Schedule Zoom sessions in the McGill Zoom portal

Owned by Jacqueline Kort Mascort (Deactivated)
Feb 27, 2024
3 min read

Instructors who use Zoom for online teaching should create the Zoom sessions from within myCourses; this is the easiest way to ensure students can access the session links. This article describes the five steps to follow to schedule Zoom sessions in the McGill Zoom Portal and add these session link(s) to myCourses content. 

You can schedule Zoom meetings using the Zoom Outlook plugin for desktop. This option is available for Windows and Mac.

In this article:

1 Sign in | 2 Schedule | 3 Copy invite | 4 Send invite | 5 Add to Content

Sign in

  1. Go to https://mcgill.zoom.us.

  2. Select Sign in to open the McGill sign in window.

  3. Enter your McGill username and select Next.   

  4. Enter your McGill password. Your Zoom profile page will appear.

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Schedule

  1. Select Schedule a meeting at the top of the window.

  1. Select the session options.

    • Topic: Enter a name for your session.

      In order for the cloud recording to automatically be pulled into myCourses, you must copy and paste the term and course name as displayed in myCourses into the Topic field of your session. Example: Winter 2020 - ACCT-352-781

    • Description: Enter an optional session description.

    • When: Select a date and time for your session.

    • Duration: Choose the approximate duration of the session. This is only for scheduling purposes and your session will not automatically end after this length of time.

    • Recurring meeting: Only select this option if you would like sessions to recur. (The Meeting ID will remain the same for each session).

    • Registration: Select this option if your session requires registration. A registration link will be generated instead of a Join URL.

    • Host video: Select whether you want the host video on or off when joining the session. Even if you choose off, you will have the option to start your video during the session.

    • Participant video: Select whether you want students' video on or off when joining the session. Even if you choose off, students will have the option to start their video during the session.

    • Audio: Choose whether to allow students to join using Telephone only, Computer Audio only, or Telephone and Computer Audio.

    • Meeting options:

      • Enable join before host: Allow students to join the session without you or before you join. Not recommended.

      • Mute participants on entry: If join before host is not enabled, this will mute students as they join the session. Participants can unmute themselves after joining the session. Recommended.

      • Enable waiting room: This option allows the host to control when students join the session by placing them in a waiting room.

      • Only authenticated users join: This option restricts access to the session so that only students using authenticated McGill accounts can join.

      • Breakout room pre-assign: This option enables you to pre-assign students to breakout rooms using a CSV file.

      • Record the session automatically: Select this option if you want the session to be automatically recorded.

    • Alternative hosts: Enter the email address of another Zoom user to allow them to start the session in your absence.

  2. Click Save.

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Copy invite

Once you have created your session, a Join URL will be created. To share the session:

  • copy the Join URL and share it with your students
    or

  • select Copy the invitation, which will open up a window where you can copy the full invitation to send by e-mail.

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Send invite

  1. On your Course home page, select Classlist and then Email Classlist.

  2. At the bottom of the window, click Send Email.

  3. Enter a subject in the subject field and paste the Zoom invitation in the Body field.

  4. Select Send at the top-left of the window.

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Add to Content

If you are using the myCourses current Content experience:

  1. On your Course home page, select Content.

  2. On the left-hand side at the bottom of all the Modules, under the Add a module textbox, enter a descriptive title for all your Zoom sessions.

  3. In this module, select Upload/Create and then Create a Link.

  4. Enter the title of the session, copy and paste the URL, and select Create. When students select the link, they will be automatically directed to the session.

If you are using the myCourses new Content experience:

  1. On your Course home page, select Content.

  2. On the left-hand side, select New Unit. Enter a descriptive title for all your Zoom sessions.

  3. In the unit, select Create New, and then select Weblink.

  4. Enter the URL in the Link field and then enter a title in the Title field. Select the Open in a new window option. You can also select the hidden/visible slider to make the link visible to students.

  5. Select Save. When students select the link, they will be automatically directed to the session.

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