How to go live as an instructor

Going live with your students is one of the most powerful things you can do as an online instructor. Recorded videos teach concepts; live classes build relationships, answer real questions and create accountability. This guide walks through how to plan, run and grow live classes on BetaLMS.

Before you go live: planning

A great live class does not start when you press "Go live". It starts in planning.

1. Define one clear goal

Decide what learners should walk away with. One outcome per session is enough. "By the end of this class, you will know how to write your first SQL query," is better than a vague "we will talk about databases".

2. Pick the right format

BetaLMS supports three live formats:

• Lecture style — you teach, students listen, Q&A at the end.
• Workshop — students work along, you walk around (virtually) and help.
• Office hours — fully driven by student questions.

Pick the format that matches your goal, and tell students in advance which one to expect.

3. Prepare slides and assets

Open your slide deck in a separate window before the class. Have any code, design files or PDF resources open and ready to share. Use screen share rather than physical handouts.

Setting up your room

Inside your instructor portal:

1. Go to Courses → your course → Live sessions.
2. Click Schedule a session.
3. Enter the title, description, date and duration.
4. Choose whether the session is open (all enrolled learners can join), invite‑only, or public (anyone can register).
5. Save. A direct join link is generated and the session appears on every enrolled learner's dashboard with a reminder.

You can edit the session up until the moment it starts.

Equipment that actually matters

You do not need a studio. You do need:

• A wired or strong Wi‑Fi connection. Most "audio issues" are network issues.
• A USB or headset microphone. Built‑in laptop mics sound thin and pick up keyboard noise.
• Diffuse, even light — a window in front of you works.
• A plain background so the focus stays on you.
• Headphones to prevent echo.

If you have all five, you already sound and look better than 90% of online instructors.

Running the session

Open with energy

Greet learners by name as they join. Mention the goal of today's session in the first 60 seconds. Tell them what to expect and how questions will be handled.

Use the moderator role

If you have a teaching assistant, an experienced student or a co‑host, you can promote them to Moderator. Moderators can:

• Spotlight presenters.
• Mute disruptive participants.
• Stop and start presentations.
• Manage the room while you focus on teaching.

To promote someone, open the participants panel, click the three dots next to their name, and choose Make moderator.

Spotlight student presentations

When a learner needs to share their screen or be the centre of attention, click their tile and choose Allow presentation. Their video and screen become the main view for everyone. When they are done, click Stop presenting to return to your normal layout.

Manage audio actively

If a participant has a noisy environment, mute them. If everyone has gone quiet, ask a direct question to one person to break the ice. Silence is the enemy of live classes.

Use comments and raised hands

Encourage learners to drop questions in the comments. Read them aloud as you answer so the recording is useful later. The raise hand indicator tells you when someone wants to speak.

After the class

Save the recording

BetaLMS automatically saves your session. Open the session afterwards and you will see:

• The full recording.
• The chat transcript.
• Attendance.

Trim or rename the recording, attach it to the same course module, and add a short summary so absent learners know what to focus on.

Send a short follow‑up

Inside the course, add a brief post summarising:

• Three key takeaways.
• Any homework or practice.
• The date and topic of the next live session.

A two‑paragraph follow‑up dramatically increases the number of students who watch the recording.

Growing your live class

Once you are comfortable running one session, do these three things:

1. Schedule a regular slot. Same time, same day, every week. Predictability builds attendance.
2. Invite outside guests occasionally. A 15‑minute Q&A with another expert energises your audience.
3. Re‑use recordings. Cut highlights from live sessions into your pre‑recorded course modules.

Troubleshooting

• Your camera or microphone is not working? Check browser permissions. The browser must allow camera and microphone for your domain. Refresh the page after granting access.
• Audio cuts out for one student? Ask them to switch to a wired connection or a hotspot. The platform falls back to a relay server for weak networks, but their device still has to send a stable signal.
• Lag for everyone? Stop screen‑sharing video. Sharing a static slide deck uses far less bandwidth.

Final word

Live classes are where the magic of teaching online really happens. Recorded lessons scale your knowledge; live sessions scale your presence. Schedule the first one this week, even if only three students show up. After three sessions you will wonder how you ever taught without going live.