Community spaces
Spaces where a class, a team or an interest group talks beyond a single course: topics, answers, likes and best answers. A space is open to the whole Entity or to members only, with moderators.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- Questions that are not about one lesson end up in WhatsApp groups you cannot see or moderate.
- New joiners have nowhere to ask the people who joined last year.
- An announcement to a club or a department gets lost among lesson questions.
How it works
- A Learn Author or Learn Manager opens Learn > Manage Courses > Learning > Classes and Community > Community Spaces and presses New. They give a name, what it is for, and the moderators.
- Choose Who Sees It: Everyone of the Entity, or Members Only with a list of members.
- Choose Who Starts Topics: Everyone Who Sees It, or Moderators Only for an announcements space where others answer.
- Learners open Community Spaces from My Learning in the player, or Community in the SmartMy Learn app, and post a topic or reply.
- People like posts, report a bad one and mark the best answer. A post reported by three people is hidden by itself; a moderator can hide or show it again with a reason.
Everything it does
A space
- Name, What It Is For, Made By, Moderators, Entity, and an archive switch
- Who Sees It: Everyone of the Entity (the default) or Members Only
- Who Starts Topics: Everyone Who Sees It (the default) or Moderators Only
- Members are chosen from users; the Members tab shows only for members-only spaces
- The list shows each space's topics and who sees it; drag to set the order
Posting
- A topic or an answer holds up to 5,000 characters of plain text
- The space page shows the latest 100 topics, each with its answers
- Like a post, report it, and mark the best answer (the person who asked, or a moderator)
- A post reported by 3 people is hidden at once; its author still sees it
- With points on, asking and answering give points and can need points first (Rights by Points)
Moderating
- Moderators are the space's Made By, its moderators and every Learn Manager
- Hide and Show Again are on the post in Learn > Manage Courses > Learning > Classes and Community > Discussions; hiding needs a reason
- Showing a post again clears its reports
Who uses it
LearnerReads the spaces open to them, starts topics, answers, likes, reports and marks the best answer to their own question.
ModeratorAccepts best answers for others and, with a back-office Learn role, hides and shows posts.
Learn AuthorMakes spaces and changes them; sees every post of every space.
Learn ManagerEverything an author does, and archives or deletes spaces.
Where you use it
- Web: the player at /learn > Community Spaces (staff, students and outside learners with a login)
- Web: Learn > Manage Courses > Learning > Classes and Community > Community Spaces and Discussions (authors and managers)
- The SmartMy Learn app: Community in the Menu, shown when spaces are installed. A space opens as its page (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not for learners to make: a learner cannot create a space; authors and managers make them
What you control
Settings
- Who Sees It: Everyone of the Entity to start with
- Who Starts Topics: Everyone Who Sees It to start with
- Rights by Points for asking and answering: 0 points to start with
Notifications
- New Answer: to the person who started the topic when someone answers, in the app inbox and by email
- No message goes out for a new topic in a space; members see it when they open the space
Questions
Can a space be private to one class or team?
Yes. Set Who Sees It to Members Only and add the members. Others in the Entity do not see it in the list or the app.Can only the principal or HR post announcements?
Yes. Set Who Starts Topics to Moderators Only. Moderators start topics and everyone who sees the space can reply.What happens to an abusive post?
Anyone can report it. At three reports it is hidden by itself. A moderator with a Learn role can hide it at once with a reason, or show it again.Can learners make their own spaces?
Not today. Learn Authors and Learn Managers make spaces. A points right named Create a Community Space exists in the settings but does nothing yet.Are spaces in the app?
Yes. Community in the SmartMy Learn app lists the spaces you can see and opens them. The app is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.Related features
TEACHING AND TRACKINGQuestions and answers under lessonsLearners ask a question right under the lesson it is about, and the teacher or other learners answer there. The best answer is marked, and posts reported by three people are hidden until a teacher looks.BOUGHT CONTENT AND COMMUNITYPoints, badges and leaderboardsLearners earn points for lessons, courses, quizzes and helping others. They collect badges by rules you set and see where they stand on the leaderboard.APP, MESSAGES AND POLICIESThe SmartMy Learn app, with lessons saved for offline and screenshots blockedLearners take their courses, lessons and live classes and keep their certificates on the phone; teachers see their learners and mark from it. PDFs and slides can be saved for offline, and screenshots are blocked during a lesson.ACROSS SMARTMY LEARNNotificationsLearners hear when a course is assigned, due soon, overdue or finished, when work is marked and when a certificate is issued. Teachers hear about work to mark, questions and join requests. Every Learn message goes by email and to the in-app inbox.
See your first course on it.
Tell us who learns (students, staff or both), how many people and what you teach today. We will set up one course with you and enrol a class or a department.