Using Zoom with Canvas

This guide will provide instructions on how to integrate the Zoom LTI into your Canvas course, whether you're teaching an SPC Live Online course, scheduling virtual office hours, or hosting a study session for students. 

Connecting Zoom to your Canvas Class

1. Sign into the SPC Canvas instance at canvas.SPCollege.edu or through the Widget on Titan Hub.
   
   
2. Access the course you'd like to integrate with Zoom. 
   
   
3. Select Modules to access all the course modules, and then select +Module to add a new module.
   
   
   
   
   
4. In the Module Name box, type a descriptive name for your module so students know that this is where the class Zoom link will be. We suggest something like "Zoom Meeting Information," "Zoom Link for CGS1100" or "Zoom Link for Office Hours." Then select the Add Module button. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Go to the Zoom Link module and press the plus sign + to add content to the module. 
   
   
   
   
   
6. From the Add dropdown menu, select External Tool. Scroll down and select Zoom. Select Add Item.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Inside your Zoom Meeting Information module, press the upside-down triangle to access the publish/unpublish menu. Select Publish module and all items. This will ensure that your students can see the Zoom meeting link and information. 
   
   
   
   
   
8. Select Zoom inside your Zoom Meeting Information module to begin setup.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Select Load Zoom in a new window.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Open Zoom and schedule a recurring meeting. This enables students to click on your Zoom module, click Zoom, and be brought to a list of any Zoom links for your class. From here, you can choose how you communicate the Zoom link to students. You can post it as an annoucement, send it through the Canvas Inbox, add it to a calendar event, or use some combination of these methods.
    
    Note: Each instructor must build their own Zoom link and place it in the course, even if teaching from a standard course.

Creating a Recurring Zoom Meeting Room for a Course

Students in face-to-face courses have specific classrooms to go to for each course. For an online course with Live synchronous meetings, we also recommend one specific Zoom room per course to eliminate confusion with multiple Zoom links on different dates. 

To create a Zoom room for a course, please follow the steps below. You may also create a specific Zoom room for office hours the same way. 

1. Navigate to your Zoom account (see step 10 in this guide) and select Schedule a New Meeting.
2. In the Zoom meeting settings, select Recurring Meeting. This opens the recurring meeting menu.  
    
   
   
   
   
3. From the Recurring meeting dropdown menu, select No Fixed Time.  
    
   
   
   
4. Update any Zoom settings as needed and select Save.
5. Share the Zoom link with your students in whatever way you choose. Initially, you do need to create a Canvas Module as mentioned in the top section of this tutorial page. However, you could also post the Zoom link as an announcement, send it through the Canvas Inbox, add it to a calendar event (see below), or use a combination of these methods.)

Adding Zoom Meetings to the Canvas Calendar

Creating a Zoom link for your class will NOT automatically create a corresponding event in your students' Canvas calendars. If you want the Zoom link to show up as a calendar event for students (for example, you want your Tuesday evening SPC Live Online MGF1130 to show up as an event every Tuesday in your students' Canvas Calendars), here are the instructions for how to do so:

1. Login to SPC's Canvas instance and select Calendar from the global navigation. 
   
2. In the top righthand corner of the Calendar home screen, select the + to Create New Event.
   
   
3. In the Edit Event screen, make sure you have selected the first tab, Event (1). Give the event a descriptive title (2). Input the date (3), the start and end times (4, 5), and, if applicable, use the frequency dropdown menu (6) to make the event recurring. For location, we recommend typing Virtual (7). Make sure to select your course/section's calendar from the Calendar dropown menu (8). Then, select More Options (9).
   
4. The More Options menu opens up a text box. Paste the Zoom link URL into the text box. This ensures that it will show up a clickable link for students.
   
   
   Note: If you put the Zoom link in the location field instead, in the previous menu, it won't be a clickable hyperlink. The same is true for links pasted into the Address field. In both scenarios, students will have to copy/paste the into a browser or into Zoom. We recommend selecting More Options and pasting the link in the text box so students can click on the link directly.
5. Select Create Event. 
   
   
6. Navigate to the date of the event on your Canvas Calendar and verify that the event is there. If you don't see the event, make sure your course's calendar is visible to you. 

More information on Canvas Calendar

How do I use the Canvas Calendar? 

How do I add an event to my course calendar?