Public sources only
- Visitors without an account see public approved sources only
- Personal questions require sign-in
- No student record is shown in public
Guides
Publish the answer widget on a college website
Place the widget on a college page and confirm it works for a visitor without an account. The widget shows only published assistants from that college and only their approved public sources.
Who can do this
College web staff or a college administrator publishes the widget. The assistant must be in published status and approved. A preview link is for named staff only and is never listed as public.
Step 1: Open Widget and choose the college and assistant
Sign in and confirm your college workspace. Open Widget. Choose the college and the published assistant. If the assistant is in draft, in review, or paused, stop and complete approval first. A paused assistant shows the handoff office contact instead of chat.
Step 2: Set the title, welcome text, and colours and preview it
Set the widget title, welcome text, and college colors. Preview the widget on a test page on phone and desktop. Check keyboard use, focus order, labels, contrast, and screen reader access. Tell staff that a color or icon change can take a day to reach every page.
Step 3: Copy the embed code and place it on the test page
Copy the embed code from Widget setup and place it on the test page. The snippet holds only the token endpoint for that college and assistant. Do not place a shared secret in page code, screenshots, or guides. The endpoint is stored server-side only and can be revoked at once.
Step 4: Ask a public question and check source links and handoff
As a visitor without an account, ask a public question. Confirm the answer shows its sources with links, or says plainly that it does not know and names the office. Ask a personal question and confirm the widget asks for sign-in through the college identity provider and never shows student records in public. Rate the answer and confirm the handoff office, phone, email, and hours are shown.
Step 5: Publish the widget on the live page and read usage reports
Publish the widget on the live college page. Confirm the live link opens, source links work, and the privacy notice and college contact are linked in the footer. Changes appear in new chats. A person in a chat already in progress can start over to pick up the latest version. Read usage reports by channel so app use and widget use are not mixed.
Checks before you publish
Do each check with the widget on the test page. If a check fails, fix it before you publish on the live page.
Links and handoff
- Every answer shows its sources with links
- Not-known answers name the right office
- Secure links open only their own record and can be revoked
Access and status
- Keyboard, phone, and screen reader checks pass
- Privacy notice, terms link, and college contact are present
- Status shows live, paused, or waiting for approval in plain words
Limits to know
Public routes find the college from the record they serve and return only what that page needs. A share or secure link expires on schedule and can be revoked at once. Do not rely on a preview link for the public. Do not collect student identifiers in a public form. Test source links, cards, and surveys on each channel before you publish, because rendering can differ by channel.
Read Accessibility for the WCAG 2.1 AA commitment and how to report a barrier. Read Security and privacy for data residency, retention, and FERPA-aware handling before you publish.
After you publish
Read the first report, work any unanswered questions, and keep sources current.