Using Scribblar

Scribblar is the web-based program used for real-time tutoring sessions and drop-in chat times. Please take a few minutes to review the information below to help prepare you for your session.

1. Hour long appointments should be scheduled in advance. You can call the Tutoring Center at 215-968-8044, submit a request online, or schedule your own appointment from our website: http://www.bucks.edu/academics/tutoring/schedule/.

2. We are holding one-on-one real-time sessions only at this time. During chat hours, students can drop in to the Online Writing or Math Tutoring Centers from the Student Portal. Select “Tutoring Center” from “Student Support and Services” to find the link.

3. Scribblar is a whiteboard tool with a chat window and an audio option. To use the audio, right click on the microphone icon on the top right to set up the audio options before beginning to broadcast your speech.

4. Students are able to use the tool to upload a paper directly to the white board. The whiteboard tools are then used to review the document with the student.

5. Students also have the ability to save the whiteboard images and chat transcript.

Logging In and Entering a room for an Appointment:

1. You will receive an email to your Bucks student email address containing information and a link to log in to the online tutoring room. If you do not wish to use this email address, it is essential that you provide an alternative when scheduling your appointment. Please also provide the phone number where you can be reached at the time of the appointment.

2. Please make sure you have Flash installed on your device. Note that Scribblar does not work on many mobile devices, such as iPads, as they are not equipped with Flash.

3. After clicking on the link, you will need to enter your name, and click “Sign In.” 4. This will bring you into the room where the tutor should be ready to start your session. 1. Room Options - The drop down arrow brings you to a menu where you can invite a student into the room; however, this does not work properly with Bucks emails. You must use the template email in section III.

2. The Arrow Icon – This icon within the white board tools brings the user back to the primary state of the white board, allowing the opportunity to click items on the board without remaining in the last tool selected.

3. The Microphone Icon – This icon allows the user to set up audio preferences and equipment.

4. The Whiteboard Tools - This collection of tools is available to both participants and moderators and includes the highlighter, text box, and pencil tools.

5. The Upload and Download Icons – These buttons allow users the opportunity to upload files (i.e. documents and photos), which can then be automatically placed on the white board for discussion (the first 35 pages only). The other participant may use the download icon to see additional pages of a longer file, or download the full document. The files should be removed from the “Assets” tab at the end of the session by selecting the file and hitting the red X icon to delete the files.

6. The Chat Window – This is the area where participants and moderators can have written discussion.

7. Chat Options – By selecting this drop down arrow, moderators and participants are able to save the contents of the chat window. The chat should be cleared at the end of the session by selecting “Clear Chat Transcript” from the drop-down menu at the bottom right of the chat window.

8. Scroll Options – By using the arrows, moderators and participants are able to scroll between additional pages of the white board when available.

9. The Moderator Tool bar – This collection of tools is only available to the moderator. (Moderator status is automatically granted to students by the tutor so that students can make full use of the tools.)

10. Clear Whiteboard Icons – These two icons allow users to clear one page or all pages of the whiteboard. The full whiteboard should be cleared at the end of the session using the page buttons at the top of the screen with the red X on them. 11. Screenshot – This icon allows all users to select a portion of the screen to appear on the white board, OR it allows all participants to save the whiteboard after a session. Note this only saves one page at a time.

12. Assets Tab – This area is where students or tutors can upload documents, presentations, or images to the whiteboard. By selecting the green and white plus button, students will be brought to their file directory. Uploading a Paper to the Assets Tab:

1. Select the “Assets” tab to the right of “Participants.”

2. Select the icon with the green circle with the white plus on it to select a file for upload.

3. An upload dialog box will appear, and participants can select a file from their computers to place onto the whiteboard or to be available for download. Please note the document must be saved as a .doc, not a .docx. Troubleshooting note: If students are struggling to change the file type, they should go to “File” and selecting “Save As.” From there, they can change the file type.

Up to the first 35 pages of a document will automatically be placed on the whiteboard. (Each page receives its own screen on the board.) The tutor and student may then review the document using the whiteboard tools, chat window, and/or audio. Use the arrows on the bottom left of the screen to scroll between pages.

If the document is longer than 35 pages, after the student uploads the document, the tutor will need to select the download icon from the “assets” tab, and follow the prompts to complete the download. The tutor will be prompted to save or open the file. If saved, the tutor will need to find the document from the location selected and open it. Once the document is open, review it with the student using the chat window and/or audio. Saving/Deleting the Chat Transcript and Whiteboard:

1. In order to save the white board, participants must select the camera icon to take a screen shot of each page. Doing so will open the image on a new tab and create a .png file in the “Assets” tab. From those files, participants can save the images to their computers by downloading each image from the “Assets” tab. Tutors will need to download these files as well for documentation purposes. 2.To save the chat window, copy and paste the entire text of the Chat window into a Word document. Tutors must save the transcript if the chat was used, and email the file to Lauren with the file name FirstnameLastnameDate.doc. Once that is complete, select the drop-down box on the bottom right of the screen and select “Clear Chat.”

3. To Delete the whiteboard pages, select the 12th icon on the top left of the white board. It looks like papers with a red x in the corner. This icon will delete all pages of the whiteboard. Next, click on the assets tab, and select each file uploaded then the red X icon to delete the file.

To set up the Audio Functions:

1. Right click on the microphone icon on the top right of the window and select “settings.”

2. Follow the prompts to select your microphone and speakers. 3. If the audio setting does not work or develops technical difficulties, you may ask for the tutor to call you and communicate over the phone while still using the whiteboard and chat as needed.

Canceling a Session when the Center is Closed:

1. Add steps and screen shots for canceling a session from TutorTrac guide

2. If this does not work, please email your cancellation to [email protected], as this will be the place the tutor logs in to send you the online invitation.