Comparing Virtual Meeting Hosts

Overview

Virtual Meeting Hosts (VMHs) can be added to a Class in two ways:

• Custom VMH: Manually schedule a meeting in your preferred tool and paste the meeting URL into the TMS class.

• Integrated VMH: Use a Skillable-supported, built-in integration with Adobe Connect, Zoom, or WebEx.

You can associate multiple VMHs with your organization, but each class can only use one VMH.

When you create a class, you’ll schedule virtual meetings in the Delivery section.

Delivery Type: When you select Virtual or Physical and Virtual delivery, virtual meeting options display automatically. If your organization has an integrated VMH, it is selected by default. Otherwise, only the Custom Virtual Classroom option appears, with a field to enter a URL.

For multi-day classes, create recurring sessions in the Sessions Times section by using the Add Multiple Session Times link.

VMH Feature Comparison

Custom Virtual Classroom

The Custom Virtual Classroom option is available by default to all Organizations. Schedule your meeting externally using your preferred VHM, then paste the meeting URL to the Delivery section of your TMS class.

To control when participants can join, check Set Pre and Post-Class Launch Access and specify the access windows for instructors and students. The Enter Classroom button appears only during these windows.

Adobe Connect Virtual Meeting Host Integration

Once your organization has an Adobe Connect contract, submit your credentials to Skillable Support to enable the integration. After setup, Adobe Connect becomes the default VMH option.

When you schedule a class using Adobe Connect, a corresponding meeting is created automatically.

User Roles and Licenses

All instructors join scheduled meetings as hosts. The number of available host licenses for your organization determines how many instructors can host. If your organization has multiple licenses, Skillable TMS can automatically assign them as meeting hosts. If only one license is available, it must be manually assigned by removing/adding the host in Adobe Connect.

Students join scheduled meetings as participants. After clicking Enter Classroom, they may need to load software prior to entering the meeting.

Access Windows

You can configure pre-class and post-class access to virtual classrooms for instructors and students. These settings apply globally to all classes in the organization. The default settings are:

• Instructors: 60 minutes before session start

• Students: 15 minutes before session start

• After class: 0 minutes after session end

Configuring access windows does not end the meeting itself—the session continues as long as the host remains in the meeting. However, students can’t re-enter the class after the scheduled end time if they are removed.

Access window considerations

• Pre-class access: Consider how much time instructors may need to set up the meeting and load materials, as well as how soon you want students to join.

• Post-class access: Consider how long discussions may continue after the scheduled end time.

Recordings

• Recordings are automatically associated with the class in TMS.

• Students can access recordings through their Enrollment for 180 days after the last class day.

• Recordings remain accessible in Adobe Connect as long as your contract is active.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Host Integration

Once your organization has a Zoom contract, set up a JSON Web Token (JWT) app in your Zoom account and submit your credentials to Skillable Support to enable the integration. After setup, Zoom becomes the default VMH option.

Scheduling a class with an assigned, licensed Zoom instructor automatically creates a meeting in Zoom. Zoom meetings scheduled through TMS show the UTC time zone.

Licensing and Setup

The Zoom account used to set up the JWT application hosts all meetings.

The primary instructor for the class must be licensed from the same account as the JWT application so it passes API verification. The instructor’s email address in TMS must match their Zoom account email, and the instructor must have a licensed Zoom account. Zoom provides license pools that aren’t owned individually, so you can reassign licenses as needed based on your contract.

If an unlicensed instructor is assigned, you’ll receive an error when saving the class. You can create a class without assigning an instructor, but the meeting isn’t scheduled until the instructor is added. Students will still see the Enter Classroom button 15 minutes before the class start time, but they’ll receive an error if there’s no licensed instructor assigned to the class.

Students join scheduled meetings as participants. After clicking Enter Classroom, they may need to load software prior to entering the meeting.

Access Windows

You can configure pre-class and post-class access to virtual classrooms for instructors and students. These settings apply globally to all classes in the organization. The default settings are:

• Instructors: 60 minutes before session start

• Students: 15 minutes before session start

• After class: 0 minutes after session end

Configuring access windows does not end the meeting itself—the session continues as long as the host remains in the meeting. However, students can’t re-enter the class after the scheduled end time if they are removed.

Access window considerations

• Pre-class access: Consider how much time instructors may need to set up the meeting and load materials, as well as how soon you want students to join.

• Post-class access: Consider how long discussions may continue after the scheduled end time.

Hosting

The first instructor to join the meeting becomes the host automatically. Another instructor can be promoted to host as needed; the original host loses privileges unless they reclaim the host role. If the host exits or is disconnected from the meeting, another participant is promoted to host—regardless of whether that user is an instructor.

Students and instructors may appear with their Zoom account names rather than Skillable usernames, depending on how Zoom identifies them. Zoom uses factors like previously attended Zoom meetings, device usernames, or labeling multiple instructors when determining meeting usernames.

Recordings

Instructors must save recordings to the cloud for them to appear in TMS. Once the meeting ends, Zoom compiles the recording and sends an email notification to the instructor when it becomes available.

Recordings are not accessible until after the meeting has ended, even if recording was stopped early. The recording ends when the session ends. Instructors should end the session when class is over; otherwise, Zoom automatically ends it after 24 hours.

Recording length may be limited by your organization’s Zoom contract. If the storage limit is reached during a recording, the meeting will continue recording until it ends.

Students can access recordings for each class session through their enrollment. Recordings remain available for 180 days after the last day of class. You cannot impersonate a student to access recordings—only users enrolled as students or instructors in the class can view them.

Webex Virtual Meeting Host Integration

Once your organization has a WebEx contract, submit your credentials to Skillable Support to enable the integration. After setup, WebEx becomes the default VMH option.

When you schedule a class using WebEx, a corresponding meeting is created automatically. Once a class is created with WebEx as the VMH, you cannot switch it to Zoom or Adobe Connect. If you need to use a different VMH, you must create a new class.

Access Windows

You can configure pre-class and post-class access to virtual classrooms for instructors and students. These settings apply globally to all classes in the organization. The default settings are:

• Instructors: 60 minutes before session start

• Students: 15 minutes before session start

• After class: 0 minutes after session end

Configuring access windows does not end the meeting itself—the session continues as long as the host remains in the meeting. However, students can’t re-enter the class after the scheduled end time if they are removed.

Access window considerations

• Pre-class access: Consider how much time instructors may need to set up the meeting and load materials, as well as how soon you want students to join.

• Post-class access: Consider how long discussions may continue after the scheduled end time.

Hosting

• The primary instructor is automatically assigned as the host. The primary instructor is determined during the initial meeting setup. You can’t make changes to the class instructor list while a session is active.

• Only one active host is allowed per meeting. Additional instructors can join as co-hosts.

• If a co-host joins before the primary host, they are temporarily assigned host privileges until the host arrives. Once the host joins, control reverts to them, and the co-host is reassigned as a meeting co-host.

• Co-hosts cannot record meetings.

Recordings

• The host can start and stop recordings. If the host leaves mid-session, they must assign host privileges to a co-host to continue recording.

• Stopping and restarting a recording creates separate files for the same session.

• Recordings are associated with the class automatically.

• Students can access recordings through their Enrollment for 180 days after the last class day.

• Recordings remain accessible in Zoom as long as your contract is active.

Additional Resources

• Integrating Virtual Meetings

• Streaming Adobe Connect

• Streaming Google Meet

• Streaming GoToMeeting

• Streaming Teams

• Streaming Webex

• Streaming Zoom