Using Webex: How to Set Up and Facilitate Breakout Sessions in Webex Training

Overview

Within a Webex Training Session you can create breakout sessions in order to facilitate real-time, private, smaller group discussions. Within the breakout session, the group members are able to share information, chat, annotate, communicate via the web or phone, and pass control to another presenter. The Host of the Training Session is able to join the breakout session of their choice in order to observe or further facilitate the group interactions.

This guide assumes that you are working within an established Webex session, and have created your session as Training.

Procedure

Create Your Breakout Sessions

1. Start your Webex Training Session.

2. On the menu bar, click Breakout, then choose Breakout Session Assignment from the drop-down menu.


[Cisco WebEx Training Center window with Breakout selected and Breakout Session Assignment highlighted]

3. From this point, you are able to select whether you wish to assign students automatically or manually to the breakout groups. Click to select the option you prefer.

Automatically: Will create groups of a specified size (i.e., 4 students per group) of randomly selected students.
Manually: You choose which students are in each group.


[Breakout Session Assignment windows with Manually selected]

If you have selected Automatically, the dialog box will change to allow you to select the number of sessions, or the number of attendees per session.


[Breakout Session Assignment with Automatically selected with Set the number of 4 breakout sessions selected]

If you select the number of sessions, the number of students per session will automatically be calculated based on the total number of students in attendance. If you select the number of attendees per session, the number of sessions will be calculated based on the total number of students in attendance. 

With automatically assigned sessions, all students who connect will randomly be added to a breakout session.

When you select Manually assigned breakout sessions, you will need to add each session explicitly.

4. Click on the Add Session button and label the session, repeating until you have the number of sessions you need.


[Assigned Add Session button highlighted]

Once you have created your breakout sessions, you will need to place students into each session manually.

5. Select the label of a session, then select an attendee on the left and click the >> arrow to move them into that session.


[Assigned screen with Breakout session 1 highlighted]

Note that the first person added to a session will become the presenter for that session. Also please note that someone must be in attendance before they can be added to a session.

You can manage student membership in a group, and manage who is presenter.

6. Right click on a student name, then choose from the menu whether to move them or make them a presenter.

• If you would like students to be able to form their own groups, click the box to select Allow attendees to create breakout sessions at the bottom of the dialog box. Students will be able to create and join their own groups.
  
  
  [Allow attendees to create breakout sessions highlighted]
  
  
• If you would like to set options for any breakout session, click on that breakout session name to to display options.

[Options for: Breakout session 1 window]

You can choose to let students join a breakout session, or limit membership to that session. You may also choose to apply these settings to all sessions.

Example: You could create five sessions, but set maximum membership and allow students to self-join sessions rather than placing them specifically.

Facilitating Your Breakout Sessions

As the Host, you will need to start the breakout sessions within your Training session.

1. On the Breakout Session panel, click Start to begin the sessions.
   
   
   [Breakout session panel with start selected]
   
   The presenter for each breakout session will receive a prompt asking them to begin their session. Once they have accepted the invitation, the other members of that session will receive a prompt to join the session. All students will be switched from the main audio teleconference to the teleconference for their specific breakout session.
   
   
2. Hosts may join one breakout session at a time. To join a session, click on the name of the session then click Join. You will be connected to that session.
   
   
3. Within a breakout session, all tools (Chat, Feedback, Annotation, and Audio) work the same as in the main session except that communication occurs within the breakout session only. Information from documents, whiteboards, applications, and the web may be shared. Desktop sharing is also an option.
   
   
4. A raised hand icon next to a student's name indicates that the student is requesting help from the Host.

End Your Breakout Session

1. Choose Breakout on the Webex menu bar.
   
   
   [Breakout task selected and End Breakout Sessions highlighted]
   
   
   • If you choose End Breakout Sessions, students will be notified that their breakout session will end in approximately 30 seconds, and the session will be automatically ended at that point.
   • If you choose Ask All to Return, students may choose to return to the main session or remain in the breakout session. Their session will not be automatically ended.

Inviting Breakout Sessions to Share Content

After the breakout sessions have ended, you may invite the groups to share their content. The last presenter in the session will be notified of the request and will have the option to share the content, and to choose which content to share.

1. Select Breakout, then selection Share Breakout Session Content from the menu.
   
   
   [Breakout selected with Share Breakout Session Content... highlighted]
   
   
2. In the Share Breakout Session Content window, select a group, and click OK.
   
   
   [Share Breakout Session Content window with Student Name and Breakout session 1 highlighted]
   
   
3. The content shared from a breakout session will appear as a tab in the main Webex session, visible to all students.
   
   

[Whitebooard_1 selected for content sharing tool]

References/Links

Cisco Help: Manage Breakout Sessions in Webex Training

Last Reviewed:  15-Jul-2020