Workshop Best Practices
Instruqt Workshop Best Practices
This guide helps Instruqt admins and facilitators run smooth, scalable, and secure technical workshops, whether in person or virtual.
1. Pre-event planning
Increase your track limits.
A room full of learners starting at once puts far more load on concurrent and IP limits than a solo test. Set these to match your group size so no one is blocked at Start. If attendees share a network (classroom or conference Wi-Fi), this is the most common source of day-of errors. Configure under Settings → Track limits.
Set the track timelimit and idle timeout.
Match the timelimit to your session length plus a 30–45 minute buffer. Set the idle timeout to at least 30–60 minutes – a shorter one will close a learner's environment during natural pauses (explanations, group discussion). You can also allow learners to extend the timelimit of the session.
Pre-provision with a Hot Start pool.
Create a dedicated pool so learners launch instantly. Size it to the event type (see the Hot Starts guide), start provisioning at least 1 hour before the event – more for large pools – and set the pool to end 15–30 minutes after the session starts to control cost. Setting a pool end time only removes unclaimed sandboxes; learners already in a session keep it.
Test the full flow.
Claim a sandbox from the pool yourself: open the invite link, fill in the form, click Start, and confirm a sandbox is delivered in seconds. Testing the pool alone doesn't catch everything – run the whole path a learner will.
2. Invitations & access control
Create a dedicated invite for the workshop
Bundle all tracks into a single invite so learners have one link. Create a dedicated Hot Starts pool for the invite – this way, only people accessing the event through the invite can claim preprovisioned sandboxes from the pool. For workshops, choose the Live Event, not Self-Paced invite type and set a start/end time.
Turn on instructor tools. These are off by default. Tick the instructor-tools checkbox in the invite flow to unlock the dashboard, in-session chat, and raised-hand/inactivity indicators. Enable screensharing separately if you plan to use it.
Security best practices
Gate access with a form and limit entry to expected attendees. Turn on email confirmation and (optionally) restrict to business emails.
3. Day-of facilitation
Share the link cleanly.
In a room, display a short URL (use a shortener) on a dedicated slide and keep it up throughout the sesstion. Consider printing the URL to the track together with the Wi-Fi password, and placing the card on the desks. Online - paste it in the Zoom/Teams chat at the moment you move to hands-on.
Monitor from the Live Event dashboard.
Watch raised hands, failed attempts, and inactive learners, and jump into sandboxes to help. Keep the dashboard tab open and active – updates pause when it's hidden. A co-host who watches it while you present is worth it (rule of thumb: one co-host per 10–15 learners).
For the Best practices for Instructor Led Trainings - read the article.
Performance tips
Set Hot Start pool size following the Best Practises for your specific event type.
If bandwidth is constrained, consider staggering start times by a minute or two.
4. Post-event wrap-up
Review results.
Export the Invite activity report and Chat history – attendance, questions, attempts, completion, drop-off – to improve the next session.
Shut down extras.
Make sure to terminate remaining Hot Start pools to stop cost. Tighten or remove the invite. Reset any raised IP limits.
Re-share for retention.
Re-share the track with a clear access deadline (around 7 days for short sessions, 14–30 for longer trainings) so learners can return on their own. Match the track timelimit and content expiry to that window.
✅ Quick checklist
Create a Live Event invite with a single link for all content.
Create a dedicated Hot starts pool. Size according to the event type.
Enable form gating; require email confirmation; optionally allow business emails only.
Set invite access to the expected attendee list or domain(s).
Increase IP/hour and concurrent per-IP limits, or set a claim and play limit for the invite.
Start provisioning ~60 minutes before kick-off.
Monitor via Live Event dashboard; be ready to inspect sandboxes.
Export activity report and deprovision remaining Hot Start capacity.
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