Closing Tabs

Close Tab is a Classwize feature that lets you immediately close any active or background tab on a student’s Chrome browser.

Availability

Close Tab only works at schools using the Linewize Connect for Chrome extension on school-managed devices. It is currently unavailable for students using other browsers.

Close Tab is also an optional feature that needs to be enabled for you by your school IT support. If you can’t see this feature in Classwize, contact your IT team for help.

Closing Tabs from different Classwize views

You can close a tab from Screen View, List View, and Live View.

Closing a tab from Screen View

In Screen View, student tiles show screenshots of students’ active Chrome tabs. To close a student’s tab from Screen View:

1. Select Screen view on the View selector on the class toolbar.
2. The student tile will show screenshots of the student’s active tab. Select the X on the top right of the screenshot.
   
   
   
   
3. The tab will close immediately, and if the student:
   
   

   has other tabs open	The next open tab will appear on their student tile.
   has no other tabs open	The Tab Closed screen will appear on their browser window and their student tile.

Closing Tabs from List View

1. Select List view on the View selector on the class toolbar.
   
   
   
   
2. The student tiles will show open tabs as lists. Select the X for each tab that you want to close.
   
   
   
   
3. The tab will close immediately for the student and they will be notified that you closed a tab for them:
   
   

Closing Tabs from Live View

1. Open Live view by selecting:
   1. The screenshot on the student tile if you’re on Screen View.
   2. The title of the tab on the student tile if you’re on List view
2. The Live View window will pop up. Select the Close icon (X) on any of the tabs you want to close.
   
   
   
   
3. Close Live view to return to the classroom view. 

The tab will close immediately and the student will receive a notification that a tab was closed by the teacher.

Closing hidden background tabs

Student tiles in both Screen view and List view show if there are more background tabs open on students’ browsers. In the following examples, Kaylee Wright’s student tile in Screen view shows there are eight more background tabs open on her browser. Danielle Bernard’s student tile in List view shows she has 11 more background tabs.

Fig. 1 - Hidden Tab indicator on Screen view	Fig. 2 - Hidden Tab indicator on List view

Closing hidden background tabs from Screen view

1. Select Screen view on the View Selector on the toolbar.
   
   
   
   
2. Select either the hidden tabs indicator or the device icon at the bottom of the student tile. 
   
   
   
   
3. The Open Tabs dialog will appear. Select the Close icon (X) next to the title of the tab that you want to close. Repeat this step to close other tabs.
   
   

4. Close the Open Tabs dialog to return to the classroom view.

The tabs will close immediately on the student’s device and they will receive a notification:

Closing hidden background tabs from List view

1. Select List view on the view selector on the class toolbar.
2. Select Show All on the student tile.
3. The Open Tabs dialog will appear. Select the Close icon (X) for the tab that you want to close. Repeat this step to close other tabs.
4. Close the dialog to return to the Classroom view.

Blocking students from reopening closed tabs

You can try these solutions to prevent students from reopening closed tabs.

Create a Blocked Rule

You can create a Blocked Rule to permanently stop the student from opening the closed sites or URLs. You can create Blocked rules from Live View, the Open Tabs dialog and the Rules menu on the class toolbar.

See Adding, Editing and Removing Classwize Rules for more information about using Classwize Rules.

Start a Focus session

You can also turn on Focus to stop students from opening new tabs. See Adding Focus Sessions for more information on how to Focus your students’ internet activity while your class is in session.

FAQ

What does my student see when I close a tab?

• If you close an active or a background tab, a message will appear on the student’s browser, letting them know that you’ve closed a tab.
• If you close an Active tab, the next open tab will become the new Active tab.
  
  
• If you close multiple tabs, the student will receive a notification, “Some tabs were closed by your teacher” together with the icons of the sites that you closed.
  
  
  
  
• When the last remaining tab has been closed, the student’s browser will show the Tab Closed screen.
  
  

Does this stop students from reopening closed tabs?

No. Students can reopen tabs that you have closed or open the site in a new tab. You can either make a Block Rule to stop them from accessing closed sites, categories, and URLs or you can start a Focus session to keep them on task.

Why don't I see this feature?

There are three reasons why you may not see Close Tab:

• Your school or district may not have turned it on. Close Tab is an optional feature in Classwize, which your school or district's IT support can enable for you.
• Close Tab is only available on student devices using the Linewize Connect for Chrome extension. Students must also be logged in to Chrome using their school account.
• The student is using an unmanaged personal device (BYOD). If your student is not using a device supplied or managed by your school, they may not have Linewize Connect. Check that:
  
  • Linewize Connect for Chrome has been installed on the device.
  • The Linewize Connect desktop app has been installed on the device.
  • The student has logged into Chrome using their school account.

If they don’t have the Connect app, contact your school’s IT support to install it on the student’s device.

What should I do if I can’t close the tabs on my student’s non-Chrome browsers?

You cannot close tabs for students who are using non-Chrome browsers on their Windows or macOS devices. Instead, you can:

• Create a Blocked Rule to instantly close the site or URL and prevent the student from reopening it during class.
  
  TIP
  You can add a Blocked Rule from either Live View of the student’s screen or the Rules menu on the class toolbar.
• Start a Focus session to ensure they can open only the selected Focus categories, sites, and URLs during class.