Guide Your Members: How to Set Up Their First Study Hall

Guide Your Members: How to Set Up Their First Study Hall

A Study Hall is a dedicated space within your Campus where members can connect, share posts, create polls, and engage in meaningful discussions. Study Halls can be configured as public (open to all Campus members), private (invitation-only), or secret (hidden from non-members).

This implementation guide will help you teach your Campus members how to set up and customize their first Study Hall.

Teaching Members to Access the Study Hall Panel

Guide your members through their first Study Hall creation by teaching them this workflow:

First, have them log in to their WordPress site. In the left sidebar of the WordPress dashboard, they’ll find FluentCommunity → Spaces (this will eventually become "Study Halls" in your branded Campus).

Once they’re in the Spaces panel, they’ll see a list of existing Study Halls (if any have been created). To create a new one, they should click the "New Space" button.

A pop-up will appear asking what they want to create: Space, Course, or Link. Have them choose Space from here.

Teaching Tip for 45+ Audience: Remind members that "Space" is the technical term used by the platform, but they’re creating what we call a "Study Hall" – a focused learning and discussion area for specific topics or groups.

Study Hall Details: What Members Need to Provide

Another pop-up window will appear. Guide your members to provide this basic information about their Study Hall:

Required Fields:

  • Study Hall Title: Help members choose a unique and descriptive name that clearly communicates the purpose of their Study Hall. Examples: "Morning Marketing Strategies," "WordPress Troubleshooting Circle," "Launch Planning Study Hall"

  • Study Hall Slug: This is a unique URL identifier for each Study Hall, making it easy to access and share. The platform auto-generates this from the title, but members can customize it. Example: "morning-marketing-strategies"

  • Study Hall Description: Guide members to write a clear description explaining the purpose and focus of the Study Hall. This helps potential members understand if it’s right for them.

  • Privacy Settings: Help members choose whether their Study Hall will be:

    • Public: Visible to all Campus members, anyone can join
    • Private: Visible but requires approval to join
    • Secret: Hidden from non-members, invitation-only

    For more details on privacy settings, refer to our Managing Study Hall Privacy documentation.

  • Lock Screen Type: This controls access to content within a Study Hall. Admins can restrict visibility based on privacy settings, requiring members to join before viewing content.

  • Main Group: Members can organize their Study Hall into larger groupings for better Campus organization.

  • Who Can View Study Hall Members: Members can choose from four visibility options:

    • Member Only: Only Study Hall members can see the member list
    • Admin/Moderator Only: Only administrators and moderators can view members
    • Any Logged-in User: Any Campus member can view the member list
    • Anyone: Public visibility (including non-logged-in visitors)

Once all details are entered, have members click Continue to proceed to customization options.

Implementation Context: For Personally Branded Campus builders in the Campus Map Phase 2 (Community Building), Study Halls are where transformation happens. This is where your 45+ members move from passive consumers to active participants and peer teachers.

Study Hall Customization Options

From this screen, members can customize advanced settings for their Study Hall:

Content Control:

  • Only Admin or Moderator can create the Post: Enable this if you want to restrict posting permissions to maintain quality control in your Study Hall. Great for announcement-style Study Halls or curated content spaces.

  • Show Right Sidebar in the Study Hall: Choose whether to display the right sidebar with additional Study Hall information and navigation.

  • Hide Member Count From Study Hall Page: You can hide the member count when access to the member page is unavailable, creating more privacy for smaller or sensitive groups.

Features:

  • Enable File and Document Library for this Study Hall: Turn on the File and Document Library to allow members to upload, share, and access files and documents within the Study Hall. Perfect for resource sharing and collaborative learning.

  • Default Layout Style: Choose how content displays within your Study Hall:

    • Grid View: Visual, card-based layout
    • List View: Traditional, text-focused layout

  • Group Chat: Enable this option if you want to create a dedicated chat group for this Study Hall. Members can have real-time conversations alongside asynchronous posts. Learn more about Group Chat.

Visual Identity:

  • Thumbnail Image: Upload a small, square image that visually represents the Study Hall in compact views and lists. This helps members quickly identify Study Halls when browsing.

  • Featured Image: Upload a larger image that appears at the top of the Study Hall page, giving it a prominent visual identity and setting the tone for the space.

Once all customization options are set, have members click Create to finalize their Study Hall. The new Study Hall will now appear in the main Spaces list and be accessible to members based on the privacy settings chosen.

Success Indicator: Members have successfully created their first Study Hall when they can see it listed in the Spaces panel and can access it from the main Campus navigation.

Teaching Tips for Your 45+ Members

When guiding your members through Study Hall creation, emphasize:

  1. Start Simple: Their first Study Hall doesn’t need every feature enabled. They can always edit settings later.

  2. Clear Purpose: The most successful Study Halls have a crystal-clear purpose stated in the title and description.

  3. Privacy First: Help members think carefully about privacy settings. It’s easier to start private and open up later than the reverse.

  4. Visual Identity Matters: Even simple, clean images for thumbnails and featured images help Study Halls feel professional and inviting.

  5. Engagement Over Perfection: It’s better to launch a "good enough" Study Hall and improve it based on member feedback than to wait for perfection.

Connecting to Campus Transformation

Study Halls are the foundation of your Campus transformation engine:

  • Phase 2 (Community Building): Study Halls create spaces for member-to-member connection
  • Phase 3 (Engagement Ecosystem): Active Study Halls generate the discussions and interactions that keep members returning
  • Phase 4 (Transformation Engine): Study Halls become peer teaching environments where members learn from each other

When your members learn to create and manage their own Study Halls, they transition from passive participants to active community leaders.

Need Help? If you have questions about implementing Study Halls in your Personally Branded Campus, contact our support team.

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