Using Ubindi for online classes

Using Ubindi for online classes

Ubindi works especially well for online classes (whether on Zoom or pretty much any other video meeting software you already use). To create an online class, instead of setting a physical address, you simply use a meeting link. 

How to create an online class

  1. On your schedule dashboard, click the big green "+" button to add create a new class
  2. After adding the usual preliminary class details (class title, date, time) you'll see "step 2" where you set the location for your class. Select 'add new online location'. Give your online location a name (e.g. "Zoom Room", "Online Studio", etc), and then enter your class video link. For Zoom, please read our "how to set up zoom" help article before creating your first online class.
  3. Now add the name of a large city near you (something most people will recognize), along with your country (this is used to determine the timezone of your class, it's very important!).
  4. Finish the class creation process as usual.
For any future class you create, you can re-use this same online location (you'll find it in your menu of locations). Alternatively, if your other online classes should have a different link, you can simply add a new online location for those. You can also edit or delete locations once you've created them, in case you make a mistake (see "editing or deleting locations").

Registrations for online classes

Once you've created your class, you can email your students to encourage them to register, or just share a link to your schedule. Your students can then register for the class in advance. When they do, they receive an email notification with instructions for how to join your online class like so (it's easy, they just need to click the button in the email!): 


 

15 minutes before class time, your registered students will get another email, letting them know that class is about to start and how they can join the class. At that time, the class on your schedule changes state so people can start actually entering your virtual classroom. For registered students, your schedule will look like this:




Please note that people don't receive the direct link to your online class for security reasons (this way they can't re-use the link for other classes and they can't share the link all over the internet). It also ensures that Ubindi can track attendance properly.

Attendance for online classes

Good news: Ubindi takes attendance automatically when a student joins your class from the "Join Class Now" button on your schedule. If you have set up passes or memberships that apply to your class, a class credit will have automatically been deducted from the pass when the student registered.

Nothing for you to do except teach!

Here's a run-down of what other essential tools you might need for your teaching business (besides Zoom)...