Breakout Rooms: Zoom Training Guide

Zoom breakout rooms

Student taking notes in front of a laptop in a sound proof work space. Use Zoom breakout rooms to create separate meeting rooms and small group discussions.

Smaller groups tend to increase participation, and allow students to feel more heard and connected to the class.

Breakout rooms can be set up with pre-assigned participants before a meeting begins, or a meeting host (or co-host) can create breakout rooms during a meeting. An ideal size for a breakout rooms group is about 3-7 people, depending on the activity or course size.

Zoom control bar with highlighted Breakout Rooms

Hosts can create up to 100 separate breakout rooms in a single meeting. The host can then choose whether to assign participants to the breakout rooms automatically, choose students for each room, or allow participants choose a breakout rooms.

Set up Breakout Rooms in a meeting

The host (or a meeting co-host) creates breakout rooms.

Select breakout rooms icon from the meeting control bar.
Set the the number of breakout rooms for the meeting.
Select how participants will be added to rooms:
- Automatically: Zoom will randomly assign all current meeting participants (other than hosts and co-hosts) to a room.
- Manually: Hosts and co-hosts will individually assign each participant to a room.
- Let participants choose room: all participants will see a list of rooms, as well as who is already in each room. They can select Join next to the room they wish to join.
Click Create to generate a list of breakout rooms. Note that this step does not open up the rooms to participants - instead, it shows a display where you can arrange participants across the breakout rooms as needed before launching.
Hover over the name of each breakout room in the list to rename it, delete it, or assign participants to it.
Select Options to customize the breakout rooms, including setting a time limit or giving students the option to move between breakout rooms.
Select Open All Rooms to start the breakout rooms. Zoom will notify students that the rooms have been launched and invite them to their assigned room, if applicable.

Pre-assign breakout rooms from the Zoom app in Canvas

Zoom meeting schedule interface with Breakout Rooms highlighted.

If you are editing an existing Zoom meeting or scheduling a new meeting in Canvas:

Scroll down and select Meeting Options.
Check the box for Breakout Room pre-assign.

There are two ways to pre-assign participants to breakout rooms.

Select Create Rooms and manually add participants to each room using the email addresses associated with their Zoom accounts (for UW users, this will be their @uw.edu email addresses).
Use the Zoom CSV template to create rooms and assign participants (identified by their name and email). Upload this file to the Meeting room(s) that will use these Breakout Rooms

Video: Pre-assign breakout room participants

How to use breakout rooms effectively

Increase student-to-student engagement by facilitating small group discussions in breakout rooms.

Before sending participants to breakout rooms, it's a good idea to give clear directions and instructions for the discussion.

Consider assigning roles to each member of a group so everyone knows their job when they meet. Typical meeting roles include, "note-taker," and "facilitator," and "researcher," and "timekeeper," and "reporter."

When everyone understands their specific role small group meetings can be more productive—and more inclusive for students because everyone can use their unique skill set in the group.

One very specific task for a timekeeper can be to track the allotted speaking time for each group member, so everyone is given equal speaking time (for instance, the timekeeper makes sure each group member gets 1 minute to share their ideas, and then it's time for the next person to share).

Make your breakout room instructions available to everyone, before-- and when-- they get to breakout rooms.

Post breakout rooms discussion instructions/prompts in Chat.
Or, post a link to a web site with instructions in Chat.
Or, share screen a document with instructions before sending participants to breakout rooms.

Meeting hosts can join each of the breakout rooms.

Share screen with breakout rooms

Meeting participants can Share Screen with every meeting participant after participants join individual breakout rooms. After breakout rooms are set up and the Opened All Rooms, then select Share Screen. from the main Zoom in-meeting controls.

Zoom Share Screen interface with Share to breakout rooms selection box highlighted.