Instructor Guide

Before You Start

You need an API Key to use RaiseMyHand. Contact your admin to create one in the Admin Panel.

Creating a Session

Via Web Interface (Recommended)

1. Go to Instructor Login: https://yourschool.edu/instructor-login
2. Paste your API key
3. Click “Login”
4. Click “Create New Session”
5. Enter:
   • Title - Session name (e.g., “Physics 101 - Lecture 12”)
   • Password - (Optional) Leave blank for public sessions
6. Click “Create Session”

You’ll see your new session with two URLs:

• Student URL - Share this with students
• Instructor URL - Your personal dashboard

Understanding Your Dashboard

Your instructor dashboard shows:

Session Title
📊 3 questions  •  ⬆️ 12 votes  •  🟢 Active

Sections

All Questions Tab:

• Displays all approved questions
• Sorted by upvote count (highest first)
• Each question shows vote count and answer status

Flagged for Review Tab:

• Shows questions that contain profanity or need review
• Count appears in red badge
• All buttons are operational for review

Question Display:

• Q1, Q2, Q3… - Permanent question numbers for classroom reference
• ⬆️ count - Number of student upvotes
• [Mark as Answered] - Mark question as addressed
• [Write Answer] - Add detailed markdown response
• [Approve/Reject] - Review flagged questions
• [Hide] - Remove question from student view
• [Delete] - Permanently remove question

Sharing with Students

Option 1: QR Code (In-Person Classes)

1. Click “Show QR Code” on your dashboard
2. A large QR code appears with the student URL embedded
3. Display it on your projector/screen for 5+ minutes
4. Students scan with their phone camera
5. They’re instantly taken to the session

Tip: Leave the QR code visible throughout class so latecomers can join.

Option 2: Copy & Share URL

1. Click the Student URL to copy it
2. Share via:
   • Email to class list
   • Paste in Zoom/Teams/Slack chat
   • Post in Canvas/Blackboard/Moodle
   • Add to your course website

Option 3: Session Code Only

Students can:

1. Go to the home page
2. Enter your session code manually
3. Click “Join”

Monitoring Questions During Class

Best Practices

1. Keep dashboard open on laptop/tablet while teaching

2. Check every 5-10 minutes for new questions

3. Prioritize by votes - Address most upvoted questions first

4. Use question numbers - Say “I’ll answer Q3 now”

5. Mark as answered - Click checkmark when you address a question

6. Watch voting status - Toggle voting when needed (see below)

Question Status Icons

• ✅ Answered - You’ve addressed this question
• 📝 Answered with Details - You’ve written a detailed response
• ⚠️ Flagged - Contains profanity, needs your review
• 🔴 Rejected - Hidden from students

Managing Flagged Questions

When a student submits a question with profanity, it appears in the “Flagged for Review” tab.

How It Works

1. Student submits: “What the hell is the answer?”
2. System flags it for profanity detection
3. Appears in Flagged tab - visible to you, NOT visible to students
4. Shows as censored: “What the *** is the answer?”

Your Options

Click one of three buttons on the flagged question:

✓ Approve & Show

• Question becomes visible to students
• Shows as censored version: “What the *** is the answer?”
• Students see it immediately
• Use this if the question is legitimate despite profanity

✗ Reject & Hide

• Question remains hidden from students permanently
• Appears with strikethrough in your view
• Use this for inappropriate questions

🗑️ Delete

• Permanently removes question from system
• Doesn’t appear anywhere

All buttons remain operational - You can:

• Approve now, then reject later (button toggles)
• Change your mind and unflag a rejected question
• Delete at any time

Working with Profanity

RaiseMyHand automatically detects common profanity like:

• Profane adjectives (damn, crap, hell, etc.)
• Offensive terms
• Vulgar expressions

What Gets Flagged

These words trigger the filter:

• “damn”, “hell”, “crap”, “ass”, “bastard”, “pissed”, etc.
• More offensive terms

What Doesn’t Get Flagged

• Misspellings (e.g., “heck” instead of “hell”)
• Academic terms (e.g., “volatile” in chemistry)
• Casual language variations

Note: Capitalization doesn’t matter - “HELL” and “hell” both get flagged.

Managing Voting

You can toggle voting on/off during your session:

Toggle Voting Button

When Voting is ON:

• Students can upvote/downvote questions
• Question order changes as votes come in
• Use during question collection phase

When Voting is OFF:

• Students can’t upvote
• Question order freezes
• Question remains at current vote count
• Use when explaining a question so the order doesn’t change mid-answer

Best Strategy

1. Start class with voting ON
2. Ask “What should I address first?” - Students upvote priorities
3. Start answering Q1 - Click “Toggle Voting” to freeze order
4. Finish Q1 answer - Click “Toggle Voting” again to re-enable
5. Repeat for each question

Ending Your Session

Click “End Session” when finished:

• Students can no longer submit questions or vote
• All questions and votes are preserved
• You can restart the session if needed

After Ending

You can:

• View Statistics - See engagement metrics on the stats page
• Download Report - Export as JSON or CSV
• Restart Session - If you ended by accident, reactivate it

Downloading Session Data

Via Dashboard

1. Go to “My Sessions”
2. Find your session
3. Click “Download Report”
4. Choose format:
   • CSV - Open in Excel/Sheets for analysis
   • JSON - For programmatic use

CSV Format Includes

• Question number
• Full question text
• Upvote count
• Answered status
• Timestamps

JSON Format Includes

• Session metadata
• Engagement statistics
• All questions with full details
• Answer information

Use cases:

• Grade participation
• Document student learning
• Share results with other instructors
• Analyze teaching effectiveness

Administrative Controls

Session Password (Optional)

When creating a session, you can set a password. This:

• Requires students to enter password to access
• Works for all three joining methods (QR, URL, code)
• Prevents unauthorized access

Presentation Mode

Click “Presentation Mode” to:

• Display stats in full-screen
• Show on classroom projector
• Display vote counts and engagement metrics

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enter - Submit question or interaction
• Tab - Navigate between buttons
• Space - Toggle upvote on selected question

Troubleshooting

“API key not working”

• Double-check it was copied correctly
• Contact your admin to verify it’s active
• Try creating a new API key

“Students can’t see QR code”

• Check that QR code modal is not blocked
• Try sharing the Student URL directly instead
• Try in an incognito/private window

“Questions aren’t appearing in real-time”

• Check your WebSocket connection (F12 → Console)
• Verify students are online
• Try refreshing your dashboard
• Check browser network settings (may require firewall changes)

“Profane questions appearing to students”

• Questions are typically hidden within a few seconds
• Try refreshing your browser
• Check that “Flagged for Review” tab shows the count
• Contact your administrator

“Can’t download report”

• Try different format (CSV vs JSON)
• Check browser download settings
• Try clearing browser cache
• Try in a different browser

Tips for Success

1. Start Early - Create session 5 minutes before class starts

2. Test Student URL - Open in incognito window before class

3. Display QR Code Early - Put it up as students arrive so they can join

4. Monitor Actively - Check dashboard every 5-10 minutes

5. Address Popular Questions - Prioritize by vote count

6. Mark as Answered - This helps students see what’s been addressed

7. Give Clear Feedback - Write detailed answers when needed

8. Manage Timing - Toggle voting when needed to control question order

9. Save Data - Download report after important sessions

10. Communicate with Students - Tell them the session is ending so they know