Highlights Chat: Administrator FAQ Follow
In this article:
- Is Highlights chat included in my current subscription?
- Do my teachers have access to Highlights Chat?
- Who is allowed to chat?
- How long is chat history available?
- Can teachers chat with offline students?
- Why aren't my teachers seeing the chat option?
- When can teachers chat with students?
Question
Is Hāpara Highlights Chat included in my current subscription?
Answer
There is no additional charge to Highlights Chat, and it is included in your Hāpara classroom management subscription.
Question
Do my teachers have access to Highlights Chat?
Answer
Highlights Chat is OFF by default but can be enabled by you, the Hāpara administrator, from within your Hāpara Admin Console. It can be enabled at the district or individual school level.
To enable, go to app.hapara.com/admin > Settings > Highlights (Screens)
Question
Who is allowed to chat?
Answer
Highlights Chat is only available teacher to student and student to teacher. Students will NOT be able to chat with each other. Teachers will NOT be able to chat with each other.
Those with a Leadership Role who are members of the td.users Google Group will NOT be able to chat with students. If their role requires them to work with multiple classes, they will need to be added as a co-teacher for each class for which they wish to use Chat. They may add themself as a co-teacher on the Class Info tab for each class if that setting is enabled in your Hāpara Admin Console.
Please note that those members of the td.users Google Group will continue to be able to send one-way messages to students using the Announce button on the Highlights tab for all classes to which they have access.
Question
How long is Chat history available?
Answer
Teachers have access to their Chat history for 15 days. After that time, they will not be able to review the Chat interactions they have had with the student. An administrator can submit a formal audit request to Hāpara, and we will provide a history of any chats that have taken place for up to one year after the chat occurred.
Question
Can teachers chat with offline students?
Answer
It is not possible for a teacher to chat with an offline student. Highlights Chat requires the student to be signed in to their Chrome browser with their school-issued Google account. Students must be online in order for the Highlights extension to be active, which in turn, allows a teacher to chat with the student.
Question
Why aren't my teachers seeing the Chat option?
Answer
1. Highlights Chat is turned OFF by default and may not have been enabled by the Hāpara administrator from within the Hāpara Admin Console.
2. Verify the Highlights extension has been updated in the Google Admin Console. See the Highlights extension URL update article for detailed instructions.
3. Students' version of the Highlights extension must be higher than 5.0.62.
To verify the version from a student's device, click on the puzzle piece in the upper right corner of the Chrome browser and Manage Extensions.
If the version is lower than 5.0.62, please restart the student's device.
4. The student is not properly authenticated to their Google Chrome profile. Make sure they are signed in with their school-issued Google account and that Sync is ON.
Question
When and where can teachers chat with students?
Answer
Chat time and location restrictions are the same as Hāpara Highlights and are set by the Hāpara administrator. Teachers can turn on Chat from the bottom left corner of their Highlights screen or leave it off, depending on when it’s helpful for instruction and learning.