Student Guide to Google Meet

Your professor may invite you to join a scheduled Google Meet session through Google Calendar. You will receive an email inviting you to the event which will include a link to the Google Meet session. To join, click the URL in the email and join the meeting.

Your professor may invite you to join a scheduled Google Meet session through Google Calendar. You will receive an email inviting you to the event which will also appear in Google Calendar.

1. In Google Calendar, click the event you wish to join.
2. Click “Join Hangouts Meet” or “Join by Phone” depending on the nature of the call.
   

1. In a web browser, go to meet.google.com, logging in with your Lafayette credentials
2. Select the meeting from your list of scheduled events or click “Join or start a meeting”
   
   
3. Click “Join Meeting”

Your professor may post a link to the Google Meet session in Moodle or send an email to the class with the URL.

1. Click the meeting link sent to you in an email or other method
2. Follow the onscreen prompts to join the meeting

You can use a phone for audio in a video or voice call in Google Meet. Instructions for different situations can be found on Google’s Instructions for Joining by Phone.

You can join Google Meet from a browser on your computer or through the Google Meet app for smart phones and tablets. In either case, you will need a microphone if it is necessary for you to share your audio with the class. Most laptops have built in microphones or you can connect headphones for improved audio. The same is true for phones and tablets.

Upon joining a Google Meet, you will be given the option to turn off or on your microphone by clicking the microphone icon. It is recommended that you ‘mute’ yourself when entering the meeting to avoid excess background noise. You can unmute yourself at anytime by clicking the microphone icon at the bottom of your screen.

You should check with your professor if it is necessary for you to have your video turned on for the meeting (e.g. other participants can see you). If so, you will need a webcam to do so. Again, most laptops, phones, and tablets contain this capabilities.

Upon joining a Google Meet, you will be given the option to turn off or on your video by clicking the video icon. You may also turn the video off/on during the Google Meet by clicking the video icon at the bottom of your screen.

You can choose to share your entire screen or a specific window.

Present your screen:

1. Join a video meeting
2. In the bottom right corner, select Present now, a box will pop up with the options to present your entire screen or a specific window
3. To stop presenting, click Stop Presenting.

The chat feature allows participants to message one another and share links to Google Drive files or folders. The chat icon is in the upper-right corner of the screen once the meeting has begun. This is a good way to ask your professor questions during the session without interrupting the lecture or discussion.

To better follow what’s being said in a video meeting, you can turn on machine generated captions. At the bottom of the Meet window, click “Turn on captions” or “Turn off captions”. The captions are turned on only for yourself and not other participants in the meeting.

Meet automatically switches the screen layout to display the most active content or participants (e.g. a shared screen or whomever is speaking).

Additional layout options:

• Auto – Meet chooses the layout for you
• Tiled – Shows up to 4 video feeds in equal size when there is no presentation. If there is a presentation, it fills the window with up to 3 participants on the side in a row.
• Spotlight – The presentation, active speaker, or pinned feed fills the window
• Sidebar – The active speaker or presentation fills the window with additional participants on the side.

To change the layout:

1. In the lower-right corner of the Meet window, click “More”.
2. In the Change Layout box, select the layout you want to use on your computer.

The quality of the Google Meet session is often dependent on the quality of your internet connection. If you have a poor connection, try turning off your video and only join using audio. This may help improve the quality of your connection. If it is consistently a problem, you should contact your professor with your concerns about effectively participating in the live Google Meet session.

Any Google Meet session can be recorded but should only be done so with the permission of your professor. Your professor may also choose to record each session and share the recording with the class.

If your professor invited you to the Google Meet using Google Calendar, the link to the recording will appear in the calendar entry once it has finished uploading to Google Drive.

Your professor may also email you a link to the recording file or post it in Moodle.