Summary
Audience: Faculty and Staff using CatholicU Zoom Professional Licenses
Purpose: Learn how to enable and manage Breakout Rooms using the Zoom web portal and desktop client for class engagement and group collaboration.
Body
🔐 Step 1: Log in to the Zoom Web Portal
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Go to https://zoom.us
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Click "Sign in with Google"
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Use your @cua.edu email account to log in
🔎 This will take you to your Zoom account’s main dashboard where settings and scheduling tools are available.
⚙️ Step 2: Enable Breakout Rooms in Settings
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Once signed in, navigate to the left-hand menu and click Settings
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Select the Meeting tab at the top (if not already selected)
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Scroll down or use CTRL + F to find "Breakout Room" under the In Meeting (Advanced) section
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Toggle the switch to ON
✅ Once enabled, this feature becomes available in your Zoom desktop application.
💻 Step 3: Access Advanced Zoom Features from the Desktop App
After enabling Breakout Rooms in the web portal:
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Open the Zoom Desktop App on your CatholicU-issued or personal device
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Click your profile icon (top right corner)
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Select “View Advanced Features” – this will open the web portal where you can double-check that Breakout Rooms are enabled
🧑🏫 Step 4: Using Breakout Rooms in a Live Meeting
When hosting a Zoom meeting:
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Click the Breakout Rooms icon in the Zoom toolbar
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Choose how you’d like to assign participants:
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Automatically (random distribution)
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Manually (you select who goes where)
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Let participants choose room (if enabled in settings)
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You can create up to 50 breakout rooms depending on your meeting size
🗂️ Pre-Assigning Participants?
If you’ve invited students ahead of time and enabled the pre-assign option:
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Go to Meetings > Schedule a Meeting
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Scroll to the bottom and click Show next to “Options”
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Select Breakout Room pre-assign and either create rooms manually or upload a CSV file
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Only participants logged into Zoom with their @cua.edu email can be automatically placed into assigned rooms.
📚 Additional Resources