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Using the Tutor Room (Basic)

This is a basic guide to using the Tutor Room. You should be familiar with everything in this article before starting online lessons. It is recommended to read through this guide whilst you're inside the Tutor Room (My account > Tutor Room), to practise using these tools.

You can find further information on using the Tutor Room in the Advanced guide or you can find information on individual tools in the Tool list.

 

Participants

When a student tries to enter your Tutor Room they'll be taken to your waiting room and you'll see a Waiting Students notification appear in the top right. Once you Authorise the student they'll be able to enter your room (this usually takes around 30 seconds). The student will then show in Participants, where you also have the option to Eject the student from your room, if necessary. Your Tutor Room can support up to 7 students in a lesson.

 

Webcam.png Video chat

Your Webcam.png camera and Mic.png microphone will turn on automatically when you enter the Tutor Room, just ensure to allow access to them when prompted. Your student's camera and microphone will also turn on automatically when they enter, provided they also allow access.

You and your students should keep your cameras and microphones turned on throughout the lesson to ensure the best teaching and learning experience. However, if needed any user can toggle their camera or microphone on and off during a lesson using the icons at the bottom of the screen ( Webcam.png Mic.png ).

As the tutor you can also turn off a student's camera or microphone at any time (Chat.png Chat > People > [person's name] > Set_-_Mic_Mute.png Mute Microphone / Set_-_Camera_Off.png Stop Video). Alternatively, if a student has turned off their camera or microphone, you can request for them to turn it on again (Chat.png Chat > People > [person's name] > Mic.png Ask to Unmute Microphone / Webcam.png Ask to Resume Video).

For help with any camera or audio issues, see the Troubleshooting article.

 

Video_-_Floating.png Video layout modes

There are 3 possible video layout modes:

  • Video_-_Sidebar.png Sidebar (default): Videos are automatically arranged in a sidebar so that they never obstruct the workspace. If the video bar becomes full (due to lots of users' videos), scrolling down will show the other videos. As the tutor, double clicking (or double tapping) on any video will change to Grid layout (see below) for you and all students.
  • Video_-_Grid.png Grid: Videos are automatically arranged over the top of the workspace using all the screen space available (the whiteboard and document tabs are therefore not visible). By default all the videos will be shown at the same size, but as the tutor you can double click any video to make it larger than the other videos.
  • Video_-_Floating.png Floating: Videos float over the top of the workspace and can all be moved (drag the centre) and resized (drag the corner) independently. Each user has independent control of how the videos are arranged on their own screen. Some parts of the workspace may therefore be obscured for some users depending upon the size of their screen and where they choose to place the videos. As the tutor, double clicking (or double tapping) on any video will change to Grid layout (see above) for you and all students.

By default, as the tutor when you change the video layout mode (i.e. Sidebar, Grid or Floating) it will also change for all your students (students are therefore not able to change the video layout mode themselves).

Note: On mobile and tablets the videos, workspaces and chat may be automatically split into separate tabs (depending upon screen size and orientation) with icons at the bottom of the screen to toggle between them. In this case, the above video layout modes do not apply.

 

New.png Tabs

There are two main types of tabs: Whiteboard.png Whiteboard tabs and Document.png Document tabs. Whiteboard tabs are used for uploading resources (e.g. PDF's, PowerPoints etc) and making annotations. Document tabs are used for editing or creating pieces of text.

You can have multiple tabs open at once, but can only view one at a time. You can switch between tabs by clicking the tab title and, if you have lots of tabs open, you can scroll along the tab bar using the arrows. As the tutor, you are in control of which tab is visible, so as you change from one tab to another on your own screen it will also change on your students' screens.

 

Whiteboard.png Whiteboard tabs

Create: Use the New.png New tab button to open a whiteboard tab. The whiteboard is collaborative so both you and your students can use it at the same time, including all the Draw.png annotation tools. All users can point by simply moving their cursor (or tapping on touch screens).

Sync: By default the students' whiteboard views are synced with yours so all the content on your own screen will always be visible to your students. As you Move.png move the page around and WB_-_Zoom_In.png zoom in and WB_-_Zoom_Out.png out this will also apply to all your students' views.

Upload: All users can Upload.png Upload files (or drag and drop) on to the whiteboard including images, PDFs and Office files (e.g. PowerPoint, Word) for annotation. If a file has multiple pages (or slides or sheets), you can choose which ones you would like to upload (all pages will be selected by default, or you can click on the thumbnails of individual pages you wish to include/exclude).

You then have 3 layout options:

  • Single_Tab.png All in a Single Whiteboard Tab: This will create a new whiteboard tab with all selected pages laid out in a column (pdf layout style). Simply scroll vertically to move between pages (note that horizontal scroll is disabled for this layout to aid navigation).
  • Separate_Tabs.png Each on a Separate Whiteboard Tab: Each page will be added to a new separate tab, meaning you can simply change tab to change the page. To change tabs simply click on a tab in the tab bar (or use the Tab Manager).
  • Current_Tab.png Into the current Whiteboard Tab: All pages will be added to the currently selected tab in a column (note that a tab must be open for this option to be available). The  Select.png Select tool can then be used to manipulate the individual pages (move, resize, etc). Use the Move.pngMove Canvas tool to navigate through the pages.

Note that embedded elements (e.g. animations, sounds, videos) are always removed upon file upload to ensure compatibility among all users.

Snapshot: All users can also Snapshot.png Snapshot any paper-based resources directly onto the whiteboard by holding it up to their camera.

Download: Users can Download a copy of a single whiteboard tab anytime (right-click the tab name). The content will be saved to the download folder on the user's device as an image (png) file.

 

Document.png Document tabs

Create: Use the New.png New tab button to open a document tab. The document tab is used for editing or creating pieces of text. It is collaborative and synced, so you and your student can see each other's edits and cursor position in real time.

Edit: All users can add text to the editor by simply copying and pasting from any document directly into the editor (e.g. from Word, a PDF, a website etc).

Download: Users can download a copy of a single document tab anytime (right-click the tab name). The content will be saved as an html file which can be viewed using any web browser. You can then copy and paste from the html file if you want to edit the content further.

 

Export.png Exporting

All users can right-click on any tab title to download that single tab's contents. However, users can also export all tabs at once as a single zip file ( Options.png Options > Export.png Export). The zip file can be opened to view the contents of each tab, or alternatively imported back into the Tutor Room to restore the tabs and continue working on them (New.png New Tab > Export.png Import ZIP).

Exporting is useful for saving work at the end of a lesson. You can also enter the Tutor Room on your own to prepare resources in advance, export them as a zip, then simply import the zip at the start of the lesson to use the resource.

 

Room reset

When you Close your Tutor Room, or leave for more than 15 minutes, the room will reset automatically and all room contents will be cleared (including all resources). Therefore, make sure you download or export any room contents you wish to keep before closing or leaving the Tutor Room.

In addition, when you click End Lesson (only visible when students are present) you will eject all participants, log the lesson and also clear all contents (including any resources). Therefore, make sure you and your students download or export any room contents you wish to keep before ending a lesson.

 

Chat.png Chat

All users can Send.png send typed messages, Attach.png attach files and share links via the chat area. All messages and files sent are visible to all participants. Click a shared link to open it or click a shared file to download it. All users will be shown a notification when a message or file is shared via the chat area.

Any users can delete their own messages and as the tutor you can also delete any of your students' messages (click the message, then from the drop down select Delete Message).

 

Video_-_Screen_share.png Screen sharing

Any user can share their screen which will appear as another video. As the tutor, simply double click on a student's screen share to apply the Grid layout for all users, with the screen share being displayed larger than the other videos (this will happen automatically when you share your own screen).

However, screen sharing does not allow others to interact with the content, does not allow editing or saving and requires higher internet speeds and newer devices for a smooth experience. Therefore, it is highly recommend to use whiteboard tabs or document tabs for your lessons, rather than screen sharing.

When using screen sharing, select only the browser tab or application window you wish to share. Avoid sharing your entire screen, as this will result in you sharing your own view of the Tutor Room (unless you minimise the Tutor Room window). Note: Sharing browser tabs and application windows is supported in Chrome, Firefox and Edge, but not Safari.

 

System requirements

The online classroom (Tutor Room) runs in a web browser so there's nothing to install. All modern web browsers (i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) are supported.

Requirements:

  • A device with a camera and microphone (e.g. laptop, tablet, desktop, etc).
  • Good internet connection (2.5Mbps upload and 2.5Mbps download is recommended).

Note: Phones are supported by the Tutor Room but are not recommended because the screen is too small to provide a high quality online learning experience.

 

Troubleshooting.png Troubleshooting

If you or any of your students are having technical issues, you can open the Troubleshooting (Settings.png Settings > Troubleshooting.png Troubleshooting). This will show information on your own system and also that of your students and will try to suggest solutions to any detected issues.

For more detailed help with technical issues, see the Troubleshooting article.

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