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Using Tutor Room (Advanced)

This is a guide to the more advanced features of the Tutor Room. Ensure you have read the Basic guide first. You can also find information on individual tools in the Tool list. You don't need to know the information in this article to start teaching in the Tutor Room, but it may be helpful and allow you to enhance your lessons. It is recommended to read through this guide whilst you're inside the Tutor Room (My account > Tutor Room).

 

Managing tabs

Tab Bar

The tab bar shows across the top of the room (or on small tablet or mobile as an icon at the bottom of the screen). The New.png New Tab menu is used to add new Whiteboard.png whiteboard tabs or new Document.png document tabs, or to upload Room_-_Import.png PDF or Office files or import Export.png Zip files.

Double-click a tab name to change it, or click and drag a tab to change its position in the tab bar. Use the Close.png Delete icon to move it to the Tab_-_Deleted.png Deleted Tabs folder in the Tab List (see below).

If there are too many tabs to display, scroll icons will appear allowing you to scroll the tabs in the Tab Bar Tab_-_Previous.png left and Tab_-_Next.png right, to view all the tabs. However if you're using a large number of tabs, use the Tab_-_Tab_List.png Tab List (see below) to navigate and organise the tabs, rather than the Tab Bar.

 

Tab List

The Tab_-_Tab_List.png Tab List allows you to find and organise tabs. It is particularly useful when using large numbers of tabs or when uploading documents with large numbers of pages.

All tabs are shown in a list. If you have a large number of tabs, simply scroll the list to view all the tabs, or type into the Tab_-_Search.png Search bar to filter the tabs according to their name. Click on a tab name to view the tab. Click and drag a tab to change its position in the tab list, or double-click to rename it.

Use the Close.png Delete icon to move a tab to the Tab_-_Deleted.png Deleted Tabs folder. Deleted tabs can be Tab_-_Restore.png Restored throughout a lesson, until the Tutor Room is closed and all content is removed.

 

Tab Menu

Right-click a tab name to open the tab menu.

  • Tab_-_Disallow_Tab_to_be_Closed.png Disallow / Tab_-_Allow_Tab_to_be_Closed.png Allow Tab to be Closed: Controls whether the tab can be closed and applies to all users. If disallow to be closed is set an Tab_-_Disallow_Tab_to_be_Closed.png icon will show next to the tab name.
  • Tab_-_Disallow_Changes.png Disallow / Tab_-_Allow_Changes.png Allow Changes: Controls whether changes (e.g. annotations, edits, uploads) can be made for the selected tab, which applies to all users. If changes are disallowed an Tab_-_Disallow_Changes.png icon will show next to the tab name.
  • Tab_-_Rename.png Rename Tab: Allows the tab name to be changed. This can also be done by double clicking on the tab name.
  • Tab_-_Duplicate.png Duplicate Tab: Creates a copy of the tab, including its contents and settings.
  • Download as Tab_-_Download_as_Image.png Image / Tab_-_Download_as_HTML.png HTML: Downloads the individual tab contents to the user's device as either an image (for whiteboard tabs) or an HTML (for document tabs).
  • Tab_-_Delete_Tabs_to_the_Right.png Delete Tabs to the Right: Deletes all tabs to the right of the selected tab (or below the selected tab if viewing in the Tab List).

Note: Managing tabs is only available to tutors (not students) when Leading.png Leading Mode is on.

Note: In the Leading.png Leading Mode menu, toggle on Read-only Mode to prevent students from making any changes to any tab (but as the tutor you can still make changes).

 

Managing objects

Whiteboard objects include the annotations you make and resources you upload. Use the Select.png Select tool to click on an object. A blue boarder will show around the object allowing you to:

  • Move (drag the object centre, or for lines drag the line itself)
  • Resize (drag the corner nodes)
  • Rotate (drag the protruding node)
  • Re-shape (drag the side nodes)
  • WB_-_Object_-_Lock.png Lock / WB_-_Object_-_Unlock.png Unlock (prevents an object from being moved, changed, or deleted)
  • WB_-_Object_-_Duplicate.png Duplicate (makes a copy of the object)
  • WB_-_Object_-_Bring_Forward.png Bring forward (brings the object forward one layer)
  • WB_-_Object_-_Send_Backward.png Send backwards (sends the object back one layer)
  • WB_-_Object_-_Delete.png Delete (or Delete or Erase.png Eraser).

To manage multiple objects at once, use the Select.png Select tool to click and drag over multiple objects. A single frame will show around all the objects allowing them to be moved, resized or duplicated (Ctrl/Cmd+c then Ctrl/Cmd+v).

 

Managing layers

Objects on the whiteboard are layered. When you add a new object it is placed at the front by default. This means it will obscure other objects (which are in layered further back) if moved over the top of them. However, if you use the Select.png Select tool to click on an object, you can then use the the layer buttons to change how the object is layered. Each time the WB_-_Object_-_Send_Backward.png Send backwards icon is clicked the object will be sent back one layer. Each time the WB_-_Object_-_Bring_Forward.png Bring forward icon is clicked the object will be brought forward one layer. This allows you to control which objects appear over the top of others.

 

Managing pages

When you upload multiple pages, each page will be added to a separate whiteboard tab and you can simply change the tab to change the page (see Managing Tabs).

However, you can move pages onto the same whiteboard tab if desired, so that multiple pages are visible at the same time. When pages are uploaded to the whiteboard they are added as Locked objects. Right-click on an uploaded page to unlock it. The page can then be managed like any other object, meaning you can copy it and then paste it onto another whiteboard tab (use Ctrl/Cmd+c to copy, then switch tabs and use Ctrl/Cmd+v to paste). You can then move the object to re-position it on screen (it may have been pasted over the top of another page) and then lock it to prevent further changes. Repeat this process to place multiple pages onto a single whiteboard tab.

 

Managing students' views

Leading Mode Enabled

Leading.png Leading Mode is enabled by default. This means that students will always see the same tab as you and the same content within that tab. As you change tabs, Move.png move the whiteboard canvas or change the whiteboard Zoom.png zoom, it will also change for your student(s). Students will also see the same video layout mode (Floating, Sidebar or Grid) as you. Students can therefore not change the tab, move the canvas, change the zoom or video layout mode themselves, because their view is synced with yours.

Students can still annotate and make changes to tabs using the whiteboard and document tools. However, if you enable Read-only Mode this also prevents students from making any changes or using any tools, but as the tutor you are still able to do so.

 

Leading Mode Disabled

You can chose to disable Leading.png Leading Mode. This means that students are free to control their own screen independently, including viewing other tabs, moving the whiteboard canvas, changing the zoom, and changing the video layout mode, which will apply to their screen only.

You can keep track of which tabs your students are viewing via the colour indicators next to the tab names. Each student is assigned a colour upon entry to the Tutor Room (shown in their video box) and the tab they are currently viewing will show a vertical line of the matching colour.

You can re-enable Leading Mode at any time which will re-sync all students' views with yours. Note: with Leading Mode disabled, students will also have access to tab tools, which includes the ability to delete tabs.

 

Using Tabs in Parallel

Disabling Leading.png Leading Mode allows different tabs to be viewed or annotated in parallel.

If your students are working on a question on a particular tab and you wish to prepare the next question or resource on a different tab at the same time, you can disable Leading Mode and switch to a different tab, without changing the view for the students. You can then switch back to tab the students are viewing and then re-enable Leading Mode.

If you're working with multiple students you can also assign different tabs to different students. Create New.png New Tabs (Whiteboard.png whiteboard or Document.png document) and double-click the tab names to change them to the students' names. Disable Leading Mode and then direct the students to click on the tab with their own name. You'll see which tab each student is viewing via the colour indicators. Student can then work on their own tab and, as the tutor, you can move from one tab to another to see each student working in real-time. You can re-enable Leading Mode at any time which will re-sync all students' views with yours, switching them to whichever tab you're currently viewing. You can also right-click on a tab name to Disallow Changes, if you want to prevent any further changed being made.

 

Managing zoom

Screen size

When using the whiteboard, students' views are synced with yours so all the content on your own screen will always be visible to your students (unless you disable Leading.png Leading Mode). 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.

However, remember that users' screen sizes can vary greatly depending upon their device (e.g. 27" desktop vs 16" laptop vs 8" tablet). If your device has a large screen remember that your students may have much smaller screens, so although they will see all the content you can see, it may appear much smaller for them and you may need to zoom in to make it larger for them. Therefore if you're on a large screen, rather than making your browser window fill your entire screen, make it smaller and similar in size to your students' screens, as this will give you a better idea of the size that the content appears for students. This only to you as the tutor, your students should always make their browser window fill their entire screen.

Note: While students will always see all of the content you can see, they may sometimes be able to see a little more than you depending upon their screen aspect ratio.

 

File dimensions

When uploading files (e.g. images, PDFs, PowerPoints) onto the whiteboard, the uploaded content may not fit within the visible area. This depends upon the dimensions of the resources you're uploading and the size of your device or browser. There are 3 ways to solve this:

  • You can use WB_-_Zoom_Fit.png Zoom to Fit to instantly fit the resource within your visible area. The zoom level of each tab is controlled independently, so if you're uploading a 10 page file, each page will be added to a separate tab and you'll need to use WB_-_Zoom_Fit.png Zoom to Fit on each tab. Note: zoom levels are not included when Zip.png Exporting to zip.
  • Alternatively, instead of adjusting the zoom you can adjust the object size. For example, if an uploaded PowerPoint slide doesn't fit within the visible area, right-click on the slide to Unlock it. You can then use the Select.png Select tool to resize (drag the corner) and move (drag the centre) the object so it fits when at 100% zoom, then Lock it again (you'll need to do this for each slide). You can then Zip.png Export to zip and when importing the zip back into the room all the object sizes will be remembered and they will fit within your visible area at the default 100% zoom (unless you change to a device with a different screen size, or change size of the browser window).
  • Alternatively, rather than adjusting the zoom or the object sizes after upload, you can adjust the dimensions of your file before upload. Simply save or export a copy of your original file (e.g. image, PDF, PowerPoint) at smaller dimensions so that once uploaded onto the whiteboard it will all be visible at 100% zoom. Note: this is more advanced than using the Zoom to Fit or resizing the objects, but it can enable your resources to fit perfectly upon upload, without any adjustment. The dimensions required are entirely dependant upon your own viewport, but as a guide, try setting the file width to half the width of your browser.

 

Drawing accurately

Drawing

When using the Draw.png Draw tool you can simply click and drag to draw free hand. Alternatively, to draw straight lines hold Ctrl or Cmd then drag to see a dotted line indicating where the straight line will be drawn, then click to draw the line. To draw polygons, continue holding Ctrl or Cmd while dragging and clicking to draw each side of the polygon.

If you hold ⇧Shift at the same time as Ctrl or Cmd, the dotted line will snap to 15 degree increments to allow you to draw horizontal or vertical lines or at specific common angles (i.e. 15º, 30º, 45º, 60º, 75º, 90º).

Use the Shape.png shape tools to draw Rectangle.png Rectangle, Oval.png Ellipse, Triangle.png Triangle, WB_-_Shape_-_Right_Angle_Triangle.png Right Angle Triangle, Line.png Solid Line, WB_-_Shape_-_Dotted_Line.png Dotted Line, and WB_-_Shape_-_Arrow.png Arrow Line. When using the 2d shapes, hold Ctrl or Cmd to draw regular shapes (i.e. perfect squares and circles etc). Shapes can be moved, resized, and rotated using the Select tool, or copy and pasted. Shapes can be drawn as outlines only or can be filled with colour (use the Colour tool to control line colours and fill colours).

 

Highlighting

When using the Highlight.png Highlight tool you can simply click and drag to highlight free hand. Alternatively, hold Ctrl or Cmd then drag to see a dotted line indicating where the highlight will be applied, then click to apply. Note: the highlight will appear below the dotted line, so drag it across the top of the area you wish to highlight.

 

Managing backgrounds

Background Colour

The whiteboard background is WB_-_Background_-_White.png white by default, but can be changed to WB_-_Background_-_Yellow.png yellow or WB_-_Background_-_Black.png black ( Grid.png Background). If you'd like to use a wider range of colours as backgrounds, there are two ways this can be achieved:

  • Use the Colour.png colour tool to choose a fill colour then use the Rectangle.png rectangle tool to draw a large rectangle covering the visible whiteboard area. Right-click the rectangle then Lock the object. If you require multiple tabs, simply duplicate the tab (right-click the tab title). You can now use annotation tools with other colours over the top of your coloured rectangles. You can also save your coloured rectangles to use again in the future by using the Export tool.
  • Alternatively, if you want more control over the specific colour used or want to create multiple tabs at once, you can create a file with coloured backgrounds and Upload.png upload it to the whiteboard. Simply create a multi-page document (e.g. PowerPoint) with coloured pages, using any colour you wish. Upload the file to the whiteboard and new tabs will be created containing your chosen colour, allowing your to annotate on top of it.

 

Background Overlays

You can add an overlay to the whiteboard (WB_-_Overlay_-_Lines.png Lines, WB_-_Overlay_-_Dots.png Dots, WB_-_Overlay_-_Grid.png Grid or WB_-_Overlay_-_Graph.png Graph) to assist with your annotations. You can then choose an overlay size of small, medium or large (click the left, centre or right radial) which determines the gaps within the chosen overlay pattern. You can also chose an overlay colour of WB_-_Overlay_-_Black.png black, WB_-_Overlay_-_Grey.png grey, or WB_-_Overlay_-_Blue.png blue.

Note that background overlays will only overlay over the top of the default white or black background. If you create your own custom backgrounds using the shape tools or by uploading a file, the background overlays will appear underneath them, not on top.

 

Toolbar Colour

Users can also change the colour of the menus, toolbars and buttons from Light Mode to Dark Mode ( Options.png Options > Dark.png Switch to Dark Mode). This only affects your own screen, not other users' screens ( other users can select the option themselves).

 

Using timers

As the tutor, you can set Timer.png timers and Stopwatch.png stopwatches to use during lessons. This can be especially useful if setting short tasks for students.

Timers can be set to count down to a specific end time (e.g. 2:45pm) or count down a specific duration (e.g. 4 min 30 sec). Once a timer has been Timer_Set.png set, you and your students can hover over the icon to see the duration Timer_Countdown.png remaining and will see once the duration has Timer_End.png ended (once a timer has ended it will start counting up, so you know how long ago it ended).

Alternatively, you can start a stopwatch to count up. Once a Stopwatch.png stopwatch is started, you and your students can hover over the icon to see how much time has elapsed.

 

Measuring angles

You can easily create an interactive onscreen protractor to allow you and your students to measure angles. First download this protractor image to your device. You can now upload the protractor image onto the Tutor Room whiteboard.

Use the Select.png Select tool to resize, move and rotate the protractor (see Managing objects. You can also copy and paste the protractor to move it to another tab or have more than one on screen.

Note: When one person is using the Select.png Select tool to manipulate the protractor (e.g. rotating it), the other users won't see it being rotated, they'll only see its new position once the rotation is complete.

 

Creating equations & graphs

Graphs can be drawn manually using grid square Grid.png backgrounds and accurate drawing.

In addition, all participants can also use the Equasion.png equation and Graph.png graph creator tools, to quickly create equations and automatically plot graphs. Once inserted on to the whiteboard the equations and graphs become visible to all participants and can be edited (double-click or right-click then select Edit) or manipulated like any other object. Before inserting a graph into the whiteboard you can change the zoom (hold ⇧Shift then scroll) or change the position (hold ⇧Shift then click and drag).

Full LaTeX command are supported, e.g. \pi, \sqrt, \integral (guide to using LaTeX). Use / for fractions and ^ for exponents.

Note: All participants can use the tools to create equations and graphs but they will only be visible to other participants once they have been added to the whiteboard.

 

Using emoticons

Any participant can click an emoticon to display it over their video for 3 seconds (this will be visible to all other participants). Emoticons: 👍 👎 👏 👋 🙏 🤔 😮 😂 🙈 🤷

On laptop or desktop, with the Chat tool closed hover over the Chat.png chat icon (without clicking it) to display a range of emoticons (emotion icons). On tablet or mobile, open the Chat.png Chat then click the Emoji.png Emoticon icon.

As the tutor, you also have access to celebration buttons which will launch confetti across all participants' screens. Celebrations: 🎉 🎆 

 

Using a graphics tablet

A graphics tablet can make online tutoring easier and more effective, especially when using the Draw.png Draw tool on the whiteboard tab for maths and sciences. You can read more in the Graphics tablets article.

 

Creating interactive resources

When using the Whiteboard.png whiteboard you can control whether objects can be moved or changed (right-click an object to Lock/Unlock). This allows the creation of interactive resources.

For example, a Locked diagram with list of Unlocked labels would allow a student to click and drag the labels to the correct position on the diagram. Alternatively, both the diagram and labels could be locked and a student could use the line tool to match them.

There are many possibilities depending upon the subject and the age and ability of the students you're teaching. Once you've made an interactive resource you can Zip.png Export it as a ZIP, so it's ready to be imported and used during future lessons.

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