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Why are my students showing as ‘Offline’ in Hāpara Highlights? Follow

Lisa Oosthuizen
  • Updated

This article helps teachers troubleshoot why a student appears Offline in Hāpara Highlights, even when the student is using their device.

Who this is for

Teachers and school IT administrators

Summary

A student usually appears Offline when Hāpara cannot detect an active, managed Chrome session for that student.

This can happen when:

  • The student is not signed into Chrome with their school Google account
  • Chrome Sync is off or not syncing extension data
  • The Hāpara Highlights extension is missing, outdated, or not connecting
  • The student is in the wrong Google Admin Organizational Unit
  • The student is using an unsupported browser, app, kiosk mode, or lockdown browser
  • The student is outside the configured school network
  • Google Admin policies are blocking extension sync, cookies, or authentication

Steps to Follow

Step 1: Confirm The Student Is Online And Using Chrome

Ask the student to confirm that:

  1. Their device is connected to the internet.
  2. They are using Google Chrome.
  3. They are signed into the Chromebook or device with their school Google account.
  4. They are signed into Chrome with the same school Google account.

Students may appear Offline if they are using another browser, a personal Google account, another student’s account, or an account not recognized by Hāpara.

Step 2: Check That Chrome Sync Is On

Chrome Sync must be on for Hāpara policies, extension settings, and connection data to work correctly.

Ask the student to:

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Click their profile picture in the top-right corner.
  3. Confirm that it says Sync is on.
    Screenshot 2024-11-15 at 2.05.01 PM.png

If sync is off or paused:

  1. Turn Sync on.
  2. Close and reopen Chrome.
  3. Confirm the student is signed in with their school account.
  4. Check Hāpara Highlights again.
     

Step 3: Refresh The Hāpara Highlights Extension

Ask the student to reconnect the extension manually.

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Look for the Hāpara Highlights extension icon in the top-right corner.
  3. If it is not visible, click the Extensions puzzle-piece icon.
  4. Click the Hāpara Highlights extension icon.

Selecting the extension icon attempts to reconnect the student device to Hāpara.

If the icon is greyed out, ask the student to click it anyway. This may still refresh the connection.

Step 4: Restart Chrome And The Device

If the student still appears Offline:

  1. Close Chrome completely.
  2. Reopen Chrome.
  3. Confirm the student is signed into their school account.
  4. Confirm Sync is on.
  5. Restart the student device.
  6. Check Hāpara Highlights again.

A restart often applies pending Chrome, ChromeOS, extension, or policy updates.

Step 5: Check Whether The Extension Is Installed

If the Hāpara Highlights extension icon is missing, the extension may not be installed or may not be applying correctly.

Ask the student to:

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Go to chrome://extensions.
  3. Look for Hāpara Highlights Extension.

If the extension is missing, contact your school IT administrator. The extension may need to be force-installed through the Google Admin Console.

If Sync was off, ask the student to:

  1. Turn Sync on
  2. Restart Chrome
  3. Reopen Chrome with their school account
  4. Check Hāpara Highlights again

Step 6: Test Whether The Issue Follows The Student Or The Device

If the issue continues, ask the student to sign into another device where Hāpara Highlights normally works.

  • If the student appears online on the second device, the issue is likely with the original device.
  • If the student still appears offline, the issue is likely with the student’s account, Chrome Sync, extension policy, or Google Admin configuration.

Step 7: Check For Recently Changed Classes Or Rosters

If the student was recently added to a class, moved between groups, changed schools, or added through a sync, there may be a delay before they appear correctly in Highlights.

If the student is enrolled correctly but still appears Offline, contact your school IT administrator.

For IT Administrators: Check Google Admin Settings

If multiple students are affected, or if the extension is missing, outdated, or showing “This is not a recognized account,” check Google Admin settings.

  1. Open admin.google.com as a Google Super Admin.
  2. Go to Devices > Chrome > Apps and Extensions.
  3. Select Users and browsers.
  4. Select the affected student Organizational Unit.
  5. Find the Hāpara Highlights extension ID:
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  6. Confirm the extension is force-installed.
  7. Confirm the affected students are in the correct student Organizational Unit.
  8. Confirm Chrome Sync is not disabled for extensions.
  9. Save any changes.
  10. Ask affected students to restart their devices and click the Hāpara Highlights extension icon again.

If The Student Is Outside The School Network

Some schools restrict Highlights visibility to approved school network IP addresses.

If the student appears Outside school network or offline:

  1. Confirm the student is connected to the expected school network.
  2. Check whether the school uses a secondary ISP or alternate WAN IP.
  3. Contact Hāpara Support if a new or missing WAN IP needs to be added to the Highlights configuration.

If Students May Be Bypassing Hāpara

Students may appear offline or unavailable if they are using unsupported apps, standalone browsers, extension workarounds, or methods that interfere with the Hāpara Highlights extension.

Ask your Google Admin to review settings for:

  • Blocking students from ending extension processes in Chrome Task Manager
  • Restricting Developer Tools
  • Blocking unauthorized apps and extensions
  • Preventing unmanaged browsers or unsupported apps where possible
  • Applying Hāpara’s recommended loophole-prevention settings

Note About Kiosk Mode And Lockdown Browsers

Students may appear Offline when using Kiosk Mode or lockdown browsers such as Respondus in Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle. These tools can restrict normal browser activity during exams.

When To Contact Your IT Administrator

Contact your school IT administrator if:

  • The Hāpara Highlights extension icon is missing
  • The student is signed in correctly, but still appears Offline
  • The extension says, “This is not a recognized account”
  • Several students or a whole class appear offline
  • The student was recently moved to a new class, group, or OU
  • You suspect a Google Admin policy, extension deployment, or network setting needs to be checked

What To Include When Escalating

To help your IT administrator or Hāpara Support investigate, include:

  • Student name
  • Student school email address
  • Teacher email address
  • Class name
  • Device type
  • Approximate date and time of the issue
  • Whether Chrome Sync is on
  • Whether the Hāpara Highlights extension icon is visible
  • Whether the issue affects one student, several students, or the whole class
  • A screenshot of the student tile showing Offline
  • Any message shown when clicking the Hāpara Highlights extension icon

 

Additional Tips

  • If only one student appears offline, it is usually an account, Chrome Sync, Wi-Fi, or extension issue.
  • If many students appear offline, it may be a roster, extension deployment, network, or school-wide configuration issue.
  • Teachers can complete the first checks, but extension installation and Google Admin checks usually require IT support.
  • Screenshots would be useful for:
    • Chrome profile menu showing the signed-in account
    • Chrome Sync settings
    • Hāpara Highlights extension icon under the puzzle-piece menu
    • An Offline student tile in Highlights

 

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