Inviting a Guest Speaker to a Video Conference
Last Modified on 06/23/2026 4:25 pm EDT
These directions are for faculty. They work whether you're creating a new video conference in Canvas or editing a pre-existing meeting on the video conference tab of a Canvas Site.
Before You Start
Guest Speakers from Outside Penn: If a guest speaker from outside Penn needs to join a Zoom created through Canvas, they must be added as an "Authentication Exception." See Guests from Outside Penn below for more details.
Inviting a Guest to a Video Conference Scheduled within Canvas
It is easy to share your video conference information with a guest speaker right from Canvas. This article assumes you are using Zoom for your video conference.
Keep in mind that only the meeting owner can edit a meeting.
If you've scheduled your Zoom meeting within Canvas, it's very easy to get an invitation link to share with a guest:
Inviting a Guest Outside of Canvas
You can gather the information needed to invite your guest speaker to your video conference scheduled via upenn.zoom.us:
Zoom meetings you scheduled via Canvas will also show up listed in upenn.zoom.us.
- Go to the upenn.zoom.us and log in with your PennKey username and password.
- In the Upcoming Meetings section, click on the title of the meeting the speaker should be invited to.
- Look for the Invite Link section.
- Choose which way you want to share the meeting invitation:
* Copy the Join URL and paste it into an email or
* Click the Copy invitation link, which opens a window with the full Zoom invitation details (including dial-in options). Click the Copy Meeting Invitation button.
- Paste the copied information into an email to the guest speaker.
Guests from Outside Penn
If a guest speaker from outside Penn needs to join a Zoom created through Canvas, they must be added as an "Authentication Exception," since they will not have a Pennkey to log into Zoom.
Don't use your Personal Meeting ID for these meetings. You will not be able to add authentication exceptions to meetings that use your personal meeting ID.
Best Practices
Following these best practices will help ensure a trouble-free guest experience.
Screen Sharing
If your guest would like to share their screen, go to Participants, right-click on their name, and then select Make Co-Host.
Practice Sessions
- Review how Zoom works in the classroom at least once at the beginning of the semester.
- If you are inviting a guest who does not frequently use Zoom, schedule a practice meeting with them before class to verify that everything works correctly.
- If you are using Zoom for the first time in the classroom, contact your Wharton Computing representative to schedule a practice/training session.
Ensure Secure Meetings
Make sure to follow our Zoom Security Guidelines for the best experience.
Questions
For more information, contact your Wharton Computing representative.
