How to Fix Echo Issues in the Classroom

Overview

This article provides guidance for identifying and resolving echo problems that may occur in classroom environments.

Symptoms of Echo

Echoes are typically noticed when:

• You speak and hear your own voice repeated back.
• Another person speaks and their voice is heard again as an echo.
• When media audio is playing, users hear the sound duplicated.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, continue with the troubleshooting steps outlined in this guide to reduce or eliminate echoes.

Common Causes of Echo and Their Resolutions

In this section, we'll go over common causes of echo and their corresponding resolutions.

Sharing Screen with Audio

Echoes can occur when you share your screen and enable the "share audio" option. This option appears as a toggle at the bottom of the pop‑up where you select which tab, window, or screen to share. See the screenshot below for its location:

When audio sharing is enabled, any sound played through your speakers is also broadcast to other participants. The scope of which sounds are broadcast depends on what you choose to share:

• A specific browser tab: Only audio from that tab is shared.
• A specific browser window: Audio from all tabs within that window is shared.
• An entire screen: All system audio is shared.

If you or others notice an echo during a screenshare, stop sharing temporarily and check if the echo disappears. If it does, the shared audio was the cause.

To prevent echoes caused by audio sharing, consider the below actions:

• Share only a browser tab. This will isolate the shared audio to only what originates from that tab. If you are sharing the Engageli tab, then you'll need to disable the audio share option.
• If sharing a browser window: Move the Engageli tab into a separate window so its audio isn’t included, or disable audio sharing.
• If sharing your entire screen: We recommend to always disable audio sharing.

Important Note: Echoes from screenshare audio can also appear as a table audio leak. In Table Audio mode, if a user shares their screen with the classroom and enables shared audio, then any audio they receive from their tablemates would be broadcast to the entire classroom via the screenshare.

Audio from Speakers Looping Back into Microphone

Echoes can occur when sound from a participant’s speakers is picked up by their microphone, creating feedback. This issue is most common when using speakers instead of headphones or a headset, since the audio is more easily recaptured by the microphone.

Most microphones include built‑in noise reduction features, and Engageli also implements background noise suppression. However, these technologies are not always fully effective in eliminating echoes.

If you suspect the echo is caused by speaker audio looping back into a microphone:

1. Ask all participants to mute their microphones.
2. Have them unmute one at a time while you both speak, until the participant causing the echo is identified.
3. Advise the identified participant to switch to headphones or a headset.
4. If they are already using headphones or a headset, confirm that their audio settings in Engageli are directing sound through the correct device and not through external speakers.