Setup the Webex tool in Canvas

Set-Up Webex in Canvas

Table of Contents
Following this step-by-step guide will walk you through how to connect Webex and Canvas. Additionally, you may want to visit the following pages:

Adding the Webex Tool to Your Canvas Course Page

  1. Log in to Canvas by clicking on the Sign Ons link found in the upper right-hand corner (above the search box) of Iowa State University’s home page. You will be redirected to your Canvas Dashboard.
  2. Locate and click on the course that needs to have Webex added.
  3. Click Settings at the bottom of the course navigation on the left side of the screen.
  4. Click the Navigation tab at the top of the screen.
  5. Scroll down to find Webex in the list of hidden navigation items, click the three-dots, and select Enable. enable the Webex menu item
  6. Ensure Webex is now located in the top group of enabled navigation items and drag the link higher to make it easier for students to locate.
  7. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.

Configuring Webex for Canvas

  1. Select Webex from the left navigation in your Canvas course. (Note: If you do not see Webex on the navigation, follow the add Webex to your Course Navigation guide).
  2. Click the Setup tab at the top of the screen.
  3. Scroll down to the Authorize with LMS section and click the Authorize button on the right side. Then, select Authorize in the new popup window.
  4. Return to the Choose your features section at the top of the screen and select the tools you would like to use.
    1. Classroom Collaboration: Setup teams of students and give them spaces to discuss and share files within your course. Note: Collaborations have been known to decrease the performance of Virtual Meetings and Office Hours.
    2. Virtual Meetings: Use Webex to hold live class meetings for or open office hours.
    3. Office Hours: Set up a schedule of individual virtual appointments in specified increments of time.
  5. Once you have selected your preferred Webex features, select Apply on the right side.
  6. Enable the Reminder Bot: The Reminder Bot posts a message into the Webex space before a Webex meeting is about to start for that class or meeting. Select Turn On and select the amount of time before your class you’d like the reminder to be sent.

Scheduling a Webex Meeting in Canvas

  1. Select Webex from the left navigation in your Canvas course. (Note: If you do not see Webex on the navigation, follow the add Webex to your Course Navigation guide).
  2. Click the Virtual Meetings tab at the top of the screen.
  3. Click Sign in to Webex Meetings (if needed) and log in to Cisco Webex Meetings using your ISU Net-ID. Select Accept to give permission to access the items listed on screen.
  4. Click the button to create a New Meeting in the upper right corner.
  5. In the popup window, specify your meeting settings:
    1. Choose Meeting or Event. For more information on the different Host Centers (Meeting or Event), see Webex Product Comparison Chart
      1. Meeting: basic interactive sessions with video, polling, whiteboard, chat, breakout rooms, and webcam.
      2. Events: moderated webinars with little interaction from participants.
    2. Enter a Name for the session.
    3. Schedule the Meeting Date and Time.
    4. Set the Duration of the Meeting.
    5. Set the Recurrence of the Meeting.
    6. Select Create Meeting. Select meeting in the Webex Canvas Connector

Webex Meeting Attendance Grading

Overview of Webex Meeting Attendance Grading

When you opt to turn on Webex Meeting Attendance Grading the following will occur:
  • Automatically adds a Webex Meetings Attendance Assignment to Assignments. Canvas window that shows an automatically created Webex attendance assignment group
  • Automatically creates a column in your Canvas Gradebook that is calculated based on the assignment settings you choose when you first turn the tool on from inside the set-up for the Webex Education Connect. Therefore, determine what the settings BEFORE you turn this feature on in your course. Webex attendance in Gradebook
  • Important: Students must join a meeting through the Canvas Webex Education Connector to record their attendance. Students must join a meeting using the Canvas Webex Education Connector (listed as Canvas on the course navigation menu), to record their attendance. If a student joins Webex through a link outside of Canvas, it will not record their attendance.

Steps to activate the Webex Meeting Attendance Grading

  1. Select Webex from the left navigation in your Canvas course. (Note: If you do not see Webex on the navigation, follow the add Webex to your Course Navigation guide).
  2. On the Setup tab, locate the Webex Meeting Attendance Grading in the panel (fourth down from the top) Webex attendance
  3. Click the “Turn on” button
  4. A warning window will open with the following message, “Confirm Attendance Grading:Enabling grading for Webex creates an assignment and automatically assigns a grade to every student based on their attendance to all Webex sessions that are scheduled within this course. The student must join via the Webex Education Connector Upcoming Courses Menu using the Desktop Client in order for their attendance to be recorded and calculated in the grade. This feature works well only for online-only, synchronous courses, and when you are not scheduling test Webex Meetings. Once enabled, the grading feature cannot be disabled. Are you sure you would like to enable?”
  5. If you agree to the statement and want to enable this feature follow the steps:
    1. Check the “Turn on” button
    2. Click the “Confirm” button webex attendance notification window
  6. Upon clicking, you will return to the Webex Meeting Attendance Grading window. The formula for calculating the grade is:(Present score)*(total number of times student was present)+(absent score)*(total number of times student was absent)/(total number of meetings*present score)
    1. Enter Score Weightings (Present, Absent)
    2. Determine Assignment Settings for
      1. Enter number for Points
      2. Use dropdown menu for Assignment Group (Canvas Assignment Groups must be created before using the tool – a workaround is that you can update this later if necessary in the Gradebook)
      3. Use drop down menu for Display Grade as (Percentage, Real, Letter)
    3. Click the Recalculate Course Grade button (upper right corner). Note: Clicking the “Recalculate Course Grade” it will automatically creates a column in your Gradebook titled, “Webex Meetings Attendance Assignment.”Steps to recalculate grades in Webex Meetings Attendance Grading
  7. Include in your syllabus the following, “To have your attendance for this course recorded in the Gradebook, you must join the meeting using the Canvas Webex Education Connector (listed as Canvas on the course navigation menu), is their attendance is recorded. If you join Webex through a link outside of the Canvas, your attendance is not recorded.”

Hosting Virtual Student/Office Hours in Webex

Choose from one of these three options for your virtual student/office hours in Webex:
  • Option 1. Use the Office Hours tab inside the Webex tool in Canvas
  • Option 2. Set-up Virtual Meetings in Webex
  • Option 3. Use Your Personal Meeting Room in Webex

Option 1. Use the Office Hours tab inside the Webex tool in Canvas.

This method creates blocks of time during which individual students can sign up to meet with you. Before you choose this option, consider the following:
  • Each time slot creates a unique URL, and only you and the registered student can attend.
  • This option works best when interacting with students individually regarding FERPA-protected information.
For steps to accomplish this, use the Setting up the Webex Office Hours Tab below.

Option 2. Set-up Virtual Meetings in Webex

Choose the Webex tool in Canvas or a Meeting from within the Webex desktop or web browser app. Before you choose this option, consider the following:
  • This method creates a unique URL for each meeting, accessible by whomever you’ve invited.
  • If created from within Canvas, this will be available for all students. This method does not provide any opportunity for individual consultations but works best in an open question-and-answer environment when anticipating or expecting student collaboration.
For steps to accomplish this, use the Scheduling a Webex Meeting or Training in Canvas above.

Option 3. Use Your Personal Meeting Room in Webex

Accomplish this option with either the Webex app or the ISU Webex dashboard (https://iastate.webex.com/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate). Then, use your personal meeting room and manually control who and when to admit. One time only, configure your personal meeting room preferences:
  1. Outside of Canvas – Go to the Webex site in a web browser (https://iastate.webex.com/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate)
    1. If you are in the Classic View, you will need to click the up arrow, then choose My Webex. If you are in Modern View, skip this step.
    2. Click on Preferences in the left-hand menu.
    3. Click on My Personal Room.
    4. Check the box to “Automatically lock my room __ minutes after meeting starts so people can’t enter until I admit them
    5. Leave the box checked to “Notify me by email when someone enters my Personal Room lobby while I am away.”
    6. Uncheck the box to “Let others host my Personal Room meetings without me.”
  2. Share your Personal Room link (https://iastate.webex.com/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate/webappng/sites/iastate/dashboard?siteurl=iastate/meet/your_netid) with your students in Canvas (e.g., your homepage, instructor page). Locate the page you want to edit, then click the Edit button and paste in the link. For assistance, see ‘How do I add and modify text in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?’ for detailed instructions on adding the content.
  3. Remember to block off the designated time on your Outlook calendar and remind students to do the same. Consider adding the day/time along with your Personal Room link to the course calendar in Canvas. To do so, follow the add an event to a course calendar guide.
  4. On the appropriate day/time of your student/office hours, you and the students will join office hours via your Personal Room link.
  5. During the meeting, Move Attendees to and from the Lobby in Cisco Webex Meetings.

Setting up the Webex Office Hours Tab

  1. Select Webex on the course navigation menu (Note: If you do not see Webex on the navigation, follow the add Webex to your Course Navigation guide).
  2. Select the Office Hours tab.
  3. Click Sign in to Webex Meetings.
  4. Log in to Cisco Webex Meetings using your ISU Net-ID.
  5. Select Accept to give permission to access the items listed on screen.
  6. Specify your preferred duration for your one-on-one Office Hours appointment and your Buffer between Appointments. Pop up from within Canvas that shows meeting availability from Webex integration Appointment buffer set-up in Webex
  7. Select your Available Timeslots in the grid below. Office hours in Webex
  8. When you have finished selecting your times, scroll to the bottom and Save your selections. If you need to update or change your times, you may select/deselect any of the timeslots on the grid and Save your changes.
  9. When your students sign up for a timeslot, the following things happen:
    1. Invitations go out to the users that have Canvas Notifications set up to do so.
    2. A link to the invite goes into the Canvas Calendar so they are reminded and can click on it there
    3. A link to the meeting or office hours goes in the Webex navigation link in Canvas so the user can always go to there and click Join meeting.  If you have several meetings set up you will see a list of them there.

Using the Reminder Bot

The Reminder Bot posts a message into the Webex space before a Webex meeting is about to start for that class or meeting.
  1. Locate the Reminder Bot feature towards the bottom of the set-up tab in the Canvas Webex app.
  2. Select Turn On (upper right corner button).Screenshot from within Canvas that shows the reminder Bot is Toggled Off
  3. Then, select the amount of time (15-minutes, 30-minutes, 45-minutes, or custom) before your class you’d like the reminder to be sent.Reminder Bot is active - select the time to send the reminder

Setting up the Classroom Collaboration Tab

  1. Select the Classroom Collaboration tab.
  2. Select Sign in to Webex Teams. Webex Teams pop up within Canvas for signing into Teams screenshot
  3. Log in to Cisco Webex using your ISU Net-ID.
  4. Select Accept to agree to the request for access.
  5. Select Create Team to set up a Space for your course.

Webex in Canvas: Critical Things to Know

  • Webex cannot be tested with the “Student View” feature and will result in an error message. If real participants receive an error or are unable to use Webex inside Canvas, they should email solution@iastate.edu with the link to the Canvas course, the time the error occurred, and whichWebex tool they were using.
  • Classroom Collaborations has been problematic and is not recommended at this time.
  • Do not use the desktop Webex tool to edit a meeting created through the Canvas Webex integration as it will break the links in your course.
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