Block Students Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meetings

Introduction

In this blog, you will learn how Safe Doc blocks students from joining old Google Meets. This blog explains why and how to block students from joining old, unsupervised Google Meet sessions, which is essential for maintaining security and control in virtual classrooms. For instance, Google Meet allows students to rejoin previously hosted sessions. As a result, this can lead to unsupervised gatherings where distractions or inappropriate behavior may occur, especially if no teacher or administrator is present to monitor the activity.

Therefore, by restricting access to past Google Meet links, educators can effectively prevent students from misusing these virtual spaces. Furthermore, this ensures that meetings are only accessible during scheduled and supervised times. Moreover, this blog will also cover how Safe Doc assists in blocking access to old Google Meet sessions. Consequently, this feature reinforces a safe and controlled online learning environment.

Why Block Students Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meet?

In virtual classroom settings, students may join old Google Meet meeting which was conducted previously. Allowing to join old meeting may cause security concerns related to meeting notes or participants data. Unlike nicknamed meetings that end as soon as all participants leave, non-nicknamed meetings can remain active for extended periods.

Let’s understand the scenario through a user story:

• Problem: Mr. Thompson, teacher of K-12 school, noticed that students are engaged in off-topic conversations and sometimes invited others into the old meeting without his supervision. This caused disruptions in security and inappropriate discussions that took place without any adult oversight. Mr. Thompson found it challenging to maintain a safe, structured environment when students could join old Meet sessions freely.
  
• Solution: Mr. Thompson decided to implement Safe Doc policy to prevent students from joining old Google Meet links once after the session ends. After applying the policy students were sent to blocked page instead of allowing them to join the meet.
  
• Result: After applying the policy, teacher noticed improvements in classroom management and students behavior. Students stayed focused on current assignments and tasks without spending time in unsupervised Meet sessions.

Introduction to xFanatical Safe Doc?

xFanatical Safe Doc is a comprehensive browser extension used for maintaining a focused and secured online learning environment for students. This extension provides policies for administrators and teachers to manage and restrict access to various unwanted features of Google Workspace for Education (GWFA). This ensures a safe and productive digital learning environment for students.

Prevent Students from Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meetings with xFanatical Safe Doc

When a student clicks on a Google Meet link, they will be placed in a waiting room to adjust their video and audio settings. Then Safe Doc leverages checks if the meeting has a nickname or not. If not, Safe Doc prevents joining the meet and redirects the student to blocked page.

Safe Doc also introduces a 5-second waiting period in the waiting room before each student can enter the meeting. To enforce meeting blocking, add BlockUnnicknamedMeeting policy and set the value to true. By default, this policy enforces a 5 second wait time in the waiting room before students can join. You can adjust the delay up to 15 seconds by adding the BlockUnnicknamedMeetingWaitTime policy. 

xFanatical Safe Doc blocks joining from old meetings  in Google Meet

xFanatical Safe Doc keeps few seconds of waiting time in Google Meet

How to Stop Students from Joining Un-nicknamed Google Meetings using xFanatical Safe Doc

Step 1: Install Safe Doc
Initially install Safe Doc in your Google Workspace environment.

Step 2: Configure Safe Doc settings
Once you install Safe Doc, configure settings to disable emailing collaborators in Google Workspace.

Step 3: Navigate to Google Admin Console
Next, go to the Google Admin Console. Click on Devices > Chrome > Apps & Extensions > Users & Browsers to view the list of polices.

Step 4: Review the Policy
Find the policy out of the list and set it's value according to your requirement. If policy not found then add it as given below:

"BlockUnnicknamedMeeting": {
   "Value": true
}

"BlockUnnicknamedMeetingWaitTime": {
  "Value": 8
}

Step 5: Save the Policy
Finally, click the Save button to apply it.

How to configure Safe Doc?

Make sure the deployment of Safe Doc on your students' Chrome browsers and review the xFanatical Safe Doc Configuration document.

Conclusion

Now when you come to the end of the article, you have clear understanding of why to prevent students from joining old, unsupervised Google Meetings is essential and how Safe Doc helps in achieving the milestone. It helps teachers for maintaining a safe and controlled learning environment. With xFanatical Safe Doc, schools can effectively manage Google meetings, creating a safer and more structured virtual classroom experience for all learners.

To learn more about how xFanatical Safe Doc can help enhance online safety in your educational institution, visit our website xFanatical Safe Doc and install to get 30 days free trial.