Zinc classes are an essential part of using Zinc. To create assignments for a student or track their success, that student must be assigned to a class you manage. This article explains how to create and manage your Zinc classes. You'll learn how to edit a class, add new students, refresh a class roster, archive a class, and more.

Please use the table of contents to the right to quickly access the information you need. How you manage your Zinc classes and rosters directly relates to whether you access Zinc directly or through Clever, Google Classroom, ClassLink (OneRoster), or SpringBoard.

Depending on how you access Zinc, you will either manage your classes directly or through another rostering system. If you access Zinc one way, you’ll have different options than users who access Zinc a different way. Below you’ll find ways to manage your classes using different access methods: Direct, Clever, Google Classroom, ClassLink (OneRoster), or SpringBoard.

If you are a teacher who signs in as a direct user, then your Zinc classes do not depend on any other rosters. You or someone working with you, or Zinc support sets up your classes inside Zinc.

Please note, you or your school must have available Zinc licenses in order to add students to your classes. If you are out of student licenses, please contact your administrators. If you're utilizing Zinc for home use, you can purchase additional student licenses here.

(Please note, you can also create a class using the “Uploading” option as explained in Option 3: Uploading.)

Once you have registered as a teacher with Zinc and logged in, you may begin creating classes. In the top menu, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." On the Manage/Upload Classes page, click the green “Create Class” button.

A popup window will appear where you can type the name of the class you want to create. After naming your class, click the green “Create” button, and the new class will appear in your list of classes. You now have 3 options for adding students to the class.

Students can be added with usernames or email addresses. If you add a student using their email address, they'll need to confirm their email address before logging into Zinc for the first time.

Direct teachers have three options for adding students to their classes: Class Codes, Invitations, and Uploading. Class Codes are recommended when a teacher is helping a student register in person. Invitations are best for students who are relatively comfortable with tech and able to register themselves. Uploading is best for adding a large number of students at once.

This method is best used if you can help your students register in person, such as one-on-one or in a classroom setting.

Every class you create will have its own unique Student Sign Up Code. This code can always be found on your Manage/Upload Classes page beside the name of the class. To reach this page, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." Make note of the Student Sign Up Code for the class that students will join.

From zinclearninglabs.com, have your students click on “Log In” in the top right-hand corner and then click on “Register” on the Sign in to Zinc Learning Labs page. This takes them to the Register for Zinc page. Here’s a direct link: https://games.zinclearninglabs.com/users/sign_up

Have students fill in their information on the Register for Zinc page. The “School Name” will appear automatically after the Class Code is entered. Students may register with an email if they have one, or they may create a unique username. You will be able to see this username in your class roster if they forget it in the future.

If students register with an email address, Zinc will send an email to the address given to confirm its accuracy. Students will then need to confirm their email account by opening the email and clicking the link.

Once students have registered (and confirmed their email address, if an email was entered), they may log into Zinc using their email or username and password.

This method is best used if students can register on their own. If you use their email to invite them, students will receive an email with all the instructions they need to register. You may also use a username to invite a student, but they must already have a Zinc account through your school.

To invite students to your class, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." On the Manage/Upload Classes page, click the green “Add Students” button. This will make the Invite Students popup window appear.

In the Invite Students popup window, you have two tabs to choose: “Enter student emails/usernames” and “Search for Existing Students.”

If you choose the “Enter student emails/usernames” tab, select the name of the class to which you wish to add the students. Type a series of student emails and usernames, with each entry separated by a comma. If a student will be registering for Zinc, you must use an email address. If a student has already registered for Zinc but is moving into your class, you may send the invitation to their username. When you’ve entered all the students you need, click the green “Add Students” button.

If the student you wish to add is already in the Zinc system, you may use the “Search for Existing Students” tab. Select the name of the class to which you wish to add the students. Begin typing the student’s name and click on it when it appears. Once you’ve searched for all the students you need, click the “Add Students” button.

Once students have been invited (and confirmed their email address, if an email was entered), they can log into Zinc using their email or username and password.

Using the Uploading option is recommended when you need to add a large number of students, for example at the beginning of the semester. Uploading may also be used to create new classes.

To reach the Uploading page, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." On the Manage/Upload Classes page, click the green “Upload Students/Class Data” button. This will take you to the Upload Student Data page.

Follow the instructions on the Upload Student Data page. The page provides simple .csv templates to be filled in with student details. If you already have classes and students, be sure to use the “Class + Student template with existing classes” option, which will include all your existing students and classes, to prevent the loss of data.

Once students have been uploaded (and confirmed their email address, if an email was entered), they can log into Zinc using their email or username and password.

When a student leaves your class, removing them from your Zinc class helps keep things organized. It can also prevent them from receiving unnecessary assignments that conflict with their new class.

To remove students from a class, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." Click on the class that contains the student you wish to remove. On the specific class management page, click the checkbox to the left of the name of any students you wish to remove. Once you’ve selected a student, the “Remove from class” button will turn green. Click that button to remove any selected students.

Please note that your Zinc classes will automatically be archived, generally in the summer between semesters. Archiving a class preserves its data but removes it from your list of classes. There is generally not a need to delete classes, but it is possible to do.

To delete a class, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Manage/Upload Classes." On the Manage/Upload Classes page, click the checkbox to the left of the name of any class you wish to remove. Once you’ve selected a class, the “Delete” button will turn green. Click that button to remove any selected classes.

If you are a teacher who signs into Zinc through Clever, your Zinc classes are connected to your Clever rosters. This allows you to manage all of your rostering, including for Zinc, through Clever. The need to make changes in your Clever rosters includes archiving your Zinc classes.

You must have available Zinc licenses when new students are added to your class, or the new students will be unable to log into their accounts. If you are out of Zinc licenses, please contact your administrators.

Your Zinc classes reflect your Clever rosters. Make the changes in your Clever rosters, and your Zinc classes will automatically update to match those changes. Either you or someone in your school or district should have the ability to update your Clever rosters.

Once your Clever rosters are accurate, your Zinc classes will automatically update. If a day has passed and students are present in your Clever rosters but not in Zinc, please contact Zinc support.

If you are a teacher who signs into Zinc through Google Classroom, then your Zinc classes are connected to your Google Classroom rosters. This allows you to manage all of your rostering, including in Zinc, through Google Classroom. The need to make changes in your Google Classroom rosters includes archiving your Zinc classes.

You must have available Zinc licenses when new students are added to your class, or the new students will be unable to log into their accounts. If you are out of Zinc licenses, please contact your administrators.

To add a Google Classroom roster to Zinc, click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Classes and Students." On the Classes and Students page, click the green “Actions” button and select “Import.” This takes you to the Import classes from Google Classroom page.

On the Import classes from Google Classroom page, click the checkbox beside any of your Google Classroom rosters that you would like to import into Zinc. Once you’ve selected a roster, the “Import” button will turn green. Click the button to import any rosters you selected into Zinc.

Your Zinc classes reflect your Google Classroom rosters. Make the changes in your Google Classroom rosters, and your Zinc classes will automatically update to match those changes. Either you or someone in your school or district should have the ability to update your Google Classroom rosters. Once your Google Classroom rosters are accurate, your Zinc classes will automatically update.

If a day has passed and students are present in your Google Classroom rosters but not in Zinc, please try the refresh option described below. If your classes fail to refresh, please contact Zinc support.

If you'd like to speed up the update process, you can manually refresh a class. Click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Classes and Students." Click on the class you would like to refresh to go to the page for that class. On the class page, click the green “Actions” button and then click “Refresh Class Roster” from that dropdown menu.

Occasionally the refresh will need some extra time. If you see the message "Failed to refresh class data due to some errors. Please contact the administrator,” please try one more time before contacting support. If you see the “Successfully refreshed class data” message, your Zinc class should now be updated. If refreshing does not resolve the issue, please email support. You can also contact support by clicking the blue support button in the bottom-right of your screen inside Zinc.

If you're a teacher who signs into Zinc through ClassLink, then your Zinc classes are connected to your ClassLink (OneRoster) rosters. This allows you to manage all of your rostering, including in Zinc, through ClassLink. The need to make changes in your ClassLink rosters includes archiving your Zinc classes.

You must have available Zinc licenses when new students are added to your class, or the new students will be unable to log into their accounts. If you are out of Zinc licenses, please contact your administrators.

Your Zinc classes reflect your ClassLink (OneRoster) rosters. Make the changes in your Clever rosters, and your Zinc classes will automatically update to match those changes. Either you or someone in your school or district should have the ability to update your Clever rosters.

Once your Clever rosters are accurate, your Zinc classes will automatically update. If a day has passed and students are present in your Clever rosters but not in Zinc, please contact Zinc support.

If you are a teacher who signs into Zinc through SpringBoard, then your Zinc classes are connected to your SpringBoard rosters. This allows you to manage all of your rostering, including in Zinc, through SpringBoard. The need to make changes in your SpringBoard rosters includes archiving your Zinc classes.

Your Zinc classes reflect your SpringBoard rosters. Make the changes in your SpringBoard rosters, and your Zinc classes will automatically update to match those changes. Either you or someone in your school or district should have the ability to update your SpringBoard rosters. Once your SpringBoard rosters are accurate, your Zinc classes will automatically update.

If a day has passed and students are present in your SpringBoard rosters but not in Zinc, please try the refresh option described below. If your classes fail to refresh, please contact Zinc support.

If you would like to speed up the update process, you may manually refresh a class. Click "View Classes & Reports" in the top menu and then click "Classes and Students." Click on the class you would like to refresh to go to the page for that class. On the class page, click the green “Actions” button and then click “Refresh Class Roster” from that dropdown menu.

Occasionally the refresh process takes some extra time. If you see the message, "Failed to refresh class data due to some errors. Please contact the administrator,” please try one more time before contacting support. If you see the “Successfully refreshed class data” message, your Zinc class should now be updated. If refreshing does not resolve the issue, please email support. You can also contact support by clicking the blue support button in the bottom-right of your screen inside Zinc.

Note: Direct users with Zinc will have their classes automatically archived, generally in the summer between semesters. If you are a direct Zinc teacher and require a class to be archived or unarchived, please contact Zinc support.

If you have inactive or past classes in your list of Zinc classes, archiving classes may be the solution. Archiving classes allows you to only see your current classes on the Zinc’s Classes and Students page. When archiving, you still have access to all of the data for those classes, and you can “un-archive” a class if necessary.

If you access Zinc through Clever, Google Classroom, ClassLink (OneRoster), or SpringBoard, then you will need to have your classes archived on that platform. If you do not have the access necessary to archive your classes, the person in charge of your digital rosters should be able to do it for you. Archiving past classes is an excellent way to stay organized and focused on the current semester.