Classes

Overview

Live classes are voluntarily held by the Academics team periodically and in real-time throughout the day. An up-to-date schedule of classes can be found on the calendar, which can be accessed through the calendar tab on the Potterworld website and by doing /nc in-game. The command /nc will also make a title screen pop up that shows the next scheduled class along with how long until the class begins. Players can also view the next scheduled class through the scoreboard. The scoreboard settings found in /me allows players to enable or disable the class countdown in their scoreboard. There are also surprise classes held that are not on the schedule. Before a surprise class, a message will be broadcasted in-game announcing which class subject will be taught and who will be teaching it.

Before any class is taught, a message is sent in the #class-update channel on the PotterworldMC Discord. Players can also choose to be pinged in #bot-commands 10 minutes before a scheduled class starts. To get pinged for the next upcoming class, they can do !nc in the channel, then react to that message or send !notify true in the same channel. To be pinged for all upcoming scheduled classes, they can do !notify permanent true in #bot-commands.

Classes are held by the Academics Team, and primarily taught by Jr. Professors and Sr. Professors, who are assisted by Class Helpers. However, Academics Advisors, Academics Leads, Heads of Academics, along with any Head Staff are also able to teach classes if they choose to. Any rank in Academics can help in classes if there is a lack of available Class Helpers.

There are a few different types of classes: note classes, interactive classes, and activity classes. During note classes, the notes are typically said in chat or given out in the form of a textbook. Then, students do an assignment based on the notes. Interactive classes are worked on by the Class Design team and can be taught in a variety of ways. During these classes, there is still the possibility for written assignments, but, occasionally, students also complete tasks in-game for Academic Credits. Activity classes are interactive classes that are taught on a regular basis, and they lack notes or assignments. The current activity classes taught regularly are Flying, Dueling, Potions, and Wizard’s PE. There are currently over 40 different subjects that can be taught. For a full list, please reference the Class Subjects page.

How to Join

When it is time for class, a broadcast is sent out in-game that includes the Professor teaching the class along with the class subject. Below that line of information, there is another line stating “CLICK HERE to join the queue for class!”. After opening their chat, players can select the 'CLICK HERE' to join the queue for class. But, if they click it again, they will leave the queue for the class. For an example message of this broadcast, players can talk to the Professor NPC in the Trophy Room in Hogsworth.

Shortly after the queue is sent out, an additional broadcast will go out that says the subject of the class and how many students are in it. At this point, students who are in the queue will begin to get teleported into the class server. The only way to join the class if you miss the initial broadcast is to be added by a Class Helper or the Professor. If there is room, a Class Helper will ask in global chat if anyone wants to join the class. To join, the player can confirm that they want to join by messaging in global chat or by private messaging the Class Helper by doing /msg.

Grading

The grading scale for written assignments, from lowest to highest is:

T - Troll

D - Dreadful

P - Poor

A - Acceptable

E - Exceeds Expectations

O - Outstanding

Grades can also be modified with a minus (-) or a plus (+), meaning that the highest grade possible is an O+. The grades A, E, or O are passing grades, and students who receive these grades will get Academic Credits for their effort. On the other hand, those who receive failing grades, T, D, and P, will not get Academic Credits from the class. The amount of Academic Credits each grade is worth varies based on the class and Professor. 

Grades are not given in Flying, Dueling, Potions, Wizard’s PE, and some interactive classes. In these classes, students do various activities in order to earn Academic Credits.

Academic Credits

Academic Credits, or AC, are the primary reward students gain from classes. House points may also be rewarded in special cases, such as excellent classwork or winning a competition-based class. In general, the amount of AC that can be received from a class ranges from 5 to 30 AC. Players can check how much AC they have by doing /bal, /ac, /balance, or /money to see their balances.

AC can be traded for Gold or experience in the Credit Trader GUI, which can be accessed by the Credit Trader NPC in the Trophy Room or in the /me menu by selecting the Hogsworth crest in the bottom left.

Class Tips

• Pay attention to rules at the start of class! While they are generally similar for every class, the exact rules may differ. What is allowed in one Professor’s class may be against the rules in another’s.
• Taking notes during notes classes makes the assignment much easier to complete and excel on. If the notes are going too fast to keep up with, players can message the Professor to ask them to slow down.
• Make sure to read fully through assignment prompts to ensure that an extra quiz question or vital piece of information is not missed.
• In the majority of assignment prompt books, there will be a Frequently Asked Questions section in the back that can answer some common concerns and questions.
• The /rh command can be used to raise the student’s hand, and they can get questions answered by the Class Helpers and Professors. When the student’s hand is picked, a message will be said in chat that contains the student’s name and the name of who picked their hand. The student will then be able to say one message in the class chat to ask their question. If they need to ask another question, they will have to raise their hand again. If a player is uncomfortable asking their question in the class chat, they can private message the Professor or a Class Helper with their question.
• When missing an item they need to complete the class, such as a potion ingredient or the assignment prompt, the player can raise their hand and let the Professor know what specific item they need.
• If a player crashes from class, they can be added back to participate and gain Academic Credits. To be added back, they can message a Class Helper or the Professor or ask to be re-added in global chat.
• When being re-added to Wizard’s PE, the player can inform whoever is adding them what part of the course they were on. This will allow the player to go back to the stage they were on before they crashed. 
• The Class Helper NPCs found in most classrooms give the students access to Book and Quills, a Disposal menu, and an Ender Chest. Students can access the Book and Quills and Disposal menu at any time, but magic must be turned on for the Ender Chest to be accessible.
• If a player is still queued for a game after they join the class, they can do /exit to leave the minigame queue. Doing /leave will cause the player to leave the class instead of the minigame queue.