Collaboration & Invitations
Overview
Virtual Tikkun's collaboration system connects learners with tutors. When two users collaborate on a bookmark, they share progress tracking, can chat in real time, and can start video meetings—all within the application. Collaboration transforms solo practice into a guided learning experience.
The Collaboration Model
Each bookmark has an owner and optionally one collaborator. The owner is the person who creates the bookmark; the collaborator is invited to join it. Both users can see each other's flashcard progress, exchange messages, and coordinate study sessions.
This one-to-one model keeps the collaboration focused. A tutor working with multiple students manages each relationship through a separate bookmark, and a student receiving help from a tutor sees only the shared aliyah—not the tutor's other assignments or bookmarks.
Sending an Invitation
To invite someone to collaborate on a bookmark, follow these steps:
- Go to Teach mode.
- Click Invite to Read.
- Select a parsha and aliyah using the interactive picker on the left side of the form. The picker reflects the current kriyah setting (Annual or Triennial) and shows the corresponding verse ranges.
- Choose a recipient on the right side of the form. You can pick from your synagogue community members (users who already have Virtual Tikkun accounts) or enter an email address manually to invite someone new.
- Add an optional personal message to include with the invitation.
- Click Send.
The invitation is delivered via email. If the recipient already has a Virtual Tikkun account, a request to mentor also appears in their Teach mode.
Receiving an Invitation
How an invitation reaches you depends on its kind:
- An invitation to read — You receive an email with the details and links to accept or decline. Accepting adds the reading to your bookmarks in Study mode.
- A request to mentor — Appears at the top of Teach mode with Accept and Decline buttons, and by email.
Each pending invitation shows the sender's name, the assigned parsha and aliyah, and two action buttons: Accept and Decline.
- Accept — Creates a shared bookmark and grants both users access to collaboration features (shared progress, chat, and video meetings).
- Decline — Removes the invitation without creating a shared bookmark. The sender is notified that the invitation was declined.
What Shared Access Includes
Once an invitation is accepted, both the owner and collaborator gain access to the following features on the shared bookmark:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Shared Flashcard Progress | Both users can see which verses have been marked as complete. A tutor can monitor a student's progress in real time without needing to ask for updates. |
| Real-Time Chat | A chat panel (powered by TalkJS) appears in Study mode, allowing collaborators to exchange messages without leaving the study interface. Ask questions about specific verses, discuss pronunciation, or coordinate schedules. |
| Zoom Video Meetings | A Zoom button in Study mode lets either user start a video meeting for live tutoring sessions. Both users can look at the same verse while talking face to face. |
Privacy
Collaborators can only see the specific bookmark they have been invited to—not your entire account, other bookmarks, or personal settings. Each shared bookmark is an isolated collaboration space. If you collaborate with the same person on multiple aliyot, each one is managed through a separate bookmark and invitation.
Note: You can only have one collaborator per bookmark. To work with a different person on the same aliyah, create a new bookmark.