Overview
RingCentral Meeting is a video conferencing platform similar to Kaltura Virtual Classroom, Zoom or Google Meet that has both a free and paid tier. The free tier of the software meets all the needs for the KACE online tutoring platform.
Creating RingCentral Account
Prerequisite: tutors that are going to be using RingCentral Video Meetings must have already created a Shared Google Calendar and shared it with KACE Master Calendar
Step 1: Create a Free RingCentral Video Pro Account (The Pro is Free, Pro+ costs money, do not create a Pro+ account) by clicking the Blue Get started button
Step 2: Choose sign in with Google and use your @anderson.edu Google Account (it is okay to Authorize/Allow RingCentral to use your Google Account)
Step 3: Change Company Name (KACE Tutor Rodney Raven, etc.)
Step 4: Click on gear icon (lower left)
Step 5: Choose Administration
Step 6: Under Change company name press the Rename button (Rename company name to something identifiable (Example: Rodney Raven Tutoring Room)
Linking KACE Tutor Calendar (Prerequisite)
Step 1: In the Ring Central App, go to Settings (gear Icon in lower left)
Step 2: Click on Video towards the upper left of the screen (not the Video button in the center of the screen)
Step 3: Click the blue Edit button next to Personal Meeting
Step 4: Match the Personal Meeting settings as listed below and press the blue Save button
Step 5: While still in Video > General settings. Untoggle Allow incoming calls while in a meeting & Display Share in Room Option
Step 6: In Settings, choose Calendars and contacts (below Video)
Step 7: In Account Connections click the Sign in with Google button
Step 7b: Check all three boxes (Calendar, Personal contacts & Directory) and press the blue Connect button
Step 8: Click on your @anderson.edu email account
Step 9: Check the additional boxes that are not checked at the next windows and click Continue
- See, edit, download, and permanently delete your contacts
- See, edit , share, and permanently delte all the calendars you can access...
- see and download your organization's GSuite directory
Step 10: Check all three boxes (Access calendars, Access personal contacts, and Access directory) DO NOT PRESS SAVE YET!!!
Step 11: Under Access Calendars: click Manage Calendars and only check the Tutoring calendar that you created for the virtual tutoring
Step 12: Click the blue Save button (This video conferencing software will now only have access to the one calendar you created for the KACE virtual tutoring program)
Step 13: A Green pop up/overlay will appear letting you know that Google contacts are connected. Click Set as default
Step 14: Go to the Settings > Administration tab under Manage what types of teams can be created Use the drop down arrow to choose No Teams
Step 15: Turn off/untoggle External guest communications
Download RingCentral Meetings
This is optional but highly encouraged, similar to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms. RingCentral Meetings has a downloadable version of the video conferencing software. Using the downloaded version of the software instead of the web version works better when screen sharing or if there are larger groups of people. To download the free software/app version of RingCentral, click on your profile picture (in the upper right hand corner) and choose Download (Download is available for Windows, Mac, and some mobile devices). Though tutors will have a better experience if they use a full size computer instead of their mobile device for virtual tutoring. Students receiving tutoring help do not need to download the software in order to join the video conference however using the software version in contrast to the web version can help to make the video conference run smoother.
Scheduling A Meeting
Tutors can either create an instant meeting or schedule a meeting in advance. Scheduling a meeting in advance allows you to send an invite to the students requesting tutoring help.
The scheduling meeting process starts in Ring Central and will finish in Google Calendar.
Step 1: In the far left of the screen, press the Video Icon Button (Message, Video, Contacts, More)
Step 2: Press Schedule
Step 3: Add a Meeting Title, Date, Time and Duration (it's okay if you go over the intended duration; duration lets the users that you are inviting roughly know how long long the meeting will last.
Step 3b: If this is going to be a reoccurring meeting (meet weekly with a group of students/study group) check the Reoccurring meeting box
Step 4: Match the settings as follows and then press the blue Schedule button
RingCentral should open up your Google Calendar in a new tab to finish creating the meeting (if not check to see if there is an Allow popup on screen that you need to click on )
Step 5: In Google Calendar, switch the Calendar from your personal calendar to the KACE tutoring calendar that you created earlier (this will allow KACE staff to make edits to the events if student(s) requesting tutoring cancel their session or request a different time)
Step 6: Add guests/add the students that have requested tutoring
Step 7: Under Guest permissions: Make sure Modify event and Invite others are unchecked
Step 8: Press the blue Save button to send the invite(s)
Starting the Meeting
Step 1: To start a scheduled Meeting, log into RingCentral and hover over the meeting you wish to start
Step 2: Press the blue Join button
Step 3: A popup will appear that says The browser is trying to open a new window. Continue X Press the Continue Button (this will open the web version of the meeting OR if you have the free software version, it will load the meeting on the software version (remember; while the web version works well, the software version will work even better)
Step 4: Choose Mic and speakers and press the Join audio by computer button
Alternatively, if you are the host and it's a scheduled meeting; you can start the meeting directly from your Google Calendar by clicking on the link within the calendar event. If asked to sign in, choose Sign in with Google and use your @anderson.edu account
Meeting Basics
- To Share screen or use the virtual whiteboard, press the Share button (Click on the screen you want to share, check the box that says "Share system audio" and then Press the Share button
- Alternatively you can share just a window or a Chrome Tab
- To allow other users to share their screen, click on Participants and then click on the three vertical dots. Under Allow screen-sharing switch it from Only host & moderators to Everyone. Alternatively if you wish to have more control, you can only allow Moderator's to share the screen with you. To make someone a moderator, click on Participants and then click on the three dots next to their name and choose Assign to moderator Role
- If you have a powerful enough computer, you can blur the background or add a background picture by selecting More Button (in between the Breakout button and the Leave button)
- You can turn off chat, reactions, webcams, mics etc. by going to Participants and then either selecting the icons below the meeting timer and unchecking or checking the appropriate box or selecting the three vertical to the right side (under the meeting timer)
- Press Leave to exit the meeting Choose either leave call or end meeting for all (end meeting for all will remove everyone from the meeting & leave meeting will allow the other users to stay in the meeting even after you leave the meeting).
Questions? Need Help?
If you have questions or need some help, please let ITS know by submitting a Raven Solutions request.