Creating Breakout Rooms During a Zoom Session

Instructors can use the Zoom breakout room tool during their meetings. Note that only the host can assign participants to breakout rooms. However, the host instructor can assign a co-host to join any breakout room with permission.

You might consider making your ZA or TA the host to assign breakout rooms during the Zoom meeting so that you can concentrate on teaching.

Students are not notified about breakout rooms until you open the rooms.

Checking that Breakout Rooms are Enabled

Before using breakout rooms, check that breakout rooms are enabled in the host's account. (By default, they are enabled for all Northwestern accounts, but some people change their settings.)

To check, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Northwestern's Zoom page Links to an external site. and log in.
  2. Click on Settings in the navigation menu.
  3. Scroll down to Breakout Rooms and ensure this is toggled to the right (as shown).
Breakout room

Assigning Breakout Rooms During a Meeting

When you are in a meeting, have host privileges, and are ready to assign breakout rooms, follow these steps.

  1. Click the Breakout Rooms icon on the Zoom control bar.
  2. Select the number of breakout rooms you would like to create and choose whether you want the groups to be assigned Automatically, Manually or to let participants choose.
    • Automatically will split your participants up randomly (and as evenly as possible) into each of the rooms.
    • Manually will allow you to choose which participants to place in each room.
    • Let participants choose will make it possible for participants to choose which room to enter; they can also leave that room and join another.
  3. Click Create. The rooms have been created.
    • If you chose Manually, you will need to assign rooms by clicking Assign on the Breakout Rooms window. A menu will pop out with checkboxes next to participants’ names. Check whomever you would like in each breakout room. If you chose Automatically, you can still edit who is in which room, rename the rooms, and change breakout room options before you open them.
    • Move a participant to another room, or swap the rooms of two participants, by clicking on a participant's name and selecting Move to or Exchange.
      Move Participants or Swap Breakout Rooms
    • You can rename the breakout rooms by clicking Rename.
    • Click Options to open the breakout rooms options menu. Option are explained below.
      • Move All Participants Into Breakout Rooms Automatically: send all participants to breakout rooms at once (rather than them having to click a button themselves to join the breakout).
      • Allow Participants to Return to the Main Session at Any Time: allow participants to leave the breakout rooms.
      • Breakout Rooms Close Automatically: set a time limit to close breakout rooms after a certain time period.
      • Countdown after Closing Breakout Room and set a Countdown Timer: give participants a warning when the breakout rooms are about to close.
  2. When the breakout rooms are set up as desired, click Open All Rooms. If you checked the box to automatically move participants into rooms, participants will be sent into their assigned rooms. If you did not check that box, participants see a pop-up window inviting them to join the breakout room.
  3. When participants are in their rooms, they will be able to chat and share their screen with others in the room.