Manage a Released Study

After releasing your study to groups, you can monitor how it’s being used, manage group access, and view shared answers from participants. This guide covers all the essential activities for managing your released studies.

Prerequisites

You must have released a study first.

Manage Your Released Studies

Access Released Studies

1. Go to the Releases page
2. You’ll see all your released studies
3. Find your study in the Releases list
4. Click the study card to open it
5. You’ll see the study management interface with multiple tabs

Available Tabs

Lessons Tab:

• View all lessons in your study
• Drill into specific questions
• See answers shared with you by participants
• Read participants’ insights and reflections

Attachments Tab:

• View study-level and lesson-level attachments
• See files you included with your study
• Access supporting materials

Classes Tab:

• See all classes based on your study
• View class details and participants
• Open specific classes to see more information
• Monitor how groups are using your study
• You can start a new class from here

Solo Studies Tab:

• See all solo studies based on your study
• View which members are studying independently
• Track solo study engagement
• You can start a new solo study from here

Analysis Tab:

• View usage analytics (future feature)
• Track engagement metrics (future feature)
• See completion rates (future feature)
• Monitor study impact (future feature)

Update Release Tab:

• Modify which groups have access
• Add or remove groups from the release
• Update release scope

Download PDFs for Distribution

As a study creator, you can download printable PDF versions of your study to distribute to participants who prefer traditional pen-and-paper study methods. This enables inclusivity—allowing people to participate in your study even if they don’t have access to BookFellows or prefer not to use the digital platform.

Download Study Workbook

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

1. Open your released study from the Releases page
2. Click the action menu (three dots) in the study information panel
3. Select Download Study Workbook
4. Wait for the PDF to generate (you’ll see a progress indicator)
5. The PDF will download automatically when ready

The workbook includes:

• A table of contents showing all lessons
• Complete lesson content with all questions
• Answer boxes for writing responses
• Study and lesson images (if available)
• All lesson headings and descriptions

Download Individual Lesson Worksheets

For individual lessons, you can download Lesson Worksheets that contain just that lesson:

1. Open your released study and 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

Once downloaded, you can distribute PDFs in various ways:

Print and Hand Out:

• Print PDFs on standard A4 paper
• Hand out physical copies at in-person gatherings
• Include in study packets or materials

Digital Distribution:

• Email PDFs to participants
• Share via file sharing services
• Upload to your group’s website or learning platform
• Include in welcome packets for new participants

Use Cases:

• Including participants who prefer traditional methods
• Supporting members without reliable internet access
• Providing backup materials for offline study
• Creating study materials for group meetings
• Accommodating participants who cannot or prefer not to use digital tools

Inclusivity through flexibility

Offering PDF downloads ensures no one is left out of your study. Some participants may prefer pen and paper, have limited technology access, or simply enjoy the tactile experience of writing by hand. PDFs allow everyone to participate in the way that works best for them.

Monitor Study Usage

Track how members are engaging with your released study.

View Shared Answers

See answers that participants have chosen to share with you:

1. Open the Lessons tab
2. Click a lesson to view its questions and headings
3. Click a question to view it
4. Open the Shared Answers tab
5. See the answers shared with you by participants

What you’ll see:

• Answers participants chose to share with you
• Attribution (name) or anonymous answers
• Insights from different participants
• Various perspectives on your questions

Important:

• Participants control what they share
• Default is no sharing
• Some may share anonymously
• You only see what participants explicitly allow

Use cases for viewing answers:

• Learn how your study is being experienced
• Gain insights from diverse perspectives
• Improve future editions of your study
• Understand what resonates with participants
• See unexpected interpretations

View Attachments

See the attachments that are associated with your study:

1. Open the Attachments tab
2. You’ll see a list of all attachments released with your study.
3. Lessons may also have attachments associated with them.

View Classes Using Your Study

1. Click the Classes tab
2. You’ll see a list of all classes including:
   • Class name
   • Class status
   • Number of participants
   • Class manager
   • Creation date

What you can do:

• Click a class card to view more details
• See who is teaching or facilitating
• Understand how your study is being used in groups
• Get a sense of your study’s reach
• Start a new class from here by clicking the “Start Class” button

A great way for study creators to manage their own classes

As the study creator, you can start a new class directly from here without having to navigate to the Library. This can be particularly useful when you, as the study creator, are also organising classes within your group (a church, book club, small group, etc.). for a study you have created.

View Solo Studies

See who is studying your content independently:

1. Click the Solo Studies tab
2. You’ll see a list of all solo studies including:
   • Member name (or anonymous indicator)
   • Study start date

What you can do:

• Understand how your study is being used independently
• Get a sense of your study’s reach
• Start a new solo study for yourself from here by clicking the Start Solo Study button

Starting a solo study for the study creator

This is a bit of a special case for the study creator. You may want to create a solo study for yourself to see what it is like for participants to experience your creation.

Update Release Scope

Control which groups have access to your study using a simple checkbox interface.

To update which groups can access your study:

1. Open your released study
2. Click the Update Release tab (or select Update Release from the action menu (⋮)
3. In the Add or Remove Groups section:
   • Check boxes next to groups you want to include
   • Uncheck boxes next to groups you want to remove
4. Click Update Release to Include Selected Groups

What happens when you update:

• Checked groups: Study appears in their Library; members can discover and use it
• Unchecked groups: Study is removed from their Library; new members cannot start it
• Existing classes and solo studies continue - participants are never disrupted
• Changes take effect immediately

Active participant protection

When someone starts your study—whether solo or in a class—BookFellows gives them an immutable copy. Removing a group from the release scope only prevents new participants from discovering your study in that group; existing participants are never affected.

Revert to Draft Status

Move a released study back to draft status to make changes.

When You Can Revert

You can only revert a study if:

• No classes have been created based on it
• No solo studies have been started
• Study is currently released
• You are the study creator

You cannot revert if:

• Any member has started using it (solo or in class)
• Classes exist based on the study
• Solo studies exist

How to Revert

If your study has no active users:

1. Open your released study
2. Click the Update Release tab (or select Update Release from the action menu ⋮
3. Click the Revert to Draft button
4. Confirm the action

What happens:

• Study moves from the Releases page to Drafts page
• Removed from all group Libraries
• You can edit freely again
• Study is private to you only
• No members can access it

If you cannot revert: You’ll see a message explaining that active users exist. In this case, consider cloning the study to create a new edition instead.

Clone Study for New Edition

Create a copy of your released study to make a new edition.

Why Clone Instead of Edit

When members are actively using your study, you cannot edit the released version. Cloning allows you to:

• Create an improved version
• Fix errors or add content
• Maintain the original for your management and tracking
• Release a new edition when ready

How to Clone

1. Open your released study
2. Select Clone Study from the action menu ⋮
3. Confirm the cloning

What happens:

• Complete copy created and available on your Drafts page
• Original released study unchanged
• New draft has same lessons, questions, headings
• Images and attachments copied
• You can edit the clone freely
• Release the new edition when ready

Recommended workflow:

1. Clone your released study
2. Edit the cloned study (fix issues, add content, improve)
3. Update edition number
4. Update the title, if needed
5. Release the new version
6. Optionally, update the release of the old version from groups (after transition period)

Transfer Study Management

Hand off management to another member.

1. From the study 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 Study
4. Click Transfer Study to confirm the transfer
5. New owner takes over all management duties

When to transfer:

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

Delete a Released Study

Permanently remove a study from BookFellows.

Important Protections

You can delete a study, but:

• Existing classes continue (they have immutable copies)
• Solo studies continue (participants keep their immutable copies)
• Your deletion doesn’t disrupt active participants
• Study is removed from group Libraries
• No new users can discover it

This means:

• Deletion prevents new users from finding it
• Current users complete their studies unaffected

How to Delete

1. From the study landing page, select Delete from the action menu ⋮
2. Read the confirmation message carefully
3. Type the study name to confirm
4. Confirm deletion
5. Study is removed immediately

What happens immediately:

• Study removed from your Releases page
• Cannot be discovered by other members in their libraries

What doesn’t happen:

• Active classes continue normally
• Solo studies continue normally
• Participants keep their own immutable copies of the study
• Shared answers remain accessible to participants

Use cases:

• Study has errors you cannot fix
• No longer want it in circulation
• Replaced by better version
• Study is outdated or no longer relevant

Consider alternatives before deleting:

• Clone and release new edition instead of deleting
• Remove from some groups rather than all
• Transfer to someone who will maintain it

View Study Analytics 🚀

Monitor engagement and usage metrics for your study.

Future Analytics Features

The Analytics tab will provide:

• Engagement metrics: How many people are studying
• Completion rates: How many finish the study
• Progress tracking: Where people are in the study
• Answer sharing rates: How many share insights
• Popular lessons: Which lessons get most engagement
• Time metrics: How long people take per lesson

These insights will help you:

• Understand your study’s impact
• Identify areas that resonate
• See where participants struggle
• Inform future editions
• Measure reach and effectiveness

Best Practices

Monitor Regularly

Check your released studies periodically:

• Weekly during initial release
• Monthly for ongoing studies
• When you receive notifications
• Before creating new editions

What to look for:

• New classes starting
• Shared answers appearing
• Usage patterns
• Questions that generate discussion

Respond to Shared Answers

When participants share with you:

• Read their insights thoughtfully
• Consider their perspectives
• Note common themes
• Learn from their interpretations
• Use feedback for improvements

Don’t:

• Feel obligated to respond individually
• Worry if few people share (it’s optional)
• Take critical perspectives personally
• Use insights without permission in other contexts

Manage Group Access Thoughtfully

When adding groups:

• Ensure study is appropriate for the audience
• Verify study is complete and tested
• Consider group size and engagement
• Announce to group leaders when releasing

When removing groups:

• Communicate with group managers if possible
• Give notice before removing (if appropriate)
• Remember: active participants continue unaffected
• Consider releasing updated version first

Plan for Editions

Use cloning for iterative improvement:

• Incorporate feedback and insights
• Fix any errors discovered
• Add new questions or content
• Update edition number
• Release new version alongside or replacing old

Version control approach:

• Edition 1.0: Initial release
• Edition 1.1: Minor fixes and improvements
• Edition 2.0: Major revisions or additions

Maintain Multiple Studies

If you have several released studies:

• Create a monitoring schedule
• Prioritize active or new studies
• Use consistent edition numbering
• Keep notes on planned improvements
• Consider which studies need attention

Next Steps

Release a Study Learn how to release a draft study to groups

Start a Class Create a class using your released study

Start a Solo Study Create a solo study using your released study

Need help? Contact support at rich@bookfellows.net