Live Classroom > Views Tabs > Tables – Engageli Help Center

Overview

This article introduces the "Tables" view, accessible via the Views Tabs section. When selected, it loads an overview of all class participants and the tables at which they are seated. Below is an example screenshot of the Tables view:

The Tables view enables Learners to navigate between tables and identify where their peers are seated. Beyond this, Learner functionality is limited, as most of the tools and controls on this page are intended for staff use. The sections that follow will outline all the features available within this view.

Classroom Tables

The main panel is largely made up of an interactive display that shows the classroom tables along with their occupants.

In the default "Table View", you will see a grid of tiles representing individual tables. There will be a number of circles within each tile, which each represent a seat at the table. Some will be empty and some will contain the corresponding user's avatar. To see the user's full name, hover your cursor over their avatar. In this view, you'll have a few options available to you, which we'll outline below:

Table Name - At the top of each tile will be the table's name. By default, tables will be named "Table 1", "Table 2", and so on. Instructors have the ability to change the table names by simply clicking on them and editing the value.
Previous Page / Next Page - On either side of the page will be a "Previous" and "Next" button that you can click to navigate between pages of tables. A single page will display up to 10 tables. If the number of tables in the classroom exceeds this, these navigation buttons will appear.
Join - To join a table, hover your mouse over it until the "Join" button appears. Click the button to immediately take a seat at that table. Learners can only join tables with available space, while Instructors and TAs are exempt from this restriction. This flexibility ensures staff members can move freely between tables to provide support without being limited by occupancy caps.
When an Instructor joins a table, their podium image will temporarily display a message indicating which table they've joined, as shown below:
This message helps signal to the class that the Instructor's attention is currently directed toward that specific table rather than the entire classroom.
Peek - Instructors who hover their mouse over a table may also see a "Peek" button. This button is similar to "Join", but has some differences. Peeking will be covered later in this article.
Breakout - Instructors who hover their mouse over a table may also see a "Breakout" button. Clicking this button will enable breakout mode for table. Please review the corresponding section later in this article to learn more about this feature.

View Mode and Search

At the top-left of the page is a view mode switch, which allows you to adjust how the tables are presented. Table View and List View are the two modes available. See below for a description of each mode:

Tables View - This is the default mode and it will present tables as tiles on a grid with each user represented as a circle with their avatar image shown within it. This is the most common view that participants will experience.
List View - This view displays a grid of tiles representing individual tables, but participants sitting at each table are presented in a list with their names displayed. Below is a screenshot of the List View:

Although the Table View and List View share nearly identical functionality, there are a few key differences to note:
- Instructors cannot rename tables while in List View; they must switch to Table View to make this change.
- When an Instructor or TA selects a user in List View, no dropdown menu appears to adjust that user's seating. This option is only available in Table View.
- Since Table View displays participants as avatar images, showing more than 10 avatars within a single tile is not practical. Thus, if the class is configured with more than 10 seats per table, only the List View will be accessible.

At the top-left of the page, next to the Table vs List view toggle, is a search box. Clicking this will reveal a dropdown list containing all participants in the classroom. Selecting any of the participants from the list will highlight the table at which they are seated, allowing you to quickly locate them and their table. You can also type into the search box to filter the list by user name.

Table Management Tools

Towards the top-left of the page are management tools that are available only to classroom Instructors. We'll describe these below:

Table Count Indicator - This label indicates the number of tables that exist in the classroom.
Remove 5 Tables - Click this button to remove the last five tables from the classroom.
Add 5 Tables - Use this button to manually add five tables to the classroom. Engageli will automatically add tables when available seats become limited, so manual table addition is optional and typically not needed.
Table Options - This dropdown can be used to access various table-related tools:
- Randomize Seating - Select this option to re-arrange Learners to random tables. When this option is selected, a pop-up will appear, where you can set corresponding options for the randomization, as seen below:
  
  We'll go over the few options available:
  - Learners Per Table - Adjust this slider to indicate the number of Learners you'd like seated at each table. The number of Learners per table cannot exceed the maximum number of seats-per-table configured for the classroom. If you need to increase the number of seats per table beyond what the slider is offering, please go into the settings area to increase the max number of seats-per-table first.
  - Reserved Tables - If you have one or more tables that class TAs are seated at and would like to ensure Learners are not distributed to those, set a reservation count here. The tables reserved will be in sequential order, so if you select for 2 tables to be reserved, those would be Table 1 and Table 2.
  - Cancel / Save - To proceed with randomization, click "Save", otherwise, click "Cancel" to back out of the process.
- Lock Seating / Unlock Seating - You can toggle this option to lock/unlock user seating. When seating is locked, Learners will be restricted from moving themselves from their current table. Staff members can still move the Learners, though.
- Save Current Seating - Select this option to save the current seating arrangement of Learners for use in a future session. You’ll be prompted to assign a name to the arrangement. This feature is especially helpful if you’ve divided the classroom into tables for group projects and want to easily resume those discussions in a later session.
- Load Seating - Opens the list of saved seating arrangements for the classroom. Selecting any preset immediately moves present Learners to their assigned seats. This feature does not reserve seats indefinitely for Learners who are not currently in class. When a preset is applied, the system briefly holds their seats, but if those Learners do not join within a few minutes, the holds expire. Latecomers will then be placed in the first available seat rather than the one defined in the preset. You can re‑trigger the same preset at any time during class to move late arrivals to their intended seats..

Moving Users Between Tables

As noted earlier, participants can move themselves between tables by hovering over a table tile and selecting the Join button. Instructors and TAs can also move Learners between tables using the below methods:

Dropdown List - Clicking a user's avatar opens a dropdown menu showing all available tables. Selecting a table from this list instantly moves the user there. Note: This option is not available when using List View.
Drag-and-Drop - You can move a user by dragging their avatar to another table and releasing the mouse button. In List View, the same action can be performed by dragging and dropping the user's name. We've provided a brief animation below showing this mechanism:

Peeking at Tables

Classroom Instructors have the ability to peek into tables. This feature can be used to observe or check in on participants during group activities or discussions without interrupting the flow of conversation. This feature is only available when the classroom is in Table Audio mode.

To use the Peek feature, ensure the classroom is in Table Audio mode, then hover your mouse over a table until the "Peek" button appears, then click it. This button should appear just below the "Join" button, as exampled in the below image:

Peeking at a table is nearly the same as joining it, but with the following differences:

When joining a table, you would normally be able to speak to the participants. When peeking, you will not; they will not hear anything you say.
When joining a table, your podium image would temporarily display a message indicating which table you've joined. When peeking, your podium image will temporarily display a message indicating that you are observing tables, but it will not indicate which table you are observing. The below image provides an example of the message seen:

To stop peeking at a table, the Instructor can do any of the following:

Hover their cursor within the table they are peeking at and select the "Quit" button.
Select the "Leave Peek" button at the top-right of the main panel (only visible when you are viewing the Tables tab).
Select the "To Podium" button from the bottom panel.

These methods are highlighted in the below image:

Note: These methods would also be used if the Instructor joined a table and would like to leave it to return to the podium. In such a case, the button at the top-right of the main panel would instead be labeled "Back to Podium".

Breakout Tables

The breakout tables feature enables Instructors to temporarily separate specific tables from the main classroom without needing to create a new classroom. This allows selected participants to focus on their own work while the rest of the class continues with the planned agenda. For instance, participants who have not completed prior assignments can use breakout tables to catch up. The advantage is that Instructors avoid setting up a separate classroom, participants can seamlessly rejoin once they’re ready, and they remain included as part of the overall class environment.

To use the breakout feature, ensure the classroom is in Table Audio mode, then hover your mouse over a table until the "Breakout" button appears, then click it. This button appears as a diamond icon with a line through it, as highlighted in the below image:

To help distinguish breakout tables, subtle red stripes will appear within the table tile, as shown below. These stripes are semi‑transparent so they remain visible without being distracting.

When a table is placed in breakout mode, the following restrictions apply to that table and its participants:

Podium audio disabled - Participants in breakout tables cannot hear anyone speaking from the podium, including Instructors or participants who have raised their hands to speak.
Raise Hand disabled - The "Raise Hand" button is turned off, preventing breakout participants from joining the podium.
Excluded from random seating - Breakout tables and their participants are not included in randomized seating arrangements, whether the Instructor uses the "Create Random Seating Arrangement" option or the "Split By" feature during a poll.

To cancel breakout mode for a table, the Instructor can do either of the following:

Click the "Breakout" button again on a specific table to toggle it off.
Click the "Cancel Breakout" button at the top of the page to remove breakout mode from all tables, as shown below: