Setting up
After registering an account, you will get to the overview page. On here it is easy to start with creating a course. In the menu 'Create a Course' as shown below, you can fill in the desired name, click create and you will get into the setup menu.
With Canvas integration
If your institution has set up TA-Help.me within Canvas, it is possible to directly integrate it from Canvas. To start of, TA-Help.me needs to be enabled in your Canvas course. First, navigate to your Canvas course and go to the page Settings. Under the Navigation tab you can see that TA-Help.me is currently disabled for you course. You can enable it by clicking ‘+ Enable’ under the options. After doing so a new button will be visible in your course navigation. By clicking on this button, you will get into the setup process. Detailed information about how to enable a Navigation Link can be found in the Canvas documentation.
When an instructor opens TA-Help.me they will find a setup wizard to configure their course. In these short steps you will be guided through the different customizations of a course on TA-Help.me. During the setup it is always possible to go back a step in case you need to change anything, and all settings are also changeable after setup. If you cannot find the setup wizard, go to the overview page and click on 'Setup Course' as shown below.
Using different lists it is possible to distinguish questions within your rooms. For example, there might be teaching staff without knowledge on a specific subject. In that case it is possible to create multiple lists that students can queue in, making it more clear what type of question they have. In your course settings it is always possible to add, edit or remove lists. In the example below the list settings can be seen. To add a new list, simply type the name under 'Add List' and click the green '+' button. To remove this list afterwards, click the red 'X' next to it. Be sure to hit 'Save' after you are done with your changes.
Each list can also be configured with some advanced settings. You can get to this menu by clicking 'Advanced Settings' next to a list. In the image below there are 3 main configurable options shown for a list, they are all explained further below.
Requiring a question
By selecting 'Require question' students will be asked to type out a question when entering this list. In the example below you can see how this looks on the students side. In the queue, the teaching staff will then be able to see the question and anticipate on the answer before accepting. This also helps students formulate their question before asking for help.
Share questions
By using the 'Share questions' option in combination with requiring questions, the questions asked by all students will be visible when adding themselves to a list. In the figure below you can see a previously asked question, and are able to select 'Ask this'.
Subcategories
By adding subcategories as shown in the example above, the student is able to select which category their question is about. This is helpful if for example questions are often divided between sections or exercises. It is possible to make as many subcategories as you want, and also as far down as you want. A tip: always add a category 'Other' in case none fits correctly.
Multiple entries
When using categories it might be preferable for students to be able to add themselves to the list, with multiple categories. By enabling 'Multiple Entries', they are allowed to add themselves to the lists multiple times as shown below.
Examples
Examples of the different types of options can be found on the preview page.
After setup it is still possible to change you settings. To do so, go to the overview page and find your course in the list. Then click on Open as shown in the picture below. On here you can find the same settings as you have seen before in the setup.
Using Rooms
To create a room, click on the 'Create Room' button next to the course you wish to create one for.
After selecting the course, you can give your room a name. If you are planning on creating multiple rooms it is necessary to make it descriptive enough so students know which room to join. Lastly you can select the lists that you want to use in the room. By default all the lists created in the course settings will show up. You can remove any or all of these lists by clicking the red 'X' (to undo, you can refresh your page). Another option is to add a one-time simple list to the room. You can do so by filling in a name under 'Add List' and pressing the Green '+' next to it. This list will be in your room after creation but will not be part of any of the default course lists.
Joining through the overview
When you are added to a course it is possible to quickly join through the overview page. To do so, simply find the course and corresponding room and click on 'Open' next to the room.
Joining through room code
In an open room you can see the a room code in the top left banner. This code can be shared with others in order to join the room.
If you are logged in, it is possible to enter the room code in the top right menu as shown below and click 'Go'.
If you are not logged in, visit the home page and click on 'Login'. Afterwards click 'Student Login' and fill in the room code as shown below.
Students who have joined the room will have very limited options. Their main functionality is to add themselves to a list as shown in the image below.
Clicking this button will add the student to the queue, awaiting to be helped. The teaching staff has the option to accept the entry using the green checkmark button as shown below. This will alert the student that they will be helped, both on the website as well as with a browser notification. It is also possible to remove the entry without alerting the student.
The image below is an example of what a student will see when their entry was accepted. They will have the choice to click 'Nevermind' to alert the teaching staff they no longer require help. By default the student will be asked to raise their hand. This is an indication for the teaching staff to see which student they accepted and to go over there and help the student.
After accepting an entry you will see a table of recently accepted entries from the different queues. It is also possible to send a reminder to a student in case they may have missed the alert. Unfortunately it can still happen that students completely close the application and will still not see the notification.
When you are in a room there are several actions you can execute, these allow you to streamline your session even more. Using the 'Room' button in the top navigation bar, you can access these actions.
Projector Mode
If you are in a physical classroom with access to a projector or large screen it is possible to use the projector mode. When you open up this page it will show an alert whenever it is someone's turn. It will also show the current queue(s) and those that have been recently helped. This can help visibility when not everyone is looking at their own screen.
Announcements
When creating an announcements everyone in the room will see this above the lists. This can be an easy way to share information with the people currently in the room. You can also delete or hide the announcement later on.
Manage Lists
While the room is open it is still possible to add, open, close and remove lists. When a list is closed, it is no longer possible for students to add themselves to the list, but the current queue remains. This is helpful when the session if almost over and the teaching staff want to answer only the remaining questions.
Close Room
When closing a room, everyone currently in the room will receive a message that this session is over. After being closed all queues are cleared. A brief history what happened in the room will then be visible in your course settings under the tab 'History'.