Creating Zoom Meetings through Canvas

Creating your Zoom class meeting from within your Canvas course helps your students easily find your class meeting link and class recordings. Additional security is also added with the required UWSP account sign in and MFA for Canvas course access.

If you want to create your Zoom class meeting outside of Canvas, or if your intent is to solely use Zoom to pre-record presentations for use in your classes at a later date you can create a Zoom meeting from within the Zoom portal.

DO THIS ONE-TIME ACTIVATION FIRST

If you have not already signed into the Universities of Wisconsin Zoom portal at zoom.uwsp.edu with your UWSP account. you should do so BEFORE creating your Zoom class meetings or other Zoom meetings.

⇒ Sign into zoom.uwsp.edu with your UWSP account.

Signing in the first time to zoom.uwsp.edu establishes your Zoom cloud profile. This stores any Zoom settings changes you make in the Zoom cloud so that your Zoom settings remain consistent when working from any device and/or browser.  Activating your Universities of Wisconsin Zoom account also updates your Zoom profile giving you access to premium licensed features such as cloud recording with storage, transcripts and summaries, extended meeting duration, full alternative host and co-host privileges where added, and more.

Changes to your Zoom settings from within the Zoom web portal becomes the default for all future meetings you create, regardless of whether the meeting is created from the Zoom desktop app, mobile app, web portal, Outlook add-in, or Canvas integration, as long as the Zoom meeting is created from the same Zoom account.

See how to also ensure access to premium features in Zoom meetings created outside of Canvas.
 

Create a Zoom Meeting Within Your Canvas Course

Creating your class Zoom meetings within Canvas makes class recordings available to your students through your Canvas course.

Best practice: Create one Zoom meeting for an entire semester for each class. Starting and ending the meeting for each class period generates your separate class recordings.

1. From within your Canvas course, select the Zoom Module from the list of tools at the left.
   
2. If a pop up displays for the UWS Zoom API, click Authorize.
3. In the middle of the Zoom screen click Schedule.
    

Customize Your Zoom Meeting

1. In the Topic field add your course title and sections or other information that easily identifies the class.

Adding updated information specific to each recording:  You can edit your meeting before the start of each class and update the Topic to provide identifying information such as unit number or lesson topic, etc, to students viewing the class recordings list. Zoom's Topic field supports up to 128 characters.

Note: Do not use Zoom's meeting Description field for this purpose. The Description is not easily visible to students viewing class recordings from within Canvas.
 

In the When Section

5. Place a check next to Recurring meeting.
6. From the Recurrence dropdown box that displays select No Fixed Time.
   Note: Selecting No Fixed Time allows your Zoom classroom meeting to be available to all of the class sessions - without adding additional noise to your personal Outlook calendar.
    

In the Security Section

7. Leave Passcode checked. The passcode is embedded in the meeting URL. This prevents "Zoom bombing" where an uninvited person gains access to an unprotected meeting URL and enters the meeting typically with the intent of disrupting the class. No additional effort is needed on the part of your students when this setting is checked.
8. Deactivate the Waiting  Room. URLs with embedded passcodes can be shared. If your class is discussing sensitive topics, consider enabling the Waiting Room. 
9. Deactivate, “Only authenticated users can join meetings.”
    

In the Video section

10. Change Host and Participant video to “on.”
     

In the Options section

11. Click Show.
12. Select, "Allow participants to join anytime."
13. Leave all other defaults.

Exception: If you want the recording to start as soon as the meeting starts select, “Record the meeting automatically.”
 

Add alternative Hosts

14. If you co-teach the course or want to add others with Host privileges, including people from other UW campuses, add their email addresses under Alternative Hosts.
15. At the lower-left, click Save.

Access Upcoming Meetings and Class Recordings Through the Canvas Zoom Module

Upcoming Meetings Tab

The meeting you created will be available to you and your students from the Upcoming Meetings list.  If you have multiple courses or/and other meetings outside of class in Zoom, Your personal Zoom Module view will display those as well. A person only sees their own Zoom classes and meetings.

To see only the Zoom meeting(s) created for the course you are currently in, place a check next to, "See only Zoom meeting(s) created within the course."

Cloud Recordings Tab

Links to all of your class recordings can be found under the Cloud Recordings tab.  Zoom recordings begin processing after you End the Meeting.  Please remember that class recordings are relatively lengthy and may take a while before displaying in the Cloud Recordings list.

Starting Zoom Class Meetings Through Canvas

Instructors- Start Your Zoom Class Meeting From Your Canvas Course

1. Access your Canvas course and select the Zoom module at the left.
2. To the right of your class meeting select Start.
3. If prompted, choose Open Zoom Workplace.

• In dedicated Distance Ed classrooms your DE support person works to ensure that your class video, audio, and other tools are set as  expected.
• In Non-DE Classrooms check your Zoom meeting audio, video, and camera settings.
   

Students Access to Class Zoom Meetings Through Canvas

Students should select the Zoom module from their Canvas course, then to the right of their class meeting select Start.