Setting up a LIVE CHAT

2 min 39 sec

A Live Chat is an online conversation in real-time with your instructor and the other students in your class, during which students can take turns speaking and asking the instructor questions that may not have been answered by the course material. 

Live chats are a good way to build a relationship and communicate with students.

CREATE A LIVE CHAT

Live chats have their own section.  Instructors can select the “Live Chats” link in the class header menu.  They can add, edit, and manage their live chats for that class on this page.  

Before a Live Chat can be set up in a class the "Live Chat Feature" must first be authorized in the "class home window." 

The icon for that feature will be displayed on the CLASS HOME PAGE. See the image below. The Live Chat icon has a red arrow to the icon on the page. Getting this feature set up on the class is explained at the bottom of this segment.

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Step 1

To create a new chat you need to navigate to the "Class Home" page. See image below, the class is circled and the arrow points to "LIVE CHAT".

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Step 2

The next window the modules in the course, each module has a Button titled "ADD LIVE CHAT".

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Step 3

The "Add Live Chat"  window (below) has six data fields.

These fields will be explained under the image below.

Elements of ADD LIVE CHAT WINDOW 

Live Chat Name:

The instructor will need to provide a name for the live chat. The name can be used to set the theme of the live chat.

Date / Time:

The date and time of live chats are in US Central Time.

The course software will convert that time to the timezone where a student lives. 

So the student view of the live chat will display two times for the chat, one will reflect the US Central Time Zone and the second will reflects the student time zone.

If students cannot take advantage of a live chat, they can always listen to the recording of the chat at a later date.

Select Module

Live Chat URL:

When a live chat is scheduled students will be supplied with a URL address to log into the live chat. 

Recorded Chat URL:

Live chats can be recorded. These recordings will be posted in the module forum the day after the chat. Students can then go to the forum and listen to the chat when they have time.

The recording of the live chat will be handled by the administrator and not the instructor.

Live Chat Description:

Instructors have the option of dictating what topics are to be discussed in the Live Chat" . That information will be detailed in this text box.

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Live Chats Listed on CLASS TAB

Before a live chat is displayed in the TAB section (see the sample image below) the live chat feature must first be setup in MANAGE CLASS MODULE window.

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MANAGE CLASS MODULES WINDOW

The script on MANAGE CLASS MODULES reads:

Although the course material in each module remains the same, some fields can be set independently for each class that's created. These fields determine the functionality of the student sidebar.

Start Date/End Date (interactive only) - Students in self-study classes will have access to all the modules immediately, but interactive class modules cannot be accessed until the start date.

Videos/Chats - This controls whether a link to the Live Chat and video uploading sections should appear in the sidebar for that module.

Posts - The number of required discussion forum posts a student should make in order to receive credit for that module.