Agora Explained

Agora is an interactive participation platform designed to modernize the classroom experience. It provides real-time hand-raising, live class polling, and automated participation tracking — all in a single, unified interface.

Key Features:

• Multi-Color Hand Lists: Four separate hand-raising queues (Green, Blue, Red, Yellow) to segment questions, quick polls, clarifications, or special activities.
• Automated Session Management: Schedule sessions in advance, auto-start and auto-end based on course settings or manual overrides.
• Live Participation Scoring: Points are awarded automatically as students speak, with bonus points for follow-on contributions.
• Built-In Message Board & Polls: Seamlessly integrate instructor announcements, Q&A, and live polling without leaving the session.

Why Choose Agora?

Traditional lecture tools often force awkward pauses or page reloads whenever you want to call on a student. Agora leverages WebSockets and Django Channels to keep everything instantly in sync for instructors and students alike.

Technical Stack: Built on Python/Django, Channels (WebSockets), PostgreSQL, and Fomantic/UI. Everything runs in the browser — no client installs required.

Getting Started: To begin, Log In/Try a Temp Account or Sign Up. Instructors can create and schedule a session in seconds, while students join instantly with a session code.

For more information or to contribute contact the development team at agora-support@ubc.ca.