If you’re a course creator, you better know how important it is to keep your learner engaged via e-learning courses.
However, it might get difficult sometimes as your students may feel that the course is not personalized because there are no responsive classes available in your learndash course website.
If you know what it means, then you’re in luck!
As, you can now have live classes on your LearnDash Website by using online streaming platforms such as Zoom.
You might think that there are many other cloud streaming platforms, but why do we prefer zoom?
Well, the Zoom isn’t just a free tool providing a variety of functionalities, it’s now become a household name with its user-friendly accessibility.
But it doesn’t just end there as there are too many benefits that Zoom can provide you and in this article we will explore all of them along with how to install and set up Zoom in your LearnDash website.
So, stay tuned, if you want to offer a different learning experience to your e-learners.
What is Zoom?
Before we delve into how you can integrate Zoom with your LearnDash website, it’s important to understand what in actual Zoom is and how it can complement your course by providing personalized course assistance to your e-learners.
Zoom is a cloud streaming platform which is utilized mostly but not limited to, for online meetings and webinars.
With the rise of E-learning especially in the Covid-era, Zoom made it to the list of most preferred software in a household as everyone was utilizing it either to take their classes online or to get to the most important meeting with their bosses.
But can you Integrate it to your LearnDash website?
Yes, of course! Zoom now can be integrated to your website to enhance the e-learning experience of your learners.
Key Features of Zoom For Your LearnDash Website:
Every e-learning website is great until a course providing value through live classes appears!
It’s true, and Zoom has played the most important role in making that happen. It can increase the potential for your LearnDash course to gain more students with the enhanced live class experience.
In this section, we will explore what are the key features that zoom offers to maximize the impact of your e-learning course with live classes.
Attendees
Every online live class must have one important feature, it’s the number of students allowed to join live class. While there are some platforms which offer a good number of attendees, Zoom has surpassed them by providing a 100 number of attendees even in the free version. It can accommodate if you have equal to or less than 100 students initially which makes it a great option if you have just started up your e-learning course and feel a bit shy to invest your dollars in it.
However, with time if you feel that the number of students now has increased due to the high popularity of your e-learning course, you might feel the need to have a premium zoom package integrated with your LearnDash website.
Session Duration
Another important feature that zoom offers for your learndash website course is the duration of your live class. Right now, other than zoom, no platform offers a complete 40 minute session for free.
Yes, you heard it right!
With even the free Zoom integration, you can have a live class of 40 minutes but if you feel the need to increase the session duration, you might require the paid Zoom version.
Multiple Instructors
Have you ever wondered if you can have on-board multiple instructors for your live class when you had to explain a difficult concept?
Yes, Zoom allows you to do that even with its free version.
You can add multiple course instructors in your live class so that you can have a longer session and you can take a break when required by allowing other instructors to take on where you left.
Screen Sharing:
Zoom’s screen sharing feature allows you to present your content in real-time, making it easy for learners to follow along with complex explanations, demonstrations, or walkthroughs.
Whether you’re navigating through a course module, showcasing a live demo, or reviewing materials together, screen sharing ensures that your students see exactly what you want them to, making learning more interactive and engaging.
Screen Recording:
Zoom’s screen recording functionality is a game-changer for e-learning. With the ability to record your live sessions, students can revisit the material at their own pace, reinforcing their understanding and catching up on anything they might have missed.
This is especially valuable for asynchronous learning, allowing you to build a library of recorded sessions that students can access anytime, ensuring that the learning process is continuous and flexible.
Reporting:
Zoom’s reporting feature provides in-depth insights into your sessions, helping you track attendance, monitor participation, and analyze engagement.
These reports give you a clear view of how students are interacting with your content, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to improve your course offerings.
By understanding your learners’ behaviors and preferences, you can tailor your approach to better meet their needs and enhance their overall learning experience.
How to Manage Live Classes on your LearnDash Website using Zoom?
So, now when you have understood what zoom is and how it can elevate your learner experience with its amazing features, it’s time to understand how you can set up the zoom on your LearnDash course website.
Don’t worry, you will not have to install any external software to do it as the integration of Zoom With your LearnDash website is as simple as pie with one-click plugin installation.
Note: It’s important to have an official account of Zoom before you begin this process.
Install the Video Conferencing with Zoom plugin
Before we begin, please ensure you have an active zoom account. The first step is to install the above mentioned plugin which is quite popular and easy-to-found in your plugin store.
To do it, follow these steps.
Navigate to WordPress admin area>Plugins
Search for “Video Conferencing with Zoom”
Click on “Install Now”
Click on “Activate the plugin”
While this free plugin provides excellent basic features, if you’re looking for more advanced functionality, you may want to explore the WPZoom Integration (Zoomy) plugin, which offers a premium solution with additional features. This plugin enhances the seamless embedding of Zoom inside WordPress and provides add-ons that are especially beneficial for LearnDash users.
Key premium features of the WP Zoom Integration (Zoomy) plugin:
Seamless Zoom Embedding: Offers enhanced embedding options for Zoom meetings and webinars directly within WordPress.
Instructor Role Add-On: Perfect for LearnDash, enabling instructors to manage courses more efficiently.
As a course creator, you understand the importance of delivering a seamless live class experience on your LearnDash site. While this may seem like a complex process, setting up live online classes using Zoom is more straightforward than you might think.
In this article, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
To get started, simply sign in to your Zoom account and head over to the Zoom App Marketplace, which you’ll find under Admin > Advanced.
Let’s dive in and set up your Zoom app for a fully integrated live class experience on LearnDash.
Once there, hover over the “Develop” dropdown in the top right corner and click on “Build App.” Next, choose the “Server-to-Server OAuth” option and click “Create.” You’ll be prompted to name your app—make it relevant, like “LearnDash Live Class,” so you can easily identify it later.
Set Up Your Zoom App
With your app named, you’ll be directed to the setup screen. Here’s where things get interesting. The first screen shows you your app credentials, including your Account ID, Client ID, and Client Secret. You’ll need these later, but for now, let’s move on.
Click the “Continue” button to proceed to the Information tab. This is where you can fine-tune your app’s details—edit the name, add a description, and enter the company name, developer name, and email address. Once you’re satisfied, click “Continue” to move to the next step.
On the “Feature” tab, you’ll find your app’s secret and verification tokens. Keep things moving by clicking “Continue” to reach the Scopes tab. Here’s where you add the necessary permissions—just click “Add Scopes.”
We recommend selecting all relevant scopes from Meeting, Webinar, Recording, and User, but feel free to customize based on your needs. After adding your scopes, click “Done” and then “Continue.” Finally, activate your app by clicking the “Activate your app” button.
Connect Your Zoom App with Your LearnDash Site
Remember those credentials you saw earlier?
It’s time to put them to use. Head back to your LearnDash admin dashboard and click on the Zoom Events option. You’ll need to paste your Zoom app’s credentials into the corresponding fields.
For both the Client ID and Client Secret, use the credentials you copied earlier. After pasting them in, click “Save.” If everything’s set up correctly, you should see a confirmation message on your WordPress dashboard saying, “Credentials successfully verified and saved.”
Now, click “Verify SDK Credentials” to ensure your Zoom online meeting is connected. If the verification is successful, you’ll see the virtual meeting appear on your WordPress site. With everything in place, you’re ready to start creating online classes for your LearnDash courses. If new options don’t appear immediately, just refresh the page.
You can also explore additional settings by clicking on the “Settings” tab, but for now, let’s keep moving forward.
Create a Zoom Meeting
Before you can add a live class to any lesson, you’ll need to create a meeting. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Zoom Events > Add New. Give your meeting a descriptive name and fill in the necessary details.
You’ll be able to set the meeting author, type, start time, duration, and even a password if needed. Once you’ve configured everything to your liking, click “Publish” to create your online class.
Add the Zoom Meeting to Your Lesson
Now that your meeting is created, it’s time to link it to a lesson. Start by creating a course with LearnDash and adding a few lessons. Open the lesson builder and click the “+” icon to access Gutenberg blocks.
You’ll have several options for displaying your live class, but we recommend using the “Zoom – Join via Browser” method, which allows students to join directly through their browsers. After adding this block, provide the required details:
Passcode:Enter the meeting passcode so students can join without needing to input it manually.
Select Meeting Type: Choose whether this will be a meeting or a webinar.
Select a Host: Assign the host for the live class.
Select Meeting: Pick your meeting from the list.
Once you’ve filled in all the necessary information, click “Save” to create your LearnDash live class. After saving, you can view the lesson to see the online live meeting displayed on the front end.
Students can join the live class by clicking “Join via Browser,” and you can start the meeting from your Zoom account at the scheduled time.
That’s it! You’ve now set up Zoom for live classes on your LearnDash site. All it takes is creating a Zoom account, building and configuring a Zoom app, linking it with your LearnDash site, and then creating and adding your Zoom meetings to your lessons.
It’s a straightforward process that opens up a whole new level of engagement for your learners.
Bottom line
By integrating Zoom with your LearnDash website, you’ve unlocked a powerful tool that can transform your e-learning courses into dynamic, interactive experiences.
With just a few simple steps, you can set up live classes, engage students in real-time, and offer a personalized learning environment that truly stands out.
Whether you’re hosting a small group session or a large webinar, Zoom’s versatility ensures that you can meet the needs of your learners, making your courses more effective and impactful.
Get started today and take your e-learning to the next level with Zoom!
