module of zoom meetings looks like with the 3 dot and 'Import meeting' button circled in green

  • You will be prompted to enter the Meeting ID that you saw when you created your meeting in the Zoom desktop application. Type it in and click Import. Now your corresponding Zoom session will appear in your Zoom module.

Importing the meeting into zoom meetings module

Questions?

iSchool Help Desk Contact Information

Main Help Desk:

HUB Building

614 E. Daniel Street, 4th Floor

Champaign, IL 61820

217-244-4903 or 800-377-1892

ischool-support@illinois.edu

Tech Chat

@iSchoolUI_Tech via Twitter

Facebook: iSchoolHelp

Hours

Open hours (CST) while classes are in session during the Fall and Spring semesters:

Help Desk Hours
Days 614 E. Daniel Online
Mon-Thurs 8:00am – 6:00pm During in-person hours and any time an online class is in session (usually until 9pm)
Fri 8:00am – 5:00pm During in-person hours and any time an online class is in session (usually until 5pm)
Weekends Not Staffed When an online class is in session


KeywordsZoom, Canvas, online class*, meetings, courses   Doc ID124878
OwneriSchool U.GroupSchool of Information Sciences
Created2023-03-15 15:52:59Updated2024-07-03 13:06:29
SitesUniversity of Illinois School of Information Sciences
CleanURLhttps://answers.uillinois.edu/ischool/creating-a-session-for-online-courses
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