How do I open pre-assigned breakout rooms and allow participants to choose their room in Zoom?

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Best Practices | Troubleshooting |

Pre-assigned breakout rooms allow Zoom meeting hosts to group participants into rooms ahead of time, which can be helpful for organizing discussions or activities. However, it is recommended to allow participants to choose their own breakout rooms in certain cases to make meetings more flexible and easier to manage. This guide will explain how to open pre-assigned breakout rooms in Zoom and include best practices for using them in a way that allows participants to manage their own breakout room assignment if needed.

Prerequisites

• A Zoom meeting with breakout rooms pre-assigned
• Host or co-host privileges in the Zoom meeting

Step-by-Step Instructions

To open Pre-Assigned Breakout Rooms in Zoom, do the following:

1. Start your Zoom meeting.
2. From the Zoom task bar, select Breakout Rooms.
3. In the Breakout Room menu, select Options [1].
4. Check the option to Allow Participants to choose room [2].
   

By enabling this option, participants can manually select and join their assigned breakout rooms if any issues arise, reducing the need for constant host oversight during the meeting.

Best Practices

To ensure a smooth experience when using pre-assigned breakout rooms, follow these best practices:

1. Allow Participants to Choose Their Own Breakout Room
   Always check the option to Allow Participants to choose room in the breakout room settings. This enables participants to manage their own movement between breakout rooms, which can be especially helpful if pre-assignments do not function as expected.

2. Provide Clear Instructions to Participants Before the Meeting
   Send clear instructions to your participants prior to the meeting, ensuring they activate their Chico State Zoom accounts and sign in using the Chico State Single Sign On (SSO) system. Pre-assigned breakout rooms may not work properly if participants are not signed into their Zoom accounts correctly.

3. Allow Practice Time
   Schedule a few minutes of practice time for participants to familiarize themselves with joining breakout rooms, especially if they are expected to choose their own rooms.

Instructions to Share with Students Before the Meeting

• Activate your Chico State Zoom account: Make sure you have activated your Chico State Zoom account ahead of time.
• Sign in using the Chico State Single Sign On (SSO): Log into Zoom using the SSO option for Chico State to ensure you are properly authenticated for pre-assigned breakout rooms.

Troubleshooting

If participants report being unable to access the pre-assigned breakout rooms:

• Verify that they are logged into Zoom using the Chico State SSO.
• Check that the option Allow Participants to choose room is enabled in the breakout room settings.
• Reassign participants manually if necessary.

Still need help? If you run into problems or still need help, faculty can reach out to the Technology & Learning Program and students can contact Learning Technology Services.