Outschool provides a dedicated classroom for each class, where learners and teachers can interact and engage throughout the class.
How the classroom works
Each class section has a classroom where teachers, learners, and parents can engage through announcements and discussions.
Classroom access and communication after a class ends depend on the class format:
Self-paced classes: Learners can access class content for up to 12 months after teacher support ends. Once teacher support ends, learners can no longer message the teacher about class assignments, although parents can still contact the teacher with general questions. Learn more.
Other class formats: There is no set limit on classroom access. The ability to send messages expires 30 days after the section ends, and the ability to review shared class recordings expires after 90 days.
For classes that include structured lesson content, teachers organize class materials within lessons to help learners navigate their coursework.
Using announcements in the classroom
The Welcome Post is created automatically for each learner enrollment, along with other announcements such as live meeting or attendance details. Teachers can add a welcome video to the Welcome Post that learners see when they enroll. The video can be uploaded from the Class Details tab or during listing creation and will appear alongside the message in the classroom. Class recordings are shared separately from announcements and discussions in the classroom.
From the Classroom tab, you can create and manage announcements to share updates and start discussions:
Publish an announcement immediately or schedule it for a future date
Copy a previous post from another section by selecting Copy existing announcement
Filter by section date to select a post and edit it before publishing in the current section
The classroom is public to all enrolled learners, so announcements and comments should be relevant to the entire class. Use direct messaging for private communication.
Note: Self-paced classes do not use the Announcements feature. To communicate with learners, use classroom messaging from the Learner tab.
Sending notifications in classroom discussions
Both teachers and learners can send notifications to each other during classroom discussions. There are two ways to mention a learner:
Reply to a Comment: Click the Reply button on a classroom comment. The learner you reply to will automatically be @ mentioned.
Type the @ Symbol: In your comment, type the @ symbol. A list of learners' names will appear for you to select.
When you @ mention a learner, his/her family will receive an email notification.
Creating a class syllabus
Some classes use a syllabus to organize lesson titles, descriptions, and units that outline the topics covered.
Once published, new sections will use that syllabus version once the first learner enrolls. Any edits will create a new version for future sections, ensuring that your syllabus changes do not affect in-progress sections.
Note: Self-paced classes organize content through lessons and content blocks instead of a separate syllabus.
Creating posts and assignments
Posts and assignments are available only for fixed-length classes with a syllabus; each post or assignment can also include an optional description and one featured video.
You can manage posts and assignments at different levels:
Class level: Use the Posts tab on the class page
Section level: Use the Post Management tab within a specific section
When creating lesson posts, make sure each lesson has the correct meeting day and time associated with it. If the times are not accurately linked, learners will be unable to join the class using the Join Live Meeting button.
Adding file and video attachments
You can attach files and upload videos to announcements, posts, assignments, and messages. For teachers, the maximum size for video attachments is 1 GB and the maximum file size for other attachments is 10 MB. The file size limit for learners is 100 MB.