Find answers to common questions about this new service:
I can't find any links in the Timetable System
Links are only visible within your Personal Timetable at Timetables web portal.
Your personal timetable is the default view when you log into the timetable web portal. You can return to your Personal Timetable at any time by selecting the My Timetable menu item on the left-hand side of the screen.
Staff can view view links via the Modules and Programmes searches within the Timetable web portal. Links are not displayed in any other web system, such as TULIP.
My activity in the Timetable System doesn't have links
Only activities with the following categories within Syllabus+ have links automatically generated for them:
- ONLSTAFF
- ONLSTUDENT
- REMOTE-PC
If your activity is not one of the above categories, we will not be generating links automatically. Please speak to the central timetabling team if you require further information about the makeup of your timetabled activities.
Why am I not the organiser of my Teams meetings?
Each member of staff needs to give explicit permission to allow IT Services to automatically create Teams meetings with you as the Organiser.
This is easily achieved by visiting the following link and authenticating using your MWS username and password.
https://timetabledelegation.liverpool.ac.uk/
Login using your MWS username and password then follow the simple instructions to move through the process. You will be taken off to Microsoft for your University credentials to be verified. Depending on your browser, this may result in another password prompt. When asked, please enter your credentials and continue.
Once consent has been given, we will be able to automatically create Teams meetings with you as the Organiser. Staff can log back into the portal and withdraw their consent if required.
Why am I not the organiser of my Zoom meetings?
Firstly, always make sure you have previously logged into Zoom (https://zoom.liverpool.ac.uk/) with your University credentials as you cannot be assigned as an organiser if you have never logged into your University Zoom account before.
If you have previously accessed your University Zoom account, but you're not the organiser of your Zoom meeting, this could be due to the restriction in Syllabus+ which does not allow us to assign a specific lecturer to a specific lecture instance. To circumvent this and make yourself the organiser of your Zoom meeting, you can employ one of the following options:
- Use the link via the Timetable Portal, and rename yourself in the Zoom meeting so you've got your name
- Create the links manually yourself so you are the named host, and then follow the steps to link the meeting to a timetabled activity
When will my Zoom and Teams meeting links be visible in the timetable and why can’t I see them all for the entire semester?
All links are generated and published to the timetable 7 days in advance of the session.
We are not able to publish the links for an entire semester in one go. There are a number of factors that have been considered including the possible changes to the timetable this year that would render links invalid. To avoid creating a large number of meaningless meetings we are only working 7 days in advance. In Zoom, there are also considerations around the number of meetings any user can have in a single day. Creating multiple Zoom meetings for the same user account can mean that the user reaches a limit and cannot create any new meetings for that day. We could easily exceed this limit should we create links too far in advance.
When will the link for my Zoom meeting be available? Why can’t we have these links earlier?
Links for Zoom meetings for staff will become available 1 hour in advance of the start of the meeting.
All of the system-generated links for Zoom meeting hosts (i.e. staff) expire after 2 hours. This is a security setting imposed by Zoom that unfortunately we cannot override. In order to ensure that the link is active when you need it, we have set up an automated job to refresh the links 1 hour in advance of the meetings.
Please note, Zoom meetings will be generated 7 days in advance of the sessions and the links for general participants (i.e. the students) do not need to be refreshed. General participants have fewer privileges and, as such, Zoom do not consider them to be a comparable security issue.
I have created my own links - how do I add them to the system?
If you have created your own links, you can update the timetable system so all students can easily see your links within the timetable apps. To update links:
- Log into the timetables web portal
- Select the individual activity
- Click the blue edit button
- Enter the details for your meeting
- Click the blue save button
Each individual activity (Zoom or Teams) has its own unique link information. Therefore, you will need to update each individual activity manually, even if you have created a recurring meeting within Teams or Zoom.
Any links which are manually added to the system are never overwritten by the system. They will always remain in place and can only then be amended by the user.
I want to opt out / I don't want a particular module included
The new link generation system is based on module prefix, not specific module IDs, so we are only able to run it for all modules or none at all, we can't identify specific modules to leave out, unfortunately.
We are also unable to specify the instructor for each activity. The system reads from Syllabus+ and Curriculum Manager to obtain a suitable instructor to assign as host - each meeting requires a host.
If you are creating your own links manually, we would advise that you log into the timetables web portal, select each activity and edit the current system generated links with your own link information. In this way students will be able to view your link information within their timetable mobile apps.
The ability to "opt out" on a per-module basis is on our roadmap to include as development in the future.
I am not the correct meeting host - I want to specify X as the meeting host
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to specify the host within our service. The new meeting generator system initially read the instructor data within the Syllabus+ timetable system but that was not always providing sufficient data. There is also a daily limit on how many meetings can be created in Zoom without a valid account, so we had to look elsewhere for valid instructor data. We now read both Syllabus+ and Curriculum Manager to ensure we can gain a valid user to assign as a host of the meeting.
We will be looking to increase functionality within the system in the future to include features such as specifying hosts manually.
In Zoom I am not recorded in the Timetable system as the meeting host, can I still act as the host in this meeting?
Yes, all staff have access to a special 'host' URL. You do not need to be the named host to have these permissions. Note, the URL used by staff in Zoom is different to the URL used by attendees (i.e. students). You should not share the host URL except with other members of staff.
I want to use Breakout Rooms in Microsoft Teams
Breakout Rooms are available in your Teams Meetings. Should you need it, Microsoft offers a handy guide on how to use Breakout Rooms.
Other useful information which may help:
In Zoom (does not apply to Teams), if the meeting owner (lead academic) is not correct in the timetable system, the lecturer who joins that meeting will have the name label of the incorrect academic.
Similarly, if multiple academics join the session they will all have the name of the lead academic. You can change the name label once in the meeting.
Apple and Android lecture timetables mobile apps have been updated and are available.
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