Live Classes: Scheduling, Delivery & Attendance

Live Classes is what separates a VarsityScape Academy from a simple file hosting site. It allows you to schedule real-time sessions, automatically notify students, and track participation, all from one tab.

This guide covers everything from scheduling your first session to managing recordings.

Part 1: Enabling ‘Live Classes‘ #

“Live Classes” is a core feature of VarsityScape, available on all plans (even the most basic). However, like all major modules, it is managed via the Extensions tab to keep your dashboard clean.

1. Navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Extensions.
2. Locate Live Classes.
3. Ensure the toggle is set to ON.
   • Note: This is usually enabled by default, but if you don’t see the “Live Classes” tab in your course, check here first.

Part 2: Scheduling a Session #

Stop manually pasting links into groups. Centralize your schedule to ensure no student misses a class.

1. Enter the Course: Navigate to the specific Course Dashboard.
2. Go to Live Classes: Click the Live Classes tab in the top navigation bar.
3. Create Session: Click the Schedule Session (or “Create Meeting”) button.
4. Enter Details:
   • Title: Give it a clear name (e.g., “Week 1 Q&A” or “Design Review”).
   • Date & Time: Set the exact start time.
   • Platform: The video experience is embedded directly within VarsityScape. You do not need to connect an external Zoom account manually.

Important: Once you hit “Schedule,” the system prepares the session for the entire cohort. You do not need to manually invite students.

Part 3: Automatic Notifications #

You do not need to worry about “reminding” students. VarsityScape handles everything for you automatically.

How it works:

• Instant Alert: As soon as you schedule a session, it appears on the Dashboard and Calendar of every student enrolled in that Cohort.
• Starting Soon: When the class is about to begin, students receive an in-app notification (Bell Icon) alerting them that the session is live.

Part 4: Delivering the Class #

When it is time to teach:

1. Navigate to the Live Classes tab.
2. Locate the session under “Upcoming”.
3. Click Start Session (for Instructors) or Join (for Students).

The Video Experience:

• Embedded Player: The video conference launches directly within the VarsityScape app. They are not bounced out to a third-party app.
• Sharing Links: If a student is struggling or needs to join from a different device, you can click “Join Session” to open the room in a new browser tab. Simply copy the URL from the browser address bar and share it manually.

Part 5: Managing Past Sessions & Attendance #

Once a class ends, it automatically moves to the Past tab.

Tracking Participation: We track student activity to help you identify who is falling behind.

1. Go to the Students tab inside your course.
2. Check the “Last Active” column.
   • If a student’s “Last Active” timestamp is before your class started, they did not attend.

Handling Recordings: VarsityScape does not automatically save the replay of the embedded session to the course content (to save your storage limits).

Troubleshooting & FAQ #

• I don’t see the “Live Classes” tab.
  Go to Settings > Extensions and ensure the Live Classes module is toggled ON.
  
• Can I prevent a specific student from joining?
  Live Classes are open to the entire Cohort. To remove a student, you must remove them from the Cohort entirely via the Students tab.
  
• My student says they didn’t get a notification.
  Ask them to log in. The notification will always be visible on their Dashboard and Notification Bell. If they rely solely on email, remind them to check their Spam folder or log in directly.

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Related: Grading & Feedback: Tracking Student Progress