Chat System
Two-way communication between students and instructors
Public Beta — This feature is functional but use at your own risk. We welcome your feedback!
The Chat System enables real-time two-way communication between students and instructors. Students can ask questions directly from their dashboard, and instructors receive notifications and can respond in real-time.
Enabling Chat
1
Navigate to Settings
Go to Session > Settings in the sidebar.
2
Enable Chat
Find the "Enable chat" toggle in the Communication section and turn it on.
3
Access Chat
Once enabled, "Chat" will appear in the main navigation menu.
Features
Two-Way Communication
— Students can send questions from their dashboard, instructors can respond in real-time.
Urgent Reports
— Students can flag critical issues that need immediate attention. These appear with a red indicator.
Browser Notifications
— Receive desktop notifications when new messages arrive (requires browser permission).
Unanswered Counter
— Dashboard badge shows the count of unanswered student questions.
Managing Messages
From the Chat page, you can:
- Broadcast messages — Send announcements to all students at once
- Individual conversations — Chat privately with specific students
- View urgent reports — See all flagged issues requiring attention
- Mark as answered — Clear questions from the unanswered queue
Red Reports Page
The Red Reports page provides a centralized view of messages requiring attention:
Urgent Reports
— Messages flagged as urgent by students appear at the top with red highlighting.
Unanswered Questions
— All pending student questions with timestamps showing how long they've been waiting.
Student Experience
When chat is enabled, students will see:
- A chat section on their dashboard where they can type questions
- Two options: "Send Question" for general inquiries or "Report Issue" for urgent problems
- Real-time message updates when instructors respond
- Browser notifications for new messages (if permitted)
Best Practices
- Monitor regularly — Check the unanswered counter on your dashboard frequently
- Prioritize urgent reports — Address red-flagged issues first as they may indicate blocking problems
- Use broadcasts wisely — For announcements that apply to everyone, use the broadcast feature
- Enable notifications — Allow browser notifications to stay responsive to student questions
Chat is available for both competition and training sessions when enabled in settings.