2021-09-16 00:12:25 +02:00
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# Using Zulip for a class
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Welcome to Zulip! This pages offers some tips for [using Zulip for a
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class](/for/education). If this is your first time using Zulip, we
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recommend checking out [Getting started with
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Zulip](/help/getting-started-with-zulip) to get oriented.
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Zulip works great as the communication hub for your class, providing a
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single place for:
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* Posting announcements and lecture notes
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* Answering students’ questions
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* Collecting feedback from students
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* Coordination among teaching staff
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* Virtual office hours
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## Posting lecture notes and announcements
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!!! tip ""
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[Subscribe to email notifications](/help/stream-notifications) for
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streams such as **#announcements** to make sure you never miss an important message.
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Many classes use a dedicated stream to post general announcements, e.g.:
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* **\#announcements** > **office hours**: My office hours this week
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will be rescheduled from `Mon, Oct 11 2021, 1:00 PM` to `Thu, Oct 14 2021, 3:30 PM`.
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Share lecture notes and reading materials with [drag-and-drop file
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uploads](/help/share-and-upload-files), e.g.:
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* **\#Unit 3: Sorting algorithms** > **lecture notes**: Here are the notes
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from today’s lecture. [lecture notes 10/2.pdf]() You can view a recording of the lecture [here]().
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### Formatting tips
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2021-11-05 18:20:47 +01:00
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* You can [post a time](/help/format-your-message-using-markdown#global-times)
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2022-02-24 21:15:43 +01:00
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that everyone will see in their own time zone.
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2021-09-16 00:12:25 +02:00
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* Share URLs as [named links](/help/format-your-message-using-markdown#links).
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## Answering students’ questions
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In Zulip, streams determine who receives a message. Topics are
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light-weight subjects for individual conversations. You can more about
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streams and topics [here](/help/streams-and-topics).
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Zulip works best when each conversation has its own topic. When you
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have a question to ask, simply start a new topic! For example, one
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might see the following topics in a stream where a lecture and the
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corresponding assignment are being discussed:
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* problem 2a clarification
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* question about slide 7
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* code not compiling
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* LaTeX diagram help
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Zulip will show auto-complete suggestions for existing topics as you
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type, which helps surface relevant previous conversations. You can
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also use the search bar to check whether a question has already
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been addressed.
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You can [mention](/help/mention-a-user-or-group) the person who asked
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a question to make sure they see timely answers.
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### Resolving topics
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When a question has been answered, you can [mark a topic as
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resolved](/help/resolve-a-topic). This makes it easy for course
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staff to see which conversations still require their attention.
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## Coordination among teaching staff
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Use private streams to coordinate among course staff, e.g.:
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* **\#staff** > **homework 2 exercise 3b**: How many points should I
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take off for this? The assignment says clearly to use Python 3 syntax.
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```
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print result
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```
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## Virtual office hours
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Zulip works great for virtual office hours! With a dedicated thread
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for each question, it's easy to have several discussions at once.
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* Course staff can respond to multiple questions in parallel, making
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efficient use of their time.
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* Students can participate in real time, or learn by reading the
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conversations afterwards.
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## Related articles
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* [Getting started with Zulip](/help/getting-started-with-zulip)
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* [Setting up your organization](/help/getting-your-organization-started-with-zulip)
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* [Format messages using Markdown](/help/format-your-message-using-markdown)
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