LearnDesk Live Classes enables you to run classes that occur on a fixed basis. For example, a summer camp that happens on fixed dates or a boot camp that you are organizing as per a fixed schedule. Fixed schedule classes are a great way to also organize seminars, talks, tutorials, speaker events, or summits that happen once, on a set schedule.
Terminology
- Event: An event is a part of the fixed schedule for your class. One or multiple events combine together to form the fixed schedule class that is booked by your students.
- Events dialog box: An events dialog box shows up whenever you add or edit events for a particular day in your Schedule.
Setting up Fixed Events
Once you have completed the basic information of the class, added the pricing, and submitted the class for approval, it's time for you to set up the fixed events for the live class.
Events in LearnDesk include location, date, time, and additional fields that are combined together to enable students to book a fixed event class.
To know if your class supports the fixed events schedule, check the helper label below the class name in the class editor, as shown below:
To set up/edit the events for a class that you have already created, navigate to the list of Live Classes for your School, click on the class that you want to edit, and then click on the "Events" tab.
Location
As a first step towards setting up your fixed events, you need to set the location of the events of the class. The location can be any one or a combination of the following options:
- Phone: If you will be teaching over a phone call/conference call, input the phone number and additional dial-in information at which the students should call you at the time of the event.
- Address: If you will be teaching at a physical location, input the address for the location where the students should come to attend the event. For example, the address of your teaching facility.
- URL: If you will be teaching using online meetings software like Zoom or Webex or GoToMeeting, you can input the URL of your meeting.
Location is a required field.
Schedule
The schedule is the fundamental part of a live class. In the schedule of a fixed schedule live class, you select the dates and times on which the events of the class would occur. Each event occurs only once for a fixed schedule of a live class.
The schedule for a fixed schedule live class is set by adding events on your calendar, as shown below:
Event Title
To get started with adding an event, click on the day when the recurring event should start. In the resulting events dialog, input the event title.
Event Details
Next, enter the details associated with the event, as shown below:
Start Time, End Time, and Teacher
Next, input the start and end times and select the teacher.
Delete
To delete one of the entries, use the trash option, as shown below:
Re-order
You can re-order the entries by clicking on the drag handle for the respective entry and moving it up or down. Re-ordering the events changes the order in which they are displayed in this dialog, the sales page, and the checkout page of the class.
Color
You can add a color for the event, which will help to differentiate between multiple classes, as shown below:
Multiple events will appear, as shown below:
Adding Additional Events
To add additional events for a particular day click on the "Add an event" button in the events dialog, as shown below:
Apply
Once you have set the event title, event details, start time, end time, and teacher for all the events, it's time for you to apply the event schedule to your calendar. To do so, click on the "Apply" button in the dialog box, as shown below:
View all Events for a Day
If you have set up more than 2 events per day, you can access the additional events for that particular day by clicking on the label "+n interval". When you do so, you will get a dialog box similar to the one shown below, which will list all the events for that particular day. Click on any of the events to continue editing their fixed schedule.
Time Interval Conflicts
If your school has multiple teachers who are going to teach at the same time, you can add their events to the calendar which does not cause "Time Interval Conflict", as shown below:
If the Check Conflicts option is enabled, an attempt to add a new event at the time of a day when an event is already defined for the same teacher will display an error message "This time interval has a conflict. Click here to view the conflicts", as shown below:
When you click the link "Click here", a new information window will appear and it will display the list of classes that have time interval conflicts, as shown below:
Time Zone
You can change the time zone for all the events in your schedule. To change the time zone, click on the "Edit" icon located next to the time zone, as shown below. From the resulting drop-down, select the new time zone.
Class Signups
You have two options to decide how to allow students to sign up for a live class of a fixed type schedule, as shown below:
Notice Period
Next, you will set the notice period that can be required before the live class can be booked. For example, let's say, you have set your boot camp to start on October 15th, at 9 am, and the notice period is set to 2 days. With this setting, your students will now be book the boot camp until October 13th at 9 am.
You can set the notice period in minutes, hours, or days, as shown below. The minimum value for the notice period is 5 minutes and the maximum value possible is 30 days.
The notice period is not a required field.
Maximum Students
To effectively manage your live class, and provide a meaningful experience to your students, you can limit the maximum number of students who can book the class.
You can set the maximum number of students for the class by inputting a number in the "Maximum Students" input box, as shown below:
Limits for maximum students
Maximum values that you can input in this field are related to the Location set for the events of the live class. Following are the maximum values as per the location:
- Phone: 100
- Address: 100
- URL: 100
Check Conflicts
To manage your time conflicts, make sure the box is checked to avoid clashes with other live classes for a particular teacher, as shown below:
Email Notifications
LearnDesk's Live Class Notifications feature enables teachers to send email messages to their students and provide them with information about the class. Event notifications are a powerful tool that enables teachers to engage students. Amongst other uses, event notifications help increase class attendance, help students come better prepared for the class, and get students to perform follow-up actions after the end of the last event of the class. Notifications include a variety of messages such as messages that can be sent out when students book a class or messages that are sent out before the start of the class.
Teachers can set up the following notifications for fixed event classes:
- Confirmation Email: Message sent when a student buys the class.
- Cancellation Email: A message is sent if the class is canceled by the teacher or the student.
- Reminder Emails: One or more messages that are sent either before the start of the class or before the start of each event of the class.
- Follow-up Email: Message sent after the end of the last event of the class.
Confirmation Email
The confirmation email sends out a system-generated email confirmation to students once they book the class. The email lists the time and location of the class. The time of class is listed as per the student's time zone. The location of the class is listed as per the location set by the teacher under the Location section. This includes the phone number, address information, or the URL to be used for the web meeting. If the teacher selects the "LearnDesk web conference" option, then LearnDesk automatically generates a web conference URL for the students and includes it in the confirmation email.
The confirmation email is set up using the "Confirmation Email" checkbox, as shown below:
Cancellation Email
The cancellation email sends out a system-generated email to students and the teacher.
The cancellation email is sent in the following scenarios:
- If the student cancels their booking for the class. This means that the student removed themselves from the class.
- If the teacher cancels the booking of a student. This means that the student has been removed from the class.
- If the teacher cancels one of the events of the fixed event schedule. The cancellation email is sent to each of the students in the class.
The cancellation email is set up using the "Cancellation Email" checkbox, as shown below:
Reminder Emails
The reminder emails are sent out before the start of the events of the class and help increase class attendance and engagement. You can ensure that your students come better prepared for the class by including the class agenda, reading materials, class rules, class requirements, and other such materials. This will help you get started with teaching right away during the live class.
The reminder notification is set up using the "Reminder Email" checkbox and by entering information after clicking the "Manage" button, as shown below:
You can use a customized subject line and email body for the reminder notification, as shown below. The body of the email supports rich-formatting options.
The reminder notifications automatically include the time and location of the class. You can further customize the email and include additional information with the use of email template variables. To view the list of available variables, click on the "Variables" button, located next to each of the subject and body labels.
Clicking on the variables button should bring up the variables dialog, as shown below. Click on any of the variables to add them to the subject or body.
You can restore the default subject and body for the reminder email by clicking on the "Restore default" button, located next to each of the subject and body labels.
You can set the reminders to be sent up to 3 times before the start of the class. You can configure the time at which the reminder emails are sent before the start of the class under the "Timing" section, as shown below:
You can set the time period in minutes, hours, or days. For example, you can set the reminder notification to be sent out 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 3 days before the start of the class.
Reminders can be set up to be sent from 0 minutes to 25 days before the start of the class.
Follow-up Email
The follow-up email is sent out after the end of the last event of the class and helps increase student engagement and actions. You can use the follow-up email to let the students know about your class offerings, sign up for an advanced class, or provide feedback on the class they have attended. This will help you to build a relationship with the students once the class has ended.
The follow-up notification is set up using the "Followup Email" checkbox and by entering information after clicking the "Manage" button, as shown below:
You can use a customized subject line and email body for the follow-up notification, as shown below. The body of the email supports rich-formatting options.
You can further customize the email and include additional information with the use of email template variables. To view the list of available variables, click on the "Variables" button, located next to each of the subject and body labels.
Clicking on the variables button should bring up the variables dialog, as shown below. Click on any of the variables to add them to the subject or body.
You can restore the default subject and body for the follow-up email by clicking on the "Restore default" button, located next to each of the subject and body labels.
You can configure the time at which the follow-up email is sent after the end of the class under the "Timing" section, as shown below:
You can set the time period in minutes, hours, or days. For example, you can set the follow-up email to be sent out 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 3 days after the end of the class.
Follow-up emails can be set up to be sent from 0 minutes to 25 days after the end of the class.
Check out the Email Template Variables help document to learn how to add the name and email address of the student in the notification emails.
SMS Notifications
LearnDesk's Live Class SMS Notifications feature enables teachers to send SMS to their students and provide them with information about the class. Event notifications are a powerful tool that enables teachers to engage students. Amongst other uses, event notifications help increase class attendance, help students come better prepared for the class, and get students to perform follow-up actions after the end of the last event of the class. Notifications include a variety of messages such as messages that can be sent out when students book a class or messages that are sent out before the start of the class.
Teachers can set up the following notifications for fixed event classes:
- Confirmation SMS: Message sent when a student buys the class.
- Cancellation SMS: Message sent if the class is canceled by the teacher or the student.
- Reminder SMS: One or more messages that are sent either before the start of the class or before the start of each event of the class.
- Follow-up SMS: Message sent after the end of the last event of the class.
Confirmation SMS
The confirmation SMS sends out a system-generated SMS confirmation to students once they book the class. The SMS lists the time and location of the class. The time of class is listed as per the student's time zone. The location of the class is listed as per the location set by the teacher under the Location section. This includes the phone number, address information, or the URL to be used for the web meeting.
The confirmation SMS is set up using the "Confirmation SMS" checkbox, as shown below:
Cancellation SMS
The cancellation SMS sends out a system-generated SMS to students and the teacher.
The cancellation SMS is sent in the following scenarios:
- If the student cancels their booking for the class. This means that the student removed themselves from the class.
- If the teacher cancels the booking of a student. This means that the student has been removed from the class.
- If the teacher cancels one of the events of the fixed event schedule. The cancellation SMS is sent to each of the students in the class.
The cancellation SMS is set up using the "Cancellation SMS" checkbox, as shown below:
Reminder SMS
The reminder SMS is sent out before the start of the events of the class and helps increase class attendance and engagement. You can ensure that your students come better prepared for the class by including the class agenda, reading materials, class rules, class requirements, and other such materials. This will help you get started with teaching right away during the live class.
The reminder notification is set up using the "Reminder SMS" checkbox and by entering information after clicking the "Manage" button, as shown below:
You can use a customized SMS body for the reminder notification, as shown below. The body of the SMS supports rich-formatting options.
The reminder notifications automatically include the time and location of the class. To view the list of available variables, click on the "Variables" button, located next to the body label, as shown below:
Clicking on the variables button should bring up the variables dialog, as shown below. Click on any of the variables to add them to the subject or body.
You can restore the default body for the reminder SMS by clicking on the "Restore default" button, located next to the body label.
You can set the reminders to be sent up to 3 times before the start of the class. You can configure the time at which the reminder SMS are sent before the start of the class under the "Timing" section, as shown below:
You can set the time period in minutes, hours, or days. For example, you can set the reminder notification to be sent out 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 3 days before the start of the class.
Reminders can be set up to be sent from 0 minutes to 25 days before the start of the class.
Follow-up SMS
The follow-up SMS is sent out after the end of the last event of the class and helps increase student engagement and actions. You can use the follow-up SMS to let the students know about your class offerings, sign up for an advanced class, or provide feedback on the class they have attended. This will help you to build a relationship with the students once the class has ended.
The follow-up notification is set up using the "Followup SMS" checkbox and by entering information after clicking the "Manage" button, as shown below:
You can use a customized SMS body for the follow-up notification, as shown below. The body of the SMS supports rich-formatting options.
To view the list of available variables, click on the "Variables" button, located next to each of the subject and body labels.
Clicking on the variables button should bring up the variables dialog, as shown below. Click on any of the variables to add them to the body.
You can restore the default for the follow-up SMS by clicking on the "Restore default" button, located next to the body label.
You can configure the time at which the follow-up SMS is sent after the end of the class under the "Timing" section, as shown below:
You have the option to set the time period in minutes, hours, or days. For example, you can set the follow-up SMS to be sent out 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 3 days after the end of the class.
Follow-up SMS can be set up to be sent from 0 minutes to 25 days after the end of the class.
Save
You should continue to save the events set up frequently, as you keep making changes. You should continue to save the events set up frequently, as you keep making changes. The "Save" button is on the bottom right of the screen. You can also save using the keyboard combination CTRL+S on Windows and ⌘+S on Mac, as shown below:
You will also be notified by email of any changes that you have saved, as shown below:
Publish
Once, you have set the location, schedule, notice period, maximum number of students, and notifications, and saved the setup, you are ready to publish the events to the sales page of your class. Click on the "Publish" button located on the bottom right of the screen to post the events to the sales page.
You can publish the events to the sales page only after the class has been approved.
Following is how the events schedule will look on the sales page of the live class.
Updates to Schedule
If as part of your changes to the events of the class, you have updated the location or the schedule, then the resulting updates are automatically reflected on the student's and teachers' schedules. This will also result in the availability of the events of the fixed schedule getting reset to the default. An automatic email notification will be sent out to the students and the teacher providing them with the updates made to the class.