Web Conferencing and Instant Messaging through Webex

Webex makes it easy for you to meet and collaborate online.

Webex tools are great solutions for situations when you need to collaborate remotely, or when you are on campus but need to collaborate with others who are not on campus. Employees: unsure which tool to use? Compare Webex tools and Panopto.

Accessibility

When using Webex, always consider if you are meeting the needs of all members of your audience. For more information on accessibility guidelines and on requesting accommodations, visit Central Piedmont’s Disability Services.

Attend a Webex Meeting

What you need to know about how to attend a meeting held in Webex.

  • Join a Meeting

    When attending a Webex Meeting for the first time, allow yourself 10–15 minutes to log in to the meeting and to make sure that you have downloaded the needed software. Your browser may need time to automatically download the Webex plug-in or updates. You will need to set your internet browser to accept (not block) a pop-up window from Cisco Webex. 

    1. Click the "Join Meeting" link from the Webex Meeting invitation you received, or open Webex from your computer (if you have it downloaded). If you have already downloaded Webex and your app or system is up-to-date, you will immediately join the meeting. If you do not have Webex installed, you will be prompted to download it. Follow the instructions provided to download Webex; you will need your name and Central Piedmont email address.
    2. Once you have joined, click the option to call in using your phone so that you have audio and can talk in the meeting. After dialing in, enter the Meeting Number/Access Code and Attendee provided. You can also call in by:
      1. In the Webex Meeting, select the “More Options” button under "Call Using Computer."
      2. Select the “I Will Call In” option.
      3. The Attendee ID will be provided along with the Meeting Number/Access Code.

    Even if a Webex session is already underway, you can still join the meeting at any point:

    1. Open the meeting item from your email invitation or calendar.
    2. Click the "Join Webex meeting" link.
    3. If you only need to use the conference line to call in, the host of the meeting (the person that created the meeting) will have to start the meeting session by clicking the "Join Webex meeting" link.
    4. After clicking the "Join Webex Meeting" link, you will be taken to the Webex site, where you will access the online session.

    How to call in to a Webex meeting

  • Leave the Meeting

    Select the "Leave Meeting" option.

Webex Meetings: Employee Info

You can use Webex Meetings to hold program information sessions, workshops, classes, or meet with your colleagues online. You can also use Webex Events and Webex Trainings. In a Webex Meeting, you can collaborate and share ideas using audio, video, and other digital content, such as sharing your screen, a whiteboard tool, specific documents, and other applications. Any Central Piedmont employee can host a meeting that can be attended by students, colleagues, and members of the community; students are not able to schedule Webex Meetings. Webex works over the web and on most mobile devices using the Webex app.

  • Create a Meeting
    1. Create the Webex Meeting from your calendar or by selecting "Schedule a Meeting" on the Webex site.
    2. Invite participants.
    3. Upon creating the meeting, participants will be notified via email. Participants outside of the college may connect using their computer’s audio via the "Join WebEx Meeting" button. They may also use their phone’s audio by dialing into the call-in number provided in the email. A call-in number is automatically assigned whenever the WebEx meeting is created.

  • Webex Training and Webex Events
    • Webex Training is a tool to deliver interactive distance learning. In Webex events, you can conduct testing, instant grading and scoring, and conduct break-out sessions and hands-on labs.
    • Webex Events is a tool for conducting large-scale webinars. You can use Webex Events to manage event campaigns and to track leads and registrations.

    Once you access Webex online, links to Webex Training ("WT") and Webex Events ("WE") will be available in the navigation menu.

  • Set up Your Video and Audio
    1. Before your meeting, find the audio device(s) you wish to use. Right click on the Volume Control icon.
    2. Select Playback devices.
    3. Ensure that your desired device is set as your default communication device. This device should be capable of receiving and sending sound.
    4. Test the desired speaker or headset you wish to use by right clicking the device and selecting Test.
      1. An audible tone should ring from the selected device.
      2. If the selected speaker is too loud, reduce the computer volume to a comfortable level.
      3. A sensitive recording device picking up speaker output is a possible source of echoing.
      4. If you have a separate recording device, press the Recording tab at the top of the window to test a microphone.
      5. Test the microphone by speaking clearly, the green bar next to the device will show the level of the received audio.
      6. If there are any additional microphones enabled that will not be the primary device, disable them to prevent echoing and inaudibility.

    Configure Audio to Use Computer Audio

    1. In the Webex Window, select More Options under Audio.
    2. Click Change Settings to get to the Computer Audio Settings window below.
    3. Test the speaker by pressing the test button, a tone will ring through the selected speaker.
      1. If no tone is heard, try a different speaker from the drop down list of compatible speaker devices.
    4. Test the microphone by speaking, the bars underneath Microphone will show received audio.
    5. The microphone will not pass audio to the meeting while configuring settings.
    6. Once you have finished testing the audio, select OK.
    7. The circle should now be blue and show Connected to Audio.

    Enable Video

    1. If a Webcam is found, a preview window will allow you to adjust the camera’s view before passing video to the meeting.
    2. The gear selection on the top right will allow you to change webcam settings after selecting Start My Video.
    3. If you experience issues with a video input device, you may need to consult the support available from the manufacturer of the device.
    4. If you experience issues that cannot be solved by closing the meeting window and re-joining the meeting, contact the Service Desk.

  • End Your Session/Leave a Meeting
    1. Select the “Leave Room/Meeting” link.
    2. You will be prompted to save your save your “Meeting Files.” You can save these at your discretion. Choose which files you would like to save, the save location, and click on the “Leave Room” button.

  • Share Your Screen

    If you are using macOS, Catalina you must enable screen recording in your macOS Catalina Security and Privacy preferences to allow for screen sharing on your device.

    1. Log in to Webex, select the meeting, and click the “Quick Start” tab.
    2. Click on the “Share Screen” icon.
    3. You will be prompted to choose the monitor (if you a multiple monitor setup) that you wish share. Click on the monitor of your choice.
    4. A new Webex window will open, displaying your shared screen. On the top of the window you will see an option bar along with a dialogue notifying you that you are sharing the screen. Note that anything on this screen will be visible to anyone you are sharing the screen with.
    5. Detailed view of the Webex Session Share window:
      1. Stop recording: This will immediately stop the sharing session.
      2. Pause: This will pause the sharing session. Your desktop will not be displayed to other meeting members.
      3. Share options, including files, programs, videos, etc.
      4. Assign: Lets you change who can present and/or control the meeting.
      5. Audio: Change or configure your audio options.
      6. Lock: Lock the room so only people that you have invited have access.
      7. Participants: Click to display a list of current meeting participants.
      8. Chat: Opens an instant messaging window to anyone connected to the meeting.
      9. Recorder: Opens the recording dialogue which will allow you to record your session.
      10. Annotate: Allows you to annotate on your screen.
      11. More options, including stop screen sharing, leave room, copy meeting URL.

  • Share Files

    You can also share a file or application in Webex:

    1. Once you've started your meeting, click on “Share” from the Webex Session Share window. Select “Share File” and “From My Computer.”
    2. Select a file from your computer and click “Open”.
    3. The file will be displayed in your meeting center and will be viewable to all participants, and will have the ability to Annotate, highlight, add, remove, and perform other functions on the document.
    4. You can save these changes at any time by clicking on the “Save“ icon at the bottom of the toolbar.
    5. You will be presented with “Save Document As” dialogue box. Select the destination where you would like to save the document and the name of the file, and click “Save.”
    6. To close the document, simply click on the small blue X to the right of the file name. You will be prompted to save the document again.

    More sharing options:

    1. From the “Meeting Center” home screen, select the “Quick Start” link and locate the “Share Option.” Click on the blue box titled “More Options” under the share icon.
    2. A window will open displaying a list of sharing options, including “Share Applications.” From here, you have the ability to share an application independently without sharing your entire screen.
    3. In this example we are going to share Microsoft Excel. Simply click on the program name and it will open in a new window that will run Excel. A notification window will display informing you that you are sharing Microsoft Excel. The WebEx session share bar will also be available for use. Sharing an application works in exactly the same manner as when you are sharing a file or your screen.

  • Integrate Webex with Brightspace

  • Track Attendance in Webex

    Attendance reporting is not available for meetings scheduled through cpcc.webex.com. However, attendance reports can be accessed for events and training:

    1. Sign in to cpcc.webex.com.
    2. Select “Insights” in the navigation menu.
    3. Select “View More.” (If you are in “Classic View,” select “My Webex,” then “My Reports.”)
    4. For Webex Events, select “Attendance Report."
    5. For Webex Training, select “Live Training Usage Report."
    6. Choose which search criteria you want.
    7. Select “Display Report."

    How to access Webex events or training attendance reports (video)

  • Record a Webex Session
    1. To record your Webex session, simply click on the “Record” link under the name of the room your session is taking place in, or the "Recorder" button found in the top right corner of the meeting window.
    2. In the bottom right hand corner of your Meeting Center, the Recorder bar will become active. This will display a running count of how long the meeting has been taking place, as well as giving you the ability to pause and stop the recording.
    3. Make sure that when you decide that you want to stop recording you hit the stop button. If you do not pause and instead stop the recording, when you begin recording at a later time, a separate recording file will be created.
    4. After a recording is finished, it can take several minutes before the file becomes available in the "My Recordings" area of the Webex site.
    5. To watch, manage, or delete your recordings, click on the “My Webex” tab at the top of the page.
    6. On the left hand side navigation, select the “My Files” tab.
    7. Select the “My Recordings” tab.
    8. You will see your recorded sessions. On the "My Recordings" screen, you have the ability to do the following with your recordings:
      1. Upload
      2. Share via email
      3. Edit information
      4. Download
      5. Disable
      6. Reassign to another host
      7. Delete
      8. Set security settings

    How to record a Webex meeting

  • Share Webex Recordings
    1. First log into Webex at cpcc.webex.com. The login button is found in the top right corner of the page. 
    2. Go to the "My Webex" tab.
    3. Navigate to and select the "My Files" link.
    4. Locate and navigate to the "My Recordings" tab.
    5. In the "Recordings" tab, click the topic for the recording you wish to share via email.
    6. The recording details will be shown. On the right side of the page, click the "Send Email" button. Note that in the following image, part of the recording name and topic field have been obfuscated.
    7. A new window will open. In this window you will list the email address of those you wish to share the recording with in the "Send to" box. Additionally, you can add a short message that will be sent along with the recording, by using the "Your message" box.
    8. After filling in the "Send to" box (and the optional "your message" box) simply click the green "Send" button to send your WebEx file.

  • Convert a Webex Recording to WMA Format

    Please note that in order to convert a recording, you will first need to have the ARF player installed to your workstation. If you do not have the ARF player installed, please contact the Service Desk. Remember that after a recording is finished, it can take several minutes before the file becomes available in the "My Recordings" area of the WebEx site.

    1. Log into Webex at cpcc.webex.com.
    2. Navigate to the "My Webex" tab.
    3. Click on the "My Files" link in the left hand navigation.
    4. Select the "My Recordings" tab and click the topic for the recording you wish to share.
    5. After selecting the recording you wish to convert, you will need to download the recording by clicking the "Download Recording link."
    6. A new window will open and you will be prompted to either save or open the file. Note that if your computer does not recognize the file and gives you a prompt asking what program to open the file with, your workstation does not have the ARF player.
    7. Once you open the downloaded file to start the conversion process, select File, "Convert Format," and select WMV (Windows Media).
    8. This will open the converter window where you can configure the details of the conversion process. In the red box of the below image you can select the file name and location for the output file. The other options include choosing which panels of the Webex meeting will be included in the video of the converted file. Along with the option to either run the conversion right away or schedule it for a later time.
    9. After configuring the desired settings simply click the "OK" button at the bottom of the window and the conversion will begin. A conversion status icon will be shown in the system tray.
    10. When the conversion is complete, a new window will open alerting you that it is complete and you will have the option to open the file or the folder containing the file.

  • Create Breakout Sessions
    1. From the Breakout menu within Webex Meetings, select "Enable Breakout Session."
    2. Select "Breakout sessions."
    3. Select the number of breakout sessions that you want to create and how you would like to assign your participants.
    4. Select "Start assignments."
    5. Change breakout session settings.
    6. When you're ready to start all breakout sessions, select "Start breakout sessions."
    7. If the breakout sessions aren't set to end automatically after a specified number of minutes, you can end all breakout sessions when you're finished using them.

    Learn more about breakout sessions.

  • Webex Assistant for Webex Meetings

    Webex Assistant for Meetings is an intelligent, interactive virtual meeting assistant that makes meetings searchable, actionable, and more productive. When Webex Assistant is turned on, the meeting host and participants can capture meeting highlights, such as action items, with one click or a voice command, and show captions so that no one misses a word of what's being said. Record the meeting to get a post-meeting transcript.

    1. Webex Assistant appears on the host's screen and can’t be hidden.
    2. To turn on Webex Assistant, navigate to the Webex Assistant option in the lower left corner and select "Turn on Webex Assistant."
      1. When the host turns on Webex Assistant, it makes the audio announcement, "Webex Assistant is enabled to save audio highlights."
      2. Each participant is notified that the Webex Assistant is in the meeting when they join.
    3. To show captions, select the Closed Caption option.
    4. Navigate to the Webex Assistant and select "View captions and highlights" to show the Captions and Highlights panel.
      1. When you're sharing content, navigate to the Webex Assistant in the menu and select "View captions and highlights" to show the panel.
    5. If you're the host, you can get a transcript of the meeting if you record the meeting in the cloud. The transcript will be available on your Webex site after the meeting. You can play audio clips of the transcript, download it, make edits, and share it with others.
    6. In the Captions and Highlights panel, navigate to the caption that you want to save as a meeting highlight and select "Highlight."
    7. Simply ask the Webex Assistant to do things like create actions items, take notes, and even set up future meetings, with just your voice. Use the wake phrase “OK Webex” followed by a command to create a highlight.
    8. After the meeting ends, the meeting host will receive an email when the meeting highlights, transcript, and recording are available. If the host has shared the content with you, you'll receive an email too. The email contains a link to the meeting content on your Webex site.

  • Webex Help

  • Updates and Maintenance
Access Webex online

Webex Teams

Webex Teams lets you collaborate virtually through group instant messaging, group chat, screen sharing, and online meetings. Webex Teams provides many options for you to share ideas, documents, and resources on both an ongoing basis and for temporary projects. Webex Teams is integrated into existing systems at Central Piedmont so that you can connect with your instructor, your team, or colleagues across the college.

  • Get Started

    There are three ways to access Webex Teams:

    When you are prompted for an email address, enter your Central Piedmont email address. You will be directed to the Central Piedmont login screen to enter your Central Piedmont login credentials. Once you are logged in, you’ll be ready to get started.

  • How to Access Video and Chat

    Using the Mobile App

    1. Join your meeting in the app. This should bring up the video.
    2. Make sure your media audio is turned up on your device.
    3. To access the chat, select the options menu from within the meeting (the nine dots in the top-right of the screen).
    4. Select Meet to access the video, or select Message to open the chat window.

    Using the Desktop App

    Once you are in the meeting, you will have a menu with the following options:

    • mute microphone (microphone with line through it; red means you are muted)
    • mute video (camera with line through it; red means your video is off)
    • share your screen/documents (box with up arrow)
    • get a list of participants currently in the meeting (person silhouette)
    • access the chat (chat bubble)
    • additional settings (three dots)
    • exit the meeting (red X)

    From an Internet Browser

    1. Join your meeting.
    2. Select the arrow in the chat name (at the top of the screen).
    3. Select Message.

  • Resources and Support

    As your department or program starts to utilize Webex Teams for online collaboration, we recommend that you have a conversation about how to best utilize this new tool and integrate it into your existing work processes. For ideas of how WebEx Teams may benefit your area of the college, there are case studies available, including one from UNC Pembroke.

    To familiarize yourself with the functions of Webex Teams, watch the 30-minute recorded overview of Webex Teams. Live webinar options are also available on the overview website.

    Other resources for getting started include:

Log in to Webex Teams from an internet browser

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