Online Classroom for Tutors: A Brief Guide

If you would like to learn more about using our online classroom and see a demonstration, we are running a daily online seminar showing you how it works and answering any questions you may have. You can join it at 2pm any day (Monday - Friday) using the following link:

URL:  https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75469545645?pwd=a1o2S0RaZUVsVVZBSk5rZkdjb0FBdz09
Meeting ID: 754-6954-5645

Password: onlinesem1

The seminar takes place on Zoom - you can see how to join a Zoom seminar in this FAQ!

 PLEASE BE AWARE THAT NO SEMINARS TAKE PLACE ON BANK HOLIDAYS OR WEEKENDS

We very strongly recommend trialling the Online Classroom before giving your first online lesson to make sure you are familiar with how it all works. Experiencing the classroom first-hand and experimenting with all the different features will ensure you are properly prepared when you come to teach your first student! To access the demo version of the Online Classroom, simply select Demo Online Classroom from the drop-down underneath your name in the top right of the website, or from your ‘Teaching Preferences’.

Browser Tests

Before entering the classroom, you'll be prompted to do a browser test! You'll be first be taken through an automatic check of your browser, microphone and camera, where you'll be asked to give permissions to your browser to use the microphone and camera on your device!

Once completed, you'll then be able to make sure that your camera, microphone and speakers are working - just check the boxes once they are working!

Entering the classroom

Once you have entered the classroom, you will see a page looking something like this - if your camera and microphone do not appear to be working, please ensure that your browser settings are set to allow for both, and refresh the page.

Found at the top bar of the classroom, there are a number of buttons you can use to change the layout. If you don’t think you need to use the whiteboard, that is not a problem! You can change the layout of the classroom to ensure that it’s set up in a style that works for you. 

This is also a bar on the right-hand side of the classroom - this is where you can either share documents or your screen with a student! If you click on the top icon, which is highlighted in blue below, you can then either upload a file to the classroom or simply select one that you have already uploaded previously or start screen sharing!

Documents

In the Online Classroom, you can share documents making it really easy to hand in homework and give feedback. To share a document, you first need to upload it to the Online Classroom, and you can do so by clicking the first button in the toolbar on the right-hand side - you'll then see a blue upload button in the top right-hand corner! If you click on this, you'll then just need to select the type of file it is you're looking to upload, choose it from your computer, and then name it - once you've done this and clicked save, it will then pop up in a new tab on the classroom!

Screenshare

If you don’t want to upload documents into the classroom, you have the option of sharing your screen with your student. To do this, you just need to click on the first button on the toolbar on the right-hand side, and you'll see the option to share your screen - just click on this, and then the 'play' circle, and you'll then have the option to either share your whole screen, a particular application you have open or a tab on your browser!

The Whiteboard

The online whiteboard is a fantastic interactive tool which you can use to enhance your lessons. You'll have this open automatically when you enter the classroom, and you can use a variety of features by clicking the blue pencil icon in the bottom left of the whiteboard to draw or add images for you to share with your student. 

Troubleshooting

If you have any problems with the performance of the online classroom, please visit this link to try and identify the cause: https://lesson.tutorful.co.uk/en/troubleshooter