Kickoff 2021-2022

Invention Convention

zFairs Kickoff for 2021-2022 Below you will find useful information as you prepare for this years Invention Convention!

New Features & Updates

• Video Conferencing & Judging
• Report Viewer
• Registration forms overhaul
• Bypass confirm email
• People page additional search options
• Login As (coming soon)
• Additional enhancements and features coming... Upcoming Features

Archiving Last Year's Contest

Helpful Tips on Getting Ready for your Next Event

1. Archive Users
   • NOTE: If you are planning on doing any testing or training in the system it is often helpful to have data avaialble. We recommend waiting to Archive Users till you are done with everything else and a week or so prior to registration opening up again
   1. Go to Staff -> Archive Fair
   2. Select the User Types you would like to clear out - Participants/Students are selected by default and cannot be deselected
   3. Enter your username - The fair will not be cleared if you don't do this
   4. Click Clear Fair
   5. Review your people page to make sure everything looks as expected
2. Update Scheduled Dates
   1. Go to Staff -> Fair Setup -> Schedule
   2. Revise the dates there as needed

      If you don't have a late registration period set this date to be the same as Registration Ends

3. Update Home Page Content

   See Anchor Points for tips on using a helpful feature

   Method 1

   1. Go to the page you would like to edit
   2. Click the Edit button next to your username
   3. Double click somewhere in the page you are wanting to edit
   4. Make the needed changes

   Method 2

   1. Go to Staff -> Fair Setup -> Customize Text
   2. Select the page you would like to edit
   3. Update the page as desired

4. Review / Update General information
   1. Go to Staff -> Fair Setup -> General Information
   2. Review and revise the information there as needed
5. Review / Update Rubrics & Rounds
   1. Go to Judging -> Setup -> Rubrics/Rounds
   2. Review and Revise the content in each Rubric as needed
   3. Review the Dates set for Scheduled Interviews on each round

Video Conferencing

If you are needing to run or host a virtual / in person or mix contest this year as you deal with the challenges of this world. zFairs makes it easy, we have video conferencing built into our platform which can be used by students, judges, and your staff.

For more information checkout our Virtual Tools

Virtual Judging is the feature that allows you to host your event remotely and is built into zFairs meaning you don't have to worry about managing another meeting platform or installing any other apps. It connects judges with students in virtual rooms and allows them to chat face to face regardless of the distance. It is also compatible with all of the other features you know and love in zFairs including interview scheduling, Online Judging, etc.

Here is a list of some of the highlights and configurations. Let us know if you have any questions.

Virtual Judging Configurations

Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Online Judging - Enable virtual judging via web conferencing

• This is the main setting that turns on the Virtual Judging feature. Hit save and as easy as that you have meeting rooms for judges and students to meet in.

How it works

Students

Once the above setting is enabled, students will see a new button appear in their menu called Virtual Contest. On this page they can see when their interviews are scheduled for as well as a blue Enter Virtual Judging button. When it is time for them to meet with judges they can navigate to that page and then click the Enter Virtual Judging / Interview button and be taken to their Project Room where they can meet with Judges.

Teams of students will each have their own Virtual Contest and meeting button but it will automatically connect them to the right place and they'll be placed together.

Judges

Judges will see this button in Online Judging after they have selected a project to review.

• Judges will still see all other project materials as they normally would and you have the option to present the rubric to the right of the video and project materials or you can have the video shrink to the left side of the screen where the judge can review things normally with everything stacked vertically.
  • Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Online Judging allow video to be pinned to the side

Other Related Features

Auto Plop

Auto Plop allows you to cut out the stress of scheduling and just stick with the fun stuff. It does this by taking a student who has indicated they are ready to be judged and pairing them with a Judge who has indicated that they are ready to judge a project. You don't have to worry about who showed up and who didn't because the system just handles that for you. It doesn't pair students with the same judge twice (judge must have a submitted rubric for the project for this to be true), it works off of a first come first serve basis and includes added oversight tools so you can see who is in line and how long they've been there in the Judging Dashboard.

You can also indicate in the configurations for Auto Plop how many judges you want meeting with students at a time, how many times you want to allow students to be judged per rubric and if you want Judges to be Selecting the Category to judge each time they are ready or if you'd prefer to just have it go off of their category preferences.

To Enable Auto Plop go to Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Auto Plop Settings

All of the other configurations are there as well making it easy to set up all in one place.

Chat Functionality

If wanted or needed you can enable a chat functionality inside each of the video rooms. This turns on all chat features including private chat. This isn't going to be an issue in most cases but if that is a concern you can disable this setting to have all chat features removed.

 : Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Video Judging enable chat feature including private chat

Hide Student Mute All

Typically this won't be an issue as students wanting to be judged won't mute their judges but in the rare case you don't want them to even have that option you can enable the following setting.

 : Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Hide student mute all button

Student Present in Room Indicator

This allows judges to quickly see which rooms have students present and which don't. This is mostly just informational but will some day be expanded to allow judges to know when an interview is still in progress so they don't interrupt anyone by accident.

 : Staff -> Fair Setup -> Settings -> Premium Features -> Online Judging -> Show student checked-in icon in online judging