Classes & Analytics
TeachFORGE.ai
Classes & Analytics / How a student joins
How a student joins and proves it is them
What a learner actually experiences, and what to tell them beforehand.
The link recognises them. The password proves it.
The first time
A learner opens their link and sees Opening your lesson…. Then one of three things happens: they are asked to set a password, asked to enter one they already have, or taken straight through.
Setting one reads Set your password, with the reason: you will use it every time you open your link on a new device, and at the start of each activity. The rules are shown as they type — at least 8 characters, choose something that is not your student ID, and a warning if it is too easy to guess.
The link is removed from the address bar once they are through, so a screenshot or a shared screen does not give it away.
Every time after
Enter your password — So we know it's you, with their handle. A wrong attempt says so and counts down the tries left; too many says to try again at a stated time.
The important detail is when it is asked. The cookie from the link is recognition, not proof, so starting an identified activity asks for the password again if it has been more than a few minutes. That is what makes an attributed record trustworthy.
Continuing without saving
A learner can always decline. Continue without saving asks them to confirm — Your work won't be saved to your name. Continue anyway? — and then lets them work anonymously.
This escape hatch is deliberate and it is a rule of the platform: a student is never required to identify themselves in order to learn. Their work still counts in the class totals; it simply is not attributed.
The messages they may see
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| This link has expired | Create a new link for that learner. |
| This link has been revoked | The same — somebody stopped it. |
| This link has already been used | It was a one-use link. Issue a new one. |
| This link is incomplete | It was truncated in transit. Re-send it, ideally not through something that wraps long URLs. |
| Could not start your session | Cookies are blocked, or a private window. Try again in a normal window. |
| Your teacher needs to link you | They are in the class but not connected yet. Link them, then they press Try again. |
After a password reset they see that their teacher reset it, the activity has ended, and they should open the new link to set a new one.
Never a list of the class
A learner is never shown a roster to find themselves in. They type their own handle, and the platform matches it. That is deliberate: a class list on screen is a list of everyone, shown to anyone who opens a link.