A Brief Guide to the New Online Classroom

Please note this guide is for users using the new online classroom. For the previous classroom, please see this article. 

If you would like to learn more about using our online classroom and see a demonstration, we are running an online seminar twice a week showing you how it works and answering any questions you may have. Please note that attending this seminar will only count towards your application process if you have already completed an interview with us! You can join our online seminar by using one of the following links:

Tuesday 11th May 6pm
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75336159731?pwd=WVp2ZksrZ0tuSnhCR0FHZ3oxYlJaUT09 
Password: Z3gv69

Thursday 13th May 11am
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78058493935?pwd=YmpzVmt0ZGJPdVZ6SWk2RjZoci90QT09 
Password: cHK7cV

Tuesday 18th May 6pm
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74150973377?pwd=UEg4Wm5qc29NVXBNVkJNcXhhNldBQT09 
Password: 6yRmW7

Thursday 20th May 11am
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76724037421?pwd=VEMzUlkrVFFha3oyUVU5MWZqejRIdz09 
Password: vQXk5B

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’. 

When you access the demo classroom you'll also be given the option to test your browser. This just makes sure that you are set up correctly for your lesson. You can see how to complete a browser test in this article.

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.

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. On the left-hand side, you'll see a list of the whiteboards that you have open. You can delete a board from the classroom by pressing the cross in the bottom left-hand corner of the board in the list. 

Toolbar

To the left-hand side of the whiteboard, there is a toolbar that allows you to draw, write, add images and shapes to your lesson! The image below shows which button does what:

Maximising Whiteboard Space

It is quickly and easily possible to maximise the amount of whiteboard space you have, should you wish to by using the small arrows.

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are quite a few keyboard shortcuts that exist in the classroom. These include:

• Zoom: use cmd+[ or ctrl+[ to zoom out and cmd+] or ctrl+] to zoom in
• Undo and redo: cmd+z or ctrl+z to undo and cmd+shift+z or ctrl+shift+z to redo
• Snap to grid: hold down the space bar
• Skew shape: by holding down the Shift button while dragging the corner or side handles on a whiteboard shape you can skew the shape

Teaching & Collaboration Mode

We know that for tutors, sometimes you may need to really focus in on a particular topic or area, and it can be difficult if you’re teaching a younger student to stop them from losing concentration. For that reason, you’re able to switch between Collaboration and Teaching mode easily in the classroom as a tutor. By default, you’ll be in collaboration mode when you enter the classroom, and in this mode both tutor and student will be able to draw on the whiteboard, add documents and screen share as needed, so you can provide a really interactive lesson!

To switch to teaching mode, you’ll just need to click the padlock symbol in the top left hand corner of the classroom - once you do this as a tutor, it will remove the ability for students to draw on the whiteboard, add in documents and share their screen - you’ll be able to take control of the lesson, and really focus in on a particular topic! If, after going through a topic for example, you want the student to be able to draw on a board, you can just click on the same padlock symbol to ‘unlock’ the classroom, and switch back to collaboration mode!

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

You can also check the quality of both yours and your student's connection by having a look at the connectivity gauges in the top right hand corner of the classroom. If your bars are in red, you may need to follow some of the tips mentioned in this FAQ.