How To: Set Up Remote Office Hours Using Zoom

Description

This article has been created to help Faculty and Staff who wish to set up remote Office Hours using Zoom.  A Zoom meeting for office hours is set up a little differently than a Zoom meeting for a class.  Zoom office hours incorporates the use of a waiting room so that faculty or staff can meet with students one at a time.  Zoom can be used in combination with the Starfish Appointment Scheduler if desired.

Table of Contents

Steps

Set Up Zoom Office Hours

  1. Activate your account or sign in to Zoom
    1. Go to duq.zoom.us
    2. Click the Sign In button
    3. Enter your Duquesne MultiPass information
    4. Click Login (you will need to authenticate with Duo)
      A screenshot of the Zoom sign-in page
      Note: You will only need to activate your account once.
  2. Schedule the Zoom Meeting
    1. After logging into Zoom, click Schedule a Meeting
    2. Fill in the fields to match the three screenshots below
    3. It is recommended that you include your name in Topic
      A screenshot of the Schedule a Meeting form, with Recurring meeting checked, recurrence set to No Fixed Time, and a Topic filled out
      A screenshot of the Video and Audio form on the Create a Meeting Options screen with Host turned Off for video and Participant turned Off for video, and Audio set to Both
      A screenshot of Meeting Options with Mute participants upon entry and Enable waiting room checked
    4. Click Save
  3. Obtain your meeting URL and ID
    • Copy/Paste your URL and Meeting ID so that you can pass them on to your students. They will use the URL to access your office hours from a computer. If they prefer to use their iPhone, they will use the meeting ID.
      A screenshot of the Meeting ID and Invite Attendees information

 

Use Starfish for Online Appointment Scheduling

Faculty and Staff already using Starfish for appointment scheduling will need to view How to Add and Update Office Hour Locations in Starfish.

Faculty and Staff new to using the appointment scheduling feature in Starfish can view this video for instructions:   Setting up Appointment Scheduling.

Communicating with your students

Students scheduling appointments through Starfish will automatically receive an email including the Zoom access information. 

Faculty and Staff that do not utilize Starfish scheduling will need to send an email to their students including the Zoom access information obtained when the Zoom Office Hours were set up.  Students will use the Zoom URL for access from a computer and the Meeting ID for access from an iPhone.  

Students that need assistance accessing Zoom Office Hours should refer to the following document: Participating in Zoom Office Hours for Students.

Starting Your Zoom Office Hour Session

  1. Start your office hours
    1. Log in to Zoom
    2. Click the Meetings tab
    3. Click Start next to the name of your meeting
      Note: You CANNOT start your office hours by accessing Zoom through the URL you have shared with your students. You must follow the steps listed here.
      A screenshot of the Zoom Upcoming Meetings tab with an arrow pointing to Start
    4. Click Sign in to Start
      A screenshot of the sign in to start prompt
    5. Launch Zoom.
  2. Manage your office hours/Zoom meeting participants
    When students access Zoom Office Hours, they enter a Waiting Room
    1. At the bottom of your Zoom screen, click Manage Participants
    2. This will display the name of the student currently meeting with you as well as those in the Waiting Room
    3. Click Message if you need to send a message to those in the Waiting Room (they will not be able to message back)
    4. Click the Admit button when you're ready for the next student
      A screenshot of the View and Manage Participants screen with the Admit button highlighted

If using Starfish, remember to view student info and enter meeting notes in Starfish as you usually do.

 

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Related Services / Offerings (3)

Students and employees have access to Microsoft Office 365 calendaring through their University email account.
Computing and Technology Services (CTS) licenses and supports a variety of software products.
Zoom is a video conferencing platform that can be used through a computer desktop or mobile app, and allows users to connect online for video conference meetings, webinars and live chat.