Getting started

Set up a class and student labels

Create your class and give each student a generated nickname, such as Fox or Owl, instead of entering names.

4 min readWritten guideUpdated

What you will finish

Your class will have the right number of student labels and be ready for an assignment.

Before you start

  • Sign in to your teacher account.
  • Know the group's level, program, and number of students. You do not need a list of student names.

Screenshots use a fictional practice class. Your labels and AI suggestions may differ. Select a screenshot to enlarge it. Close it with the X in the top-right corner or press Escape.

Open the dashboard

Click Open your dashboard below. This is the page where Refine lists your classes, which it calls groups.

Click New Group on the left. If you have no groups yet, you can click Create Group instead. A box called Create New Group opens.

Open your dashboard

Enter the class details

In Group Name, enter a class label such as Practice class. You can leave Description empty.

Choose the class’s Level and Program from the two lists. For this practice example, select Secondary 2 and ESL. Click Create Group.

Use these details to practise
Group Name: Practice class Level: Secondary 2 Program: ESL
Enter the class details, then click Create Group.

Choose a theme for the student labels

Select Practice class in the list on the left, then click Students near the top of the class page.

Under Set up your class labels, click a theme such as Animals. Refine will generate labels from that theme. You do not need to type any names.

Generate the labels

Under How many students?, replace the number with 3 for practice. For a real class, enter the number of students, from 1 to 40.

Click Generate class labels. Wait for the list to appear, then count the labels to check that you have the number you expected.

Choose a theme and enter the number of labels you need.

Check the class before adding work

Check the class name, level, program, and student labels. When you add writing later, select the correct label first.

Keep existing labels stable. Changing the theme and relabelling students can make your private list incorrect. Do not reset labels just to change the appearance of the page.

Create your first assignment

Check your result

  • The class has the intended level and program.
  • The Students tab shows the right number of generated labels.
  • Your private list connecting labels to real students is kept outside Refine.

If something looks different

Generate class labels is unavailable.

Select a theme and enter a whole number from 1 to 40. Wait if generation is already running.

The themes did not load.

If the page reports that class-label themes could not be loaded, refresh the page and try again. Do not substitute real student names for unavailable labels.

I already see a list of students instead of the setup screen.

This class already has labels. Use those labels rather than trying to generate the class again. Check the class name if you expected an empty practice class.

A useful habit

Use a separate fictional practice class while learning the workflow.

Remove identifying information from student writing as well as from any group descriptions or feedback.

Your next step

Create an assignment for your class

Choose a class, enter the writing instructions, and check the marking grid before adding student work.

Continue to the next guide
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