Real-time collaboration

How several people work in the same course at once, who you see while they do it, and how to follow someone as they move around.

Can two people edit the same course at the same time?

Yes. Several people can work in the same course at once in the course builder, and you see each other as you go. Everyone in the course gets an avatar and their own colour, any block someone is working in is held by them and tinted in their colour, and a typing indicator shows when someone is writing in a block before their text appears.

This is about people building a course together in your workspace. Sharing a published course with learners, and duplicating a course into another workspace, are separate things.

How do I get someone into the course?

Anyone who is a creator in your workspace can open and edit its courses. Creators can create, share and view insights on all the courses in your workspace.

To invite one:

1. Click Invite creators at the top of your dashboard, or open Settings and select Members.
2. Enter one or more email addresses, separating them with a comma or pressing Enter after each one.
3. Click Send invite.

Each person gets an email invitation and can create an account to access your workspace. Once they are in, they can open any course in it and you will see each other while you work.

Where do I see who else is in the course?

Collaborator avatars appear in five places:

• Dashboard course cards. You can see who is in a course before you open it.
• The builder header. Everyone currently in the course, in the top right.
• The course overview. Everyone currently in the course.
• Individual screen cards. Who is on which screen.
• The block someone is editing. Their avatar sits on the block they are actively working in.

Three avatars show at a glance. When more than three people are in the course, the rest are counted in a +N chip next to the stack.

What do the colours mean?

Each collaborator is assigned their own colour when they join. That colour is carried through their avatar, their cursor, and the tint on any block they are holding, so you can tell at a glance who is working where without opening anything. Cursors are labelled with the person's name as well, so you can tell people apart while they move around the same screen.

Can I edit a block someone else is working in?

No. While someone is working in a block, that block is held by them. It is tinted in their colour and carries their avatar, and you cannot edit it until they move off it. As soon as they do, the block is free and you can pick it up.

Blocks are held one person at a time, so you can both work on the same screen as long as you are in different blocks. One of you can write the heading while the other edits the text underneath it.

How do I follow someone?

Click a collaborator's avatar to follow them. Your view then tracks theirs as they move around the course, including when they move between screens, switch to the mobile view, step through a process block, or open Preview.

While you are following, the builder is outlined in that person's colour and a bar at the bottom of the screen shows who you are following.

Following is useful when you are reviewing work with someone on a call, or when a subject matter expert is walking you through the part of a course they wrote.

How do I stop following someone?

Click Stop on the Following bar at the bottom of the screen. The outline disappears and your view stays where it is, so you carry on from wherever the person you were following left you.

What happens when someone stops working?

After ten minutes without activity, a collaborator is treated as idle and their avatar fades. They stay visible, so you know they still have the course open, without the course looking busier than it is.

Frequently asked questions

How many collaborators can I see at once?

Three avatars show at a glance, with a +N chip covering everyone else in the course.

Why has someone's avatar faded?

They have been idle for ten minutes. The faded state means they still have the course open but are not actively working in it.

Can I tell what someone is typing before they finish?

You see a typing indicator on the block they are writing in, so you know a change is coming. The text itself appears when they have written it.

Can two of us work on the same screen?

Yes, as long as you are in different blocks. Blocks are held one person at a time, so a screen can have several people working across it.