Second-Hour Classes

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Features to consider when setting up 2nd Hour Meetings  

Zoom is a versatile tool to use for interactive meetings or interviews.  This article reviews many features which can be utilized to provide greater security, minimize distractions, and create flexibility for 2nd hour classes such as Sunday School, Priesthood Quorum meetings, Relief Society, Presidency Meetings, Interviews, or other interactive meetings.

When deciding which features to implement into your meetings, please test the features before using them to minimize problems and maximize utility.

Zoom Breakout Rooms  

Zoom breakout rooms can be a great option for local units that hold multiple meetings or classes simultaneously. Although breakout rooms can be used for many different reasons, this document will provide general information and suggestions for using them for second hour classes. It is assumed the  

Church-provided paid Zoom account will be used by local units to eliminate meeting time limit concerns.  

Benefits  

The benefits of using breakout rooms for second hour classes are:  

• Local units can provide a single meeting link for everyone to join as opposed to each instructor sending out separate links.  
• Local units can apply meeting settings once to reduce the potential of distracting or inappropriate material being shared across all breakout rooms within that meeting.  

• Youth and Sunday school presidencies can ensure classes are being held and move participants to alternate classes if a teacher is unavailable.  
• Priesthood and other organization leaders can easily visit any class they need/want each Sunday.  

Scheduling  

Zoom offers several ways to schedule a meeting including from the Zoom desktop or mobile app or from the Zoom web portal. Click here for information on scheduling Zoom meeting.  

Things to consider when scheduling:  

• Recurring Meeting – Scheduling a recurring meeting will provide a static viewing URL for remote attendees. Zoom allows a maximum of 50 recurrences of an event. A “No Fixed Time” recurring event can be selected to remove the limit on occurrences.  
• Waiting Room – It is generally recommended the waiting room be disabled when using Zoom for second hour classes.  
• Audio – Allowing “Both” telephone and computer audio will provide members the ability to dial-into Zoom using a telephone. If “Both” is selected, make sure the available dial-in information is provided with the viewing URL. Currently toll-free calling is not supported on the Church Zoom accounts.  
• Allow Participants to Join Before Start Time – It is generally recommended this feature is disabled. See additional comments under “Zoom Account Settings” below.  
• Breakout Room Pre-Assign – Although you can pre-assign participants to breakout rooms during the scheduling process, this is typically not recommended for second hour classes since it would require the host to know all participant’s email addresses and what classes to assign them to during the scheduling process. Breakout rooms are typically set up by the host once the meeting is started. Click here for more information.  

Event Start  

Click here for information on starting a scheduled Zoom meeting. After starting the meeting from the desktop Zoom app, the host will click the breakout room icon located on the Zoom meeting toolbar in order to begin the breakout room setup process. Click here for more information on setting up and managing breakout rooms.  

Note: Breakout rooms cannot be set up or managed using a mobile device.  

During the breakout room setup process:  

• Select the number of rooms required.  
• Select the preferred participant assignment option. For second hour classes “Let participants choose room” is typically preferred.  

If “Let participants choose room” is selected, participants will have the ability to see the available breakout rooms and select the one they want to attend. Click here for more information.  

• Rename the breakout rooms by hovering over the room name.  
• “Open All Rooms” to allow participants to access the rooms.  

Participant Requirements  

It is important to understand participants joining a meeting with breakout rooms set to “let participants choose room” must connect using the Zoom desktop or mobile app with version 5.3.0 or higher. Those joining by phone, from a web browser, or using an older app version will not be able to self-select a breakout room and will need the host to manually move them to the appropriate breakout room.  

 

Additional Considerations  

In-Meeting Security  

Zoom in-meeting toolbar security icon allows hosts and co-hosts the ability to enable and disable certain functionality to better secure the meeting and minimize disruptions. Click here for more information.  Becoming familiar with these security controls is encouraged whether breakout rooms are used or not. Functionality that can be controlled in the security section includes:  

Lock Meeting – Typically not used for second hour classes using breakout rooms. Once a meeting is locked additional participants cannot join.  

Enable Waiting Room - Typically not recommended for second hour classes using breakout rooms.  

Meeting Chat – Click here for additional in-meeting chat configuration options. It is recommended local units either allow participant chat with the host only or disable it completely to avoid distractions and potential of inappropriate messages being shared.    

Screen Sharing – It is recommended local units limit screen sharing to “Host Only” to eliminate the potential of inappropriate material being shared during the class/meeting.  

Note: If “Host Only” screen sharing is enabled, teachers who want to share lesson content (e.g. images, videos, etc.) will need to be made co-hosts before they go into their breakout room.  

Rename Themselves – local units may want to consider disabling the ability for participants to rename themselves in order to better know who is in the meeting and ensure names are not changed to something that would distract from the class/meeting.  

Unmute Themselves – It is generally recommended participants have the ability to unmute themselves for second hour classes.  

Start Video - It is generally recommended participants have the ability to start video for second hour classes.  

Suspend All Participant Activities – Used as an emergency measure if a participant joins with the intent of distracting or interrupting the meeting and will not leave. When selected, everyone’s video and audio will be turned off, screen sharing will stop, and the meeting will be blocked. Understand this is an option that is available and use it only if absolutely needed.  

Zoom Account Settings  

Making changes in the security section of the meeting will enable/disable the features above for a specific meeting. If desired, these features can be enabled/disabled for all meetings in the Zoom account settings. Click here for more information. Other functionality to consider in the Zoom account settings includes:  

Only Authenticated Users Can Join Meetings – Restricting meetings to logged-in users may be helpful in keeping out unwanted participant. However, if this is enabled, ensure all those who want to join have a Zoom account and understand they will need to be logged in to it in order to join the meeting. Enabling this does some complex for remote participants when joining the meeting so make sure the impact is clearly understood. Click here for more information.    

Co-host – Enabling co-host will give the meeting host the ability to manually promote participants to co-hosts status during the meeting. It is recommended each breakout room has at least one co-host. Co-hosts have the ability to mute participants and if needed remove participants from a meeting.  

Non-verbal Feedback & Meeting Reactions – Disabling non-verbal feedback may reduce inmeeting disruptions.  

Hide Participant Profile Pictures in a Meeting – It is recommended this is enabled to reduce the potential of distracting or inappropriate images being shown during the meeting.  

Group HD Video - Enabling HD can improve the overall experience for attendees but also requires additional bandwidth. Only enable HD options if local bandwidth can support it.  

Virtual Background – It is recommended virtual backgrounds are disabled to reduce the potential of distracting or inappropriate images being shown during the meeting.  

Live Transcript  

Live transcription (automated closed captioning) is available in Zoom for English only. This option can be beneficial to those attendees who are hearing impaired. To turn on live transcript, click “Live Transcript” on the Zoom toolbar after the meeting has started and then select one of the options provided. If captioning is enabled by the host, the font size can be adjusted by clicking the up-arrow on the “Live Transcript” button and selecting “Subtitle Settings” either by the host or participant if joining from the Zoom desktop app. Meeting attendees who do not want closed captioning can disable it in the Zoom desktop or mobile app if desired.  

Multi Language Meetings  

Local units needing multiple languages in their sacrament can use Zoom’s language interpretation capabilities. Interpreters must be logged into Zoom and have at least a basic (free) account. Click here for more information.  

Main Meeting Room  

The main meeting room all participants join before going to their breakroom can be used to communicate information to members. Consider having the host screen share a PowerPoint slide or other similar image with upcoming activities and/or an uplifting image or quote. Playing a hymn in the background in the main room may also be beneficial in setting the proper tone for the meetings and classes.