This checklist takes you from a brand-new account to a class that's working, in the order most teachers find easiest. Setup itself takes about twenty minutes; the step that needs the most care is getting students signed in, so plan to do that during class. Each step links to the article that covers it in depth, and the tips at the end cover what tends to go wrong in a first week and how to head it off.
Before you start: you'll need a teacher account (see Creating your teacher account). Everything on this checklist works on the Free plan except where it says otherwise.
Your Onboarding checklist
Intertwined keeps a checklist for you under Onboarding at the bottom of the sidebar. It has five setup steps that tick themselves off as you do them:
Complete your profile
Create your first classroom
Add your students
Assign a course
Explore teaching resources
Each step has a button that takes you straight to the right place. Below the setup steps are two "what's next" lists, Teach with it (planning, assignments, the gradebook, reteaching and reports) and Run a simulation, plus cards for the teaching resources.
Good to know: the percentage beside Onboarding in the sidebar counts the setup steps and both "what's next" lists. Items your plan doesn't include stay unticked, so on the Free plan the number stops well short of 100% even when your class is fully set up. That's expected. The reminder on your Dashboard only cares about the five setup steps, and once they're done the page title changes to say your classroom is running.
Step 1: Check your profile
You filled in your name and school when you signed up, so this step is usually already ticked. If it isn't, click Edit profile, add your first name, last name and institution, and save. Use your school's full name; it's one of the ways we link you to a school plan. See Managing your profile, password, and sign-in.
Step 2: Create your first classroom
Click Classrooms in the sidebar, then Create Class (or Create a classroom on the checklist).
Give the class a name you'll recognize at a glance, such as "Personal Finance - Period 5", and choose the Grade.
Click Create class. You'll land inside your new classroom, and a class code is created for it automatically.
Teach the same course to several periods? Make one class per period. Each class gets its own code, roster, progress and simulators, which keeps grades and leaderboards separate. See Creating and organizing your classrooms.
Step 3: Add a course
Add the course before students join, so they have something to open on day one.
In your classroom, open Coursework and then Assigned Courses (the checklist's Choose a course button goes straight there).
Click Add Course and pick a course. For most personal finance classes, choose Personal Finance Core Foundations (3e), our current course.
You can also add courses from Library > Courses with Add to a class, which lets you add one course to several classes at once. See Adding a course to your classroom and Choosing the right course for your class. Want to open the course a unit at a time instead of all at once? That's Manage Access (paid plans; see Manage Access: choosing which units students can open).
Step 4: Bring your students in
There are two ways, and you can mix them in the same class:
Class code or join link: click Share Class Code in the classroom header. Students go to app.intertwinedfinance.com/register, choose Student, and enter the code, or you send them the join link with Share link. They create their own username and password. On the checklist, Copy join code copies it for you. See Inviting students with your class code or join link.
Logins you create: Create student logins on the checklist (or Create Credentials on the Students tab) makes ready-to-use usernames and passwords you hand out. Useful when students don't have reliable email or you want everyone ready before class starts. See Creating student accounts for your class.
Not sure which? Class code or teacher-created accounts: which should I use? compares them. Either way, the Students tab shows who's in as they arrive.
Step 5: Look through the teaching resources
Open Library > Teaching Toolkit for lesson plans, slides and worksheets to pair with the course, and Prerequisites to see which sections build on which. Opening any resource card on the checklist (or clicking Mark as done) ticks this step. See The Teaching Toolkit, Prerequisites, and other teacher resources.
Step 6: Give your first assignment
Assignments tell students what to do and by when, and they let you see who's finished.
In your classroom, open Coursework > Assignments and click Create Assignment.
Choose what to assign (a section of the course is a good first one), who gets it (the whole class, a group or specific students), and the dates.
Save it. Students see it on their Assignments page.
Creating and tracking assignments inside a classroom works on every plan. The cross-class Assignments page in the sidebar is part of Intertwined Solo and school plans. See Creating an assignment and Assignment types explained.
Step 7: Check progress after a few days
Give students a few class periods, then look at:
Your Dashboard, for completion across classes and a list of students to check on (Your teacher dashboard, explained).
The class's Students tab, to see each student's progress (The Students tab: your roster and each student's page).
The class's Overview, for the class as a whole (The classroom Overview: reading your class analytics).
The Gradebook, for every student against every lesson and quiz (paid plans; Using the Gradebook).
On the Free plan you'll see who has done what; quiz scores and per-question detail are blurred until you're on a paid plan (see Why is a feature locked or blurred?).
Optional: plan ahead and try a simulator
Plan the term. The Planner lets you drag lessons onto dates and copy a plan to another class (paid plans). See The Planner: mapping out lessons on a calendar and Pacing a course across your semester.
Run a simulator. Open your class's Simulators tab, pick one, and set it up. Simulators come with school plans; Intertwined Solo subscribers can start a free 14-day trial of each one. Start with The simulators at a glance: which one fits your lesson, then The Simulators tab in your classroom.
Try the Arcade. Arcade games are free on every plan and work well on a short or unusual day (The Arcade: teacher guide).
A sample first week
Before day one: create your classes, add the course, and preview the first unit (Previewing a course as your students see it).
Day one: project the class code, have everyone sign up or log in, and finish with the first lesson. Fix login problems while you're all in the room.
Day two: assign the first section with a due date at the end of the week, and show students where to find it on their Assignments page.
Days three and four: students work through the lessons and take the first section quiz. Check your Students tab for anyone who hasn't started.
Day five: look at the Dashboard together with the class's Overview, follow up with quiet students, and use an Arcade game as a reward or review.
Tips
Practice logging in on day one. Have students sign up, log out, and log back in before they start the lesson. It surfaces forgotten passwords and typos while you can still help, instead of on the day of a quiz.
Ask students to write their username somewhere safe. Most "I can't log in" problems are a forgotten username, not a forgotten password.
Write the class code on the board as well as projecting it. Codes are easy to mistype, and students in the back row can't always read a screen.
If a student already has an Intertwined account from another class, they join with your class code using that same account; they shouldn't make a new one. See Joining another class.
Students can't reach you through chat in the app, so tell them to come to you with problems, and keep A student can't log in handy.
Make your first assignment small. A finished first assignment builds the habit faster than a long one that drags.
Common questions
Do I have to follow the checklist in order?
No. Steps tick themselves off whenever they're done. Adding a course before students join is the one order we recommend, so they have work waiting.
A step won't tick off even though I did it.
Open the Onboarding page again; it rechecks your classes each time you visit. "Add your students" ticks once any class has at least one student, and "Assign a course" once any class has a course.
Can I dismiss the setup reminder on my Dashboard?
Yes. Click the X on the reminder. The checklist is still under Onboarding whenever you want it.
Can I set up classes before the school year starts?
Yes. Create your classes, add courses and plan assignments ahead of time. Students can join whenever you share the code.