Manage a Class

After creating your class and inviting initial members, ongoing class management helps ensure that your class has a great study experience. This guide covers managing class membership, settings, and activity.

Understanding Classes

What Are Classes?

Classes are temporary collaborations of BookFellows members to experience a study together:

• Study Collaboration: Study together with others for one specific study
• Shared Experience: Members work through the same study at the same pace
• Discussion: Facilitated group discussions and optional shared answers
• Temporary: Classes are for the duration of one study

Classes vs. Groups

Classes:

• Temporary collaboration for one study
• Duration of a single study
• Administered by class manager
• Members join for specific study
• Focus on shared study experience

Groups:

• Long-term persistent communities
• Provides member access to multiple studies
• Managed by group manager
• Members join and stay long-term
• Focus on long-term community and study access

Class Roles

Class Manager:

• Creates and manages the class
• Invites and removes members
• Assigns and edits member roles
• Facilitates discussions
• Maintains class settings

Class Member:

• Participates in the study
• Can see shared answers from other members
• Engages in class discussions
• Studies at the pace of the class

Class Leader:

• Has all functions of a regular class member (see above)
• Comnpletes the study and answer the questions just like any other class member
• Primarily responsible for leading discussions
• Helps support and encourage members as needed

Class manager and class leader are often the same person

It is not unusual, particularly for smaller classes, for the class manager and leader to be the same person.

Prerequisites

You need to be the manager of a class. That class will be available on the Classes page with a Manager badge indicating that you are the manager. If are not yet the manager of a class you could address that by selecting a study and then starting a class. Alternatively, you could become the manager of a class if someone transfers management to you.

Manage Class Members

Add, remove, and manage your class participants.

View Class Members

See all current and pending members:

1. Open the Members tab
2. See each member’s:
   • Name and profile
   • Role (Member or Leader)
   • Join date
   • Status (Active, Invited)

Invite Additional Members

Use the Invite Members button to invite others to join.

Quick steps:

• Click Invite Someone
• Enter first name, last name, email and select role
• Add a personal message (optional)
• Click Send Invitation
• The invitation is sent to the member where they can accept or decline it

Remove a Member

Remove someone from your class:

1. Find the member in the list
2. Click the options menu (⋮) on the right side of the member row and select Remove
3. Confirm the action

What happens:

• Member is removed from the class immediately
• They automatically transition to solo study
• All their progress and answers are preserved
• Member is notified by email that they have been removed from the class
• They continue studying independently
• They can no longer see shared answers from the class
• Class members no longer see their shared answers

Use cases:

• Member requests to leave
• Inactive or unresponsive members
• Inappropriate behavior
• Class size reduction needed

Members can leave on their own

Class members may leave on their own by moving to solo study. In this case, the class manager is notified and can invite them back if desired.

Track and Manage Pending Invitations

Track and manage outstanding invitations that are the result of inviting others to join.

Quick steps:

• View pending invitations in class management
• Delete invitations by selecting Delete from the options menu (⋮) on the right side of the invitation row

Sending a repeat invitation

You can re-invite a member by sending a new invitation. This may be needed if the invitation was deleted or expired or the recipient claims they did not receive it.

Identify Members Needing Support

Proactively support your members:

Watch for:

• Members who haven’t started
• Those falling significantly behind
• Reduced participation in sharing
• Absence from discussions

Reach out:

• Send encouraging messages
• Offer help or resources
• Check if they need to pause
• Provide grace and flexibility

Download PDFs for Class Members

As a class manager, you can download printable PDF versions of the study to distribute to class members who prefer traditional pen-and-paper study methods. This enables inclusivity—ensuring all members can participate, even those who don’t have access to BookFellows or prefer not to use the digital platform.

Download Study Workbook for Your Class

A Study Workbook contains all lessons in a single PDF document, perfect for printing and distributing to your class members:

1. Navigate to your class from the Classes page
2. Click on the study under the Study tab to open the study instance page
3. Click the action menu (three dots) in the study information panel
4. Select Download Study Workbook
5. Wait for the PDF to generate (you’ll see a progress indicator)
6. The PDF will download automatically when ready

Download Individual Lesson Worksheets

For specific lessons, you can download Lesson Worksheets:

1. From your class’s study instance page, navigate to the Lessons tab
2. Click on the lesson you want to download
3. Click the action menu (three dots) in the lesson information panel
4. Select Download Lesson Worksheet
5. Wait for the PDF to generate
6. The PDF will download automatically when ready

Distributing PDFs to Class Members

Once downloaded, you can distribute PDFs to your class members in various ways:

Print and Hand Out:

• Print PDFs for in-person class meetings
• Include in class packets or study materials
• Provide copies for members who request them

Digital Distribution:

• Email PDFs to class members
• Share via your class communication channel (email list, messaging app, etc.)
• Upload to a shared location for members to access
• Include in welcome materials for new members

Use Cases:

• Supporting members who prefer traditional pen-and-paper methods
• Accommodating members with limited technology access
• Providing backup materials for offline study
• Creating printed materials for in-person class sessions
• Ensuring everyone can participate, regardless of technology comfort level

Inclusive class participation

Providing PDF options ensures all class members can fully participate, regardless of their technology access or preferences. This is especially valuable for classes with diverse technical comfort levels or varying internet access.

Lead Your Class

Facilitate effective study and discussion.

Set Expectations

Communicate clear expectations to members:

Study pace:

• Cadence and duration of lessons
• Target completion and class meeting times
• Flexibility for life circumstances

Participation expectations:

• Attend discussion sessions
• Complete lessons beforehand
• Share answers (optional but encouraged)
• Engage in discussions

Communication:

• How to reach you
• Response time expectations
• Where discussions happen (Zoom, in-person, etc.)
• Updates and announcements channel

Lead Class Discussions

Schedule and facilitate discussion sessions as the leader of the class:

1. Set regular meeting times and places
2. Communicate schedule to class
3. Send reminders before sessions
4. Prepare by reviewing shared answers
5. Facilitate meaningful conversations

Encourage Answer Sharing as Appropriate

Foster community through answer sharing:

• Model by sharing your own answers
• Explain benefits of sharing
• Start with anonymous sharing if group is hesitant
• Acknowledge and thank those who share
• Use shared answers to enrich discussions
• Respect those who keep answers private

Maintain Momentum

Keep your class engaged throughout the study:

Regular check-ins:

• Send periodic encouragement
• Share insights or resources
• Acknowledge milestones
• Ask how members are doing

Address challenges:

• If pace is too fast or slow, adjust
• Handle conflicts or concerns promptly
• Provide grace for life circumstances
• Be flexible while maintaining structure

Celebrate progress:

• Mark lesson completions
• Acknowledge insights shared
• Celebrate finished studies
• Thank members for participation

Pause or Complete Class

Manage the life cycle of your class.

Pause Class Activity

If your class needs a break:

• Communicate pause to members
• Use the Settings tab to update the class status to On Hold
• Resume when ready

Complete the Class Study

When your class finishes:

1. Use the Settings tab to update the class status to Complete
   • Communicate completion to members
   • Hold final discussion session
   • Encourage members to mark studies complete
   • Consider starting a new study together

After completion:

• Members can still access their study
• Shared answers remain visible
• Class stays in your class list

Transfer Class Management

Hand off management to another member.

1. From the class landing page, select Transfer from the action menu (⋮)
2. Type in the exact email address of the member you want to transfer to and click Find Member
3. If the member is found, you will see a confirmation message and the option to Transfer Class
4. Click Transfer Class to confirm the transfer
5. New manager takes over all duties

When to transfer:

• Stepping down from leadership
• Someone else better suited
• Sharing responsibilities
• Temporary absence

Delete a Class

Permanently remove a class.

Before You Delete

Consider alternatives:

• Remove inactive members instead
• Transfer management to someone else
• Let class naturally conclude
• Archive rather than delete

When to Delete

Consider deleting when:

• Class didn’t work out
• Wrong study was selected
• Duplicate class created
• No members joined

How to Delete

1. From the class landing page, select Delete from the action menu (⋮)
2. Read the warning carefully
3. Confirm deletion
4. Class is removed immediately

What happens to members:

• All members automatically transition to solo study
• Everyone keeps their progress and answers
• Shared answers are no longer visible
• Members continue studying independently

What happens to you:

• You transition to solo study as well
• Your progress is preserved
• Class disappears from your class list
• Cannot be undone

Best Practices

For Ongoing Management

Stay organized:

• Check class dashboard regularly
• Track pending invitations
• Monitor member participation
• Keep class details updated

Be responsive:

• Reply to member questions promptly
• Address concerns quickly
• Acknowledge milestones
• Maintain regular communication

Be flexible:

• Adjust pace if needed
• Accommodate life circumstances
• Allow for breaks
• Don’t be rigid with expectations

Foster community:

• Encourage interaction
• Celebrate contributions
• Create safe space for sharing
• Build relationships beyond study

For Growing Classes

As classes grow:

• Consider co-leaders
• Divide into subgroups for discussion
• Use breakout rooms (video calls)
• Ensure everyone has opportunity to share

When to multiply into more classes:

• Discussion becomes unwieldy (>12-15 people)
• Not everyone can share in time allowed
• Start more classes for same study
• Arrange different meeting times or formats

Next Steps

Choose your path forward:

Participate in Personal Study Engage with the study yourself to understand the experience

Participate in Class Discussion Lead discussions and facilitate learning

Share Your Answers Model answer sharing and privacy settings

Invite Others to Join a Class Send invitations and manage initial class setup

Need help? Contact support at rich@bookfellows.net