HELP FILE
What are Activities and Breakouts?
Organizers can use activities as an interactive way to engage attendees and to revolutionize how they conduct trainings.
You can have your attendees collaborate in real time on a shared Google Doc (or any file sharing service of your choice), watch a video, view an uploaded material – all while you monitor their progress and provide guidance. You can even split your attendees into smaller groups (called "breakouts") for separate discussions or activities. View our Activities & Breakouts user guide here.
Important: This feature is only available for organizers on GoToTraining Pro and GoToTraining Plus plans. If you are on a corporate Google account, make sure your shared settings are not restricted or locked down before using activities.
How it works
When an organizer starts an activity, other participants in the training will be launched into the activity as follows.
Note: Any attendees who join the training while an activity with 2+ breakouts is under way will be launched into the main session rather than being directed into one of the breakouts. Attendees who were promoted to organizer during the session are not launched into the activity and are not able to access the Activity Center page.
- Desktop attendees — These users will see a new browser window and launch them into session using the Instant Join app. The desktop app will continue running the main training session. Once the activity ends, the Instant Join app will quit and they can return to using the desktop app.
- Web attendees — These users will be automatically switched to the activity within the same browser tab. Once the activity ends, the Instant Join app will switch them back to the main training session.
- Mobile attendees — Activities and breakouts are not supported for mobile attendees. Users joining from the GoToTraining app for iOS or Android will be asked to join from a computer if the organizer starts a breakouts session.
- Co-organizers — These users will not be launched into the activity. Instead, they can click Choose an Activity in their Control Panel to view the Activity Center page and help the organizer facilitate the activity.
Note: Any attendees who join the training while an activity with 2+ breakouts is under way will be launched into the main session rather than being directed into one of the breakouts. Attendees who were promoted to organizer during the session are not launched into the activity and are not able to access the Activity Center page.
Using activities with or without breakouts
When organizers are setting up activities, you will have the option of keeping all of your attendees together or splitting them up into small groups.
- Activities with all attendees — Launch your activity with the entire group of attendees participating in the same activity together. To use this option, you can select "Everyone" from the drop-down menu when setting up your activity.
- Activities with breakouts — Instead of keeping all attendees together to participate in an activity, split them up into smaller groups called "breakouts" (up to 6 breakouts available). In this case, attendees will be launched into the activity in their respective breakout groups.
Note: Desktop and web attendees must be running Google Chrome in order to join activities that use breakouts.
Available activity types
GoToTraining offers multiple types of activities for you to choose from, each of which engages your attendees in different ways. You can switch to a new type of activity at any time during the session!
- Collaborate on a shared Google Drive file (or any other file sharing program) — Have your attendees work together on a Google Drive file (such as a Google Sheet, Google Doc or Google Slide). They can edit it together during the activity, and then you can share the completed file with them after the session. See Collaborate on a Google Drive File (Activities) to learn more!
Note: We have a new GoTo app! This article covers the classic GoToTraining experience. View How do I set up and share Google Drive files? for the new GoTo.
- View a video, PDF or image — Stream a video for your attendees, review a PDF or show an image on their screens. If you select this option, students will see the file in the same way that they view a Presenter's shared screen. See Share a Video, Image or PDF (Activities) to learn more!
Note: We have a new GoTo app! This article covers the classic GoToTraining experience. View How do I share files? for the new GoTo.
- Break into groups with audio only — Divide your attendees into smaller groups (known as breakouts) for separate discussions. In this case, nothing will be shared on the browser screen for attendees while they chat. Note that this option is only available if you select 2 or more breakouts.
- Break into groups with screen sharing — Divide your attendees into smaller groups (known as breakouts) for separate discussions. In this case, desktop attendees will be able to share their screen with the other members of their breakout. Note that unlike when in the main session, attendees in breakouts won't need to be made the Presenter before they start screen sharing. See Share Your Screen (Web App) to learn more about attendees sharing their screens from the Instant Join app. Note that this option is only available if you select 2 or more breakouts, and mobile attendees will not be able to see the shared screen.
