Penn State faculty, staff or other instructors scheduling Zoom meetings for both Penn State users and non-Penn State users.

When scheduling Zoom meetings with both Penn State users and outside guests, you can utilize the Waiting Room Options to allow participants logged in to their PSU Zoom accounts to bypass the waiting room for your meeting. This makes it easier to identify guests and determine whether to admit them to the meeting.  Participants who are logged in to their Penn State account are considered "authenticated users" and do not need to be approved by the host.

Guest participants using an outside Zoom account will be placed in the waiting room and can be admitted by the host at the appropriate time. This allows the host to keep these outside participants, such as vendors, guest speakers, job candidates, and others, outside of the meeting until the host is ready for them to join. Allowing authenticated users to bypass the waiting room reduces the number of participants the host has to admit to the meeting.  

The Waiting Room Options need to be activated in your Zoom settings prior to using them to schedule meetings. This article provides the steps for turning these settings on in your Zoom account, as well as instructions for how to schedule meetings using these settings in both Zoom and the Zoom integration to Canvas.

Activate Waiting Room Options

1. Go to zoom.psu.edu and click Log in.
2. Sign in with your Penn State credentials if necessary.
3. Select Settings from the left-hand menu.
4. Select the Meeting tab at the top of the page.
5. On the Meeting tab, make sure the Waiting Room setting is active. If this setting is not active, click on the toggle switch to change this setting to active.
   
   • If this setting is active, the toggle switch will be blue and set to the right.
   • If the setting is not active, the toggle switch will be gray and set to the left.
     
     
     Figure 1: The Waiting Room settings on the Zoom Settings page.
     
     
6. In the Waiting Room Options field, check to see if the following options are displayed:
   
   • Users not in your account will go in the waiting room
   • Host and co-hosts only can admit participants from the waiting room
     
     
7. If these options are displayed, then your settings are correct and you can use these settings to schedule meetings.
8. If these options are not displayed, click the Edit Options link.
9. In the Waiting Room Options window, select Users not in your account under the "Who should go in the waiting room?".
   
   
   Figure 2: Select "Users not in your account" in the Waiting Room Options window.
   
   
10. Under "Who can admit participants from the Waiting Room?", select Host and co-hosts only.
    
    NOTE: This field will not display until "Users not in your account" is selected above.
    
    
    Figure 3: Select "Host and co-hosts only".
    
    
11. Click Continue.
12. Check the Waiting Room Options field to make sure the following options are now displayed.
    
    • Users not in your account will go in the waiting room
    • Host and co-hosts only can admit participants from the waiting room
      
      
      Figure 4: The correct settings displayed for the Waiting Room Options.

Schedule a Meeting in Zoom for Authenticated Users

1. Go to zoom.psu.edu and click Log in.
2. Sign in to your Penn State access account, if necessary.
3. Click Meetings on the left-hand menu.
4. Click the Schedule a Meeting button on the right.
5. On the Schedule a Meeting page, enter the title for the meeting, set the date and time of the meeting and select any other settings needed for this meeting.
6. In the Security section, select Require authentication to join.
   
   
   Figure 6: Select "Require authentication to join" in the Security section.
   
   
7. From the drop-down menu that displays, select Sign in to Zoom.
   
   NOTE: The text for this menu option varies by user type, so you may see a different menu option on your account. If so, then select the option that is not "psu.edu users only".
   
   
   Figure 7: Select the option that does not say "psu.edu users only".
   
   
8. Complete any additional meeting settings and click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Schedule a Zoom Meeting in Canvas for Authenticated Users

NOTE: If you do not have the Zoom Learning Tool Integration (LTI) added to your Canvas course, refer to the Canvas: Add the Zoom LTI to a Canvas Course article to add the Zoom LTI before scheduling a meeting.

1. Go to canvas.psu.edu and log in to your Canvas account.
2. Sign in to your Penn State Web Access account, if necessary.
3. Select the Canvas course for which you are scheduling a meeting from your Canvas Dashboard.
4. Click Zoom from the left-hand navigation menu.
5. Click the Schedule a New Meeting button in the upper right corner of the screen.
6. On the Schedule a Meeting page, enter the title for the meeting, set the date and time of the meeting and select any other settings needed for this meeting.
7. In the Meeting Options section, select Only authenticated users can join.
   
   
   Figure 8: Select "Only authenticated users can join" in the Meeting Options section.
   
   
8. From the drop-down menu that displays, select Sign in to Zoom.
   
   NOTE: The text for this menu option varies by user type, so you may see a different menu option on your account. If so, then select the option that is not "psu.edu users only".
   
   
   Figure 9: Select the option that does not say "psu.edu users only".
   
   
9. Complete any additional meeting settings and click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

• Zoom: Schedule a Meeting
• Zoom: Change Meeting Settings for Hosts
• Canvas: Add the Zoom LTI to a Canvas Course
• Canvas: Use the Zoom Learning Tool to Schedule and Start a Meeting