RaiseMyHand Documentation
Welcome to the RaiseMyHand documentation hub. Find guides for every role and use case.
Quick Navigation
Getting Started
I’m new to RaiseMyHand - where do I start? → Getting Started Guide
For Users
I’m a student - how do I participate? → Student Guide
I’m an instructor - how do I run a session? → Instructor Guide
I’m an admin - how do I manage the system? → Admin Guide
For Developers & IT
I want to deploy RaiseMyHand → Deployment Guide
I need the API reference → API Documentation
I’m having technical problems → Troubleshooting Guide
Information
What features are available? → Features Overview
Where do I get screenshots? → Screenshots & Visual Guide
Documentation Overview
Getting Started
- GETTING_STARTED.md - Complete walkthrough for first-time setup and basic usage
User Guides
- STUDENT_GUIDE.md - How to join sessions, submit questions, vote, and see answers
- INSTRUCTOR_GUIDE.md - How to create sessions, moderate content, manage questions, and download reports
- ADMIN_GUIDE.md - How to manage API keys, configure system, and monitor usage
Technical Guides
- DEPLOYMENT.md - How to deploy to production with Docker, Nginx, and SSL
- API.md - Complete REST API reference for programmatic access
- TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Solutions for common problems and errors
Reference
- FEATURES.md - Current features and capabilities
- SCREENSHOTS.md - Recommended screenshots and visual documentation
What is RaiseMyHand?
RaiseMyHand is a real-time classroom question management system that lets:
- Students submit questions anonymously and vote on what matters most
- Instructors monitor, moderate, and respond to questions in real-time
- Admins manage users and system configuration
Perfect for lectures, labs, seminars, and online classes.
Key features:
- Anonymous question submission
- Real-time upvoting
- Content moderation with profanity detection
- QR code for easy student access
- Session statistics and reporting
- WebSocket for instant updates
Getting Started
For Students
- Ask your instructor for a session URL or QR code
- Scan the QR code or click the link
- Submit your question anonymously
- Upvote questions you want answered
- See instructor responses in real-time
See Student Guide for details.
For Instructors
- Get an API key from your admin
- Create a session
- Share the QR code or URL with students
- Monitor questions in real-time
- Moderate flagged content
- Download session reports
See Instructor Guide for details.
For Admins
- Deploy the application
- Create API keys for instructors
- Monitor system health
- Configure settings
See Deployment Guide and Admin Guide.
Common Tasks
Student Tasks
Instructor Tasks
- Create a session
- Share with students
- Monitor questions
- Moderate flagged content
- Download reports
- End a session
Admin Tasks
Troubleshooting
Having issues? Check the Troubleshooting Guide for:
- Application won’t start
- Network issues (WebSocket connection failed)
- Authentication problems
- Content moderation issues
- Display and performance problems
- Mobile compatibility
API & Integration
For developers:
- API Reference - All endpoints with examples
- WebSocket Documentation - Real-time communication
- Code Examples - Python, Bash, JavaScript samples
Features
Current capabilities:
- Anonymous question submission
- Real-time voting system
- Content moderation (profanity detection)
- Three-state moderation (Approved/Flagged/Rejected)
- Written instructor responses (markdown)
- QR code generation
- Presentation mode for classroom projection
- Session statistics and metrics
- CSV & JSON data export
- Rate limiting and security
- Mobile-responsive design
- WebSocket for instant updates
See Features Overview for complete list.
Deployment Options
Option 1: Docker (Recommended)
Quick setup on any server:
docker compose up -d
Option 2: Production with Nginx + SSL
Full production setup:
- HTTPS/SSL encryption
- Nginx reverse proxy
- PostgreSQL database
- Automatic certificate renewal
See Deployment Guide - Nginx Setup
Configuration
Essential settings in .env:
BASE_URL=https://questions.yourschool.edu
ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword123!
TIMEZONE=America/New_York
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///./data/raisemyhand.db
See Deployment Guide for all options.
Screenshots & Visuals
Need visual documentation? See Screenshots Guide for:
- What screenshots to take
- Where to place them
- How to organize them
- Recommended resolutions and formats
Support
Documentation issues?
- Check relevant guide for your role
- See Troubleshooting guide for common problems
- Review API documentation for technical questions
Found a bug?
- Open a GitHub issue with details
- Include error message and reproduction steps
- Attach relevant logs or screenshots
Have a feature request?
- Open a GitHub issue with “enhancement” label
- Describe the use case
- Include why it would help
Document Structure
docs/
├── README.md # This file - documentation hub
├── FEATURES.md # Current capabilities
├── STUDENT_GUIDE.md # For students
├── INSTRUCTOR_GUIDE.md # For instructors
├── ADMIN_GUIDE.md # For administrators
├── DEPLOYMENT.md # Production deployment
├── TROUBLESHOOTING.md # Common problems & solutions
├── API.md # REST API reference
├── SCREENSHOTS.md # Visual documentation guide
├── setup/ # Legacy setup guides
├── deployment/ # Legacy deployment guides
└── archive/ # Historical documentation
Last Updated
This documentation was updated for the current version of RaiseMyHand. Always check the repository for the latest version.
Quick Links
- 🏠 Main README
- 🌐 GitHub Repository
- 🐛 Issue Tracker
- 📚 API Docs Swagger UI - Available at
/docson your instance
Built for education with ❤️
For questions about this documentation, please refer to the appropriate guide or open an issue on GitHub.