Forms FAQ Guide

Need some help navigating our Form software? You’ve come to the right place.

General
•    How do I access the Forms (document generation) software?

•    What are student tags used for?
•    How do teachers update their phone number?
•    Form Options

 

Employer/Organization
•   How do Employers and Parents/Guardians provide e-signatures?
•   How do I create employer specific expectations for the SCELP form?
•   Tips for Searching Employers 
•   How do I add contacts to an employer profile?
•   How do I add an employer or edit an existing employer?
•   How do I add positions to an employer profile?
•   How do I add employer expectations?

 

Webinar Schedule

We host live webinars where we walk you through our software (from start to finish), and answer any questions that you may have.

Co-op Hour & Activity Tracking
Mondays @ 11:00am
Tuesdays @ 12:00pm

Form & Learning Plan Generator
Wednesdays @ 12:30pm
Thursdays @ 1:00pm

Volunteer Hour & Activity Tracking
Thursdays @ 11:30am

*All times are in EST.

If you are interested in attending, then email us at info[at]charityrepublic.com with the time slot(s) that you are available. Then, we will happily share the webinar details with you.

Hour Republic FAQs Guide

Look no further than this guide to direct you to the FAQ you need

General
•    Getting Started Guide
•    How do Teachers/Coordinators sign-up via hourrepublic.com? (or, Google sign up)
•    How do I reset my password and find my username?
•    General Questions
•    How do I send a message to an individual, group, or a class?
•    Pre-placement Activities
•   How do I Locate Unapproved Hours?

Main Administrator Section
•    How do I create a new class and signup code? 
•    How do I add a new resource?
•    How do I add Bulk Achievements?
•    Adjusting the progress bar
•    Disable/hide certain sections and fields
•    How do I add or change my school’s logo?
•    Student Types
•    How do teachers/coordinators customize the Achievements drop-down?
•    A Student is Missing from my Class (Hour Tracking)
•    Why can’t I see students on my Students section?

Employer/Organization
•    How do I add new Organizations/Employers?  
•    How do I add contacts to an Organization/Employer?  
•    How do I add a Volunteer or Placement opportunity?
•    How do Organizations Approve Hours?
•    Published and Public Positions/Opportunities
•    Active vs Pending Organizations/Employers
•    Why isn’t an organization receiving my email to verify hours?
•    How do I add employer expectations?

Students
•    How do students sign-up via hourrepublic.com? (or, Google sign up)
•    How do I add Volunteer and Other Hours?
•    How do I add Placement/Co-op Hours?
•    How do I print a report of my hours?
•    How do I manage my Student Dashboard?
•    Icon Guide
•    How do I Assign an Organization to a Student?
•    How do I see when students registered or logged in last?
•    How does a Student Add More than One Shift?
•    What if a Student has Two Employers/Supervisors?
•    How do Students and Teachers/Coordinators Create an Achievement?
•    How do I Track Overnight Shifts?

Reflections/Journals
•    How do teachers add new Reflection/Journal topics? 
•    How do students submit a Reflection/Journal?
•    How do teachers mark Reflections/Journal topics?
•    How do students delete a Reflection/Journal?

Reports
•    How do I generate a report? 
•    How do I generate a PDF version of reports?
•    How do I print a report of my hours?

Calendar
•    Colour Coding in the Schedule
•    Navigating the Calendar
•    How do I create a PDF Version of the Calendar?

Form Options

Teachers can set up Form Options – default values that are personalized and autopopulate their forms.

#1. In the left panel, click on your name:

#2. Next, click on the Form Options tab:

#3. Teachers can set Form-specific Options, or Global Options.

Using Start Date and End Date as an example, a teacher can set these dates in the Form Options section and these dates will subsequently be set and apply to newly created forms.

➡️ Global Options can be linked to multiple forms, ensuring that the data is consistently applied and auto-populated across all forms containing those fields.

➡️ Form-specific options apply to a specific form.  Using the Work Education Agreement as an example, the Placement Start Time, End Time and Schedule can be set by a teacher. Once set, newly created forms will autofill this data.

NOTE:

➡️ Form Options only apply to newly created forms (set Form Options > create a new form > update applied). Form Options do not override data that was already added to previously created forms.

➡️ Form Options are specific to a teacher. Thus, teachers within the same school can customize their own Form Options.

➡️ Additional Form Option fields can be added upon request.

 

How Do Students Add Placement/Co-op Hours?

  1. Students can start to add hours by selecting the  icon on the left toolbar
  2. To begin, select the button in the top right corner of the page
  3. Students have the option to Label their hours (e.g. Week 1)
  4. Change the Category to Placement/Co-op under the Category type, then the hours will automatically change the Hour Type to a weekly block
  5. Next, add your Organization/Employer. Click the icon to add your employer’s information.
  6. Please fill out the Organization Name, Supervisor Name, Email, Phone Number, and their Position (e.g. Cashier)
  7. Under Skills Learned, you must add at least one new skill that you learned during your placement each week (e.g. Customer Service, Oral Communication)
  8. Please add a Description of what you did during your work hours (i.e. I learned how to use the cash register, I worked on filing papers)
  9. The week will automatically begin on the Monday of the current week and each day  will be listed for you to begin adding shifts
  10. To add a new shift, simply click the + symbol beside the days you worked
  11. The hours will automatically be set to Placement (Unpaid), however, you can also track Placement (Paid), In-School/Integration, Pre-Placement, and Dual Credit hours
    – If you take a Lunch/Break this will deduct minutes from the overall hours
    -If you were Absent or Late, please select the boxes to mark your attendance
  1. You can also add two shifts for one day by selecting the + symbol twice
  2. Once you have added and reviewed your hours for the week, you can select either  button to Save the hours as a draft, or Save and Submit to send to your Employer.
  • When clicking, the hours are submitted to the placement supervisor and become “Pending” hours
Tips
  • When students select “Placement” for the first time from the drop-down menu while adding hours, Placement becomes their new default hour type.

 

How do students copy a log?

Students can create a copy of their hours by clicking  at the right side of the desired hours:

This will allow students to select Copy which creates an identical Draft of their hours.

If students have consistent hours each week (e.g. 9:00am to 12:00pm), then they can add hours and save those hours as a template. They can leave the template in Draft status and copy that template each week and even add a personalized Label (e.g. “template”).

CLASSES: Create a New Class / Add or Remove Students / Add a Date Range / Add a Sign Up Code

Classes are used by teachers to organize students into groups (e.g. Semester 1 co-op students).

The Signup Code is used to easily attach students to a Class. i.e. when students enter the provided Signup Code into their registration form, they automatically get added to the Class.
*Please note, teachers will need to add students who have already have an account manually once the class is created.

e.g. Class name: Semester 1, 2024-2025 [teacher name]
Signup Code: 2024sem1

Creating a Class

#1. To begin creating a new class, select your high school on the left tool bar 

#2. Click the Classes icon 

#3. Select the  in the top right corner to create a new class

#4. Enter a name for your Class, you choose! It’s your way of organizing students:
(e.g. Semester 1, 2024-2025 [teacher name])

#5. Add a date range to your class (e.g. from the first day of a semester to the last day of a semester).  The progress bar will reset to zero for returning students, simply hiding logs from previous semesters.

TIP: Students need to select the Class filter (e.g. Sem 2 2020-21) in the Hour section in order for the date range to take effect.
TIP: Beside Total Submissions in the Hour section, we indicate how many submissions are hidden when the Class filter is selected (e.g. 15 submissions hidden by filter).

#6. You will automatically be added as a teacher/coordinator table when you create a new class.

TIP: To remove a teacher from your class code, simply click the "-" symbol beside a teacher's name, and click 
TIP: To add another teacher/coordinator, click the symbol. Use the search bar, or filters to locate teachers/coordinators, then click the check box beside the teacher's/coordinator's name to add them to the class, then Done.

#7. Click  to create this new class

Signup Code

#8. This will cause the sign up code table to pop up and allow you to create sign up code for your class by clicking the  symbol.

NOTE: Providing this code to your class will automatically assign them to it when they register with the code.

#9.  Enter a sign up code (2024sem1) or select the  button to have one created for you:

TIP: Keep your sign up code simple to avoid students from making typos!

#10. To finish, click

Congratulations! Your class is ready to go😀

Adding / Removing a Student from a Class

Students are automatically added to your Class when they register with the Sign Up Code you provided.

#1. To begin, select your high school on the left tool bar to access the main administrator section

#2. Click the Classes icon 

#3. From the table, click on the class that you would like to add or remove a student from.

#4. To add a student, click the symbol in the second table (with the Student column).
Search the list, or use the search bar, or use the filters to locate student(s). Select a student by clicking the check box beside the student’s name, and Done.

TIP: To remove a student from the class, click the "-" remove icon beside the student's name.

#5. To finish, click 

How do I create a new Signup Code for my class?

1.First, create a Class if you haven’t already.

2. Next, create a class-wide Signup Code for your students before they register accounts. When students enter this code during registration, they automatically get added to your Class.

3.Select the  symbol to add new signup code

4. Either create your own random code (e.g. Winter2020) or click the Randomize button to create a random code
NOTE: The codes must be at least 5 characters.

4. Select the Semester from the drop down

5. Click Save to finish adding the new code
NOTE: Once saved,  you can view which students are associated with the sign up code by scrolling to the bottom of the page

TIPS
  • Remember to create a Class first! When students register with this sign up code, they automatically get assigned to your Class.
  • You only need to create one sign-up code per class, and multiple students can sign-up using one code.
  • You do not need to create a Signup Code if you are a guidance counselor
  • You can modify your Signup Code at any time by returning to the page of the Signup Code you just created and typing in a new Signup code. Make sure you save your changes once you’re done.

How do teachers add and send e-signature requests?

Most forms have an e-signature option in Hour Republic. Once a form has been created, you will notice signature fields at the bottom of the form as follows:

1. Click on the ‘Tap or click to sign” line

2. A pop-up window will appear where a signature can be added


*Ask the signatory to add their signature to the line, and to enter their First Name, Last Name and Email address

NOTE:

The signature can be added to any touch screen with a finger or stylus; a signature can also be added via any computer with a computer mouse

3. Click Sign

Once a signature is confirmed, the signature will appear on the web form as follows:

4. Click Save in order to save the signature, or Save and Export the form in order to export the signature to a PDF form. Print the PDF form or save the form electronically when you are ready!

My Signature

You will notice an Insert My Signature checkbox. Teachers can save their signatures to make signing forms quicker

1. Check off the Save as my signature box to save your signature for future forms

2. Now, when you sign a form, you can click the  button to instantly sign.

Email Requests for E-Signatures

Teachers can send Employers, Parent/Guardians and Students email requests to sign forms and plans electronically.

  1. Click on the  tab
  2. Complete a form/plan and scroll to the bottom
  3. The Employers, Parent/Guardians and Students emails are auto filled
  4. Click the Send Email button
  5. Confirm the email address and add an optional message before clicking Send.
  6. You will be prompted to confirm submission details before sending the email request.

Mass E-Signature Requests

How do I send an e-signature request to more than one person & for more than one form at the same time?


#1. Select one or more form(s)
➡️ Teachers can select different forms & multiple students. 

Example of selecting more than one student and form type (e.g. WEA and OYAP forms):

#2. Select the mass email icon at the top of your screen 

#3. Select the signature type from the drop-down

➡️Teachers might not see certain signature types (e.g. parent/guardian signature) because the selected form does not have that signature type.
e.g. If a form does not have a Parent/guardian e-signature, then Parent/Guardian Signature will not show up as an option in the drop-down.

#4. Make your selection: select student(s) by form type and click 

➡️ Teachers have the option to add a message. This message will apply to all selected students and forms.

➡️ You will be asked to confirm your selection one more time (Are you sure you want to send these signature requests?). Click Send again.

Click Here for more information on mass e-signature requests

Updating the Semester or Teacher associated with forms

All forms are assigned to a Semester and a Teacher. In order to assign forms to a different Semester or Teacher in bulk, follow these steps:

(i) Selectan already created form

(ii) Click the 3-dot menu  that appears at the top of the screen

​(iii) Select the Change Semester or Change Teacher option from the drop-down

(iv) Once selected, a pop-up window will appear. Select the desired option from the drop-down menu (i.e. a different Semester or Teacher).

(v) Click Save to complete the process

All selected forms will be switched over to a different Teacher or Semester now.

➡️ If you wish to update individual forms, simply open the form you wish to update. At the top of each form, there will be an Edit option beside both the Teacher and Semester fields.

(i) Click Edit

(ii) Select Semester or Teacher from the drop-down

​​

How do students add e-signatures to forms & to their account settings?

You can save time and paper by having employers, parents/guardians, and teachers/coordinators sign your documents through e-signatures. Please follow these steps to learn more:

Once a form has been created for you (see FAQ), you will notice signature fields at the bottom of the form as follows:

1. Click on a desired signature line

2. A pop-up window will appear where a signature can be added.

3. Ask the signatory to add their signature to the line, and to enter their First name, Last name and Email address

NOTE: The signature can be added to any touch screen with a finger or stylus; a signature can also be added via any computer with a computer mouse

4. Click

5. After signing the form, the following screen will appear:

 

6. Click

Once a signature is confirmed, the signature will appear on the web form as follows:

6. Click  in order to save the signature, or  the form in order to export the signature to a PDF form. Print the PDF form or save the form electronically when you are ready!

My Signature

You will notice a My Signature button. Teachers can save their signatures to their Account settings in the form software (see image below). Follow steps 1 to 5 in order to add a signature to your Account settings.

After you save a signature to your account settings, this signature can be added to any form by clicking the My Signature button.

 

1. Click on the signature line under your Account settings.

2. A pop-up window will appear where a signature can be added

  • Add a signature using your finger (for touch screens) or a computer mouse, and enter your First name, Last name and Email address

 

3. Click Sign

4. After signing the form, the following screen will appear:

 

5. Click Confirm

Once a signature is confirmed, the signature will appear on the account as follows:

6. Click Save to complete the process.

How do Organizations/Employers & Parents/Guardians Approve Hours?

Hour Republic is a software that students use to track their work placement hours. Once logged, students submit their hours to their placement supervisor for review and verification.

Organizations/Employers & Parents/Guardians can approve or decline student hours via email by following these simple steps:

#1. Organizations/Employers & Parents/Guardians will receive an email message regarding student hours

#2. Click the   button in the email

#3. Review the information the student shared, and click  or 

That’s all! You’re done 🙂

For more information regarding the process, please see details below:

1. When a student submits their hours for approval, the organization/employer will receive an email from Hour Republic.

  • The email comes from Hour Republic (noreply@hourrepublic.com)
  • The subject of the email is: Please verify hours for [name of student]
  • Placement (co-op) hours are typically submitted weekly

2. Open the email, scroll to the bottom, then click on  to approve or decline the hours

3. You will be taken to a screen where you will have a chance to review the hours and submit a comment (optional)

4. Once you are finished reviewing the hours, you may select  or

5. A verification message will appear as follows:
Thank you. The status of these hours has been updated. Have a great day!

TIPS

If the student has sent out hours for approval and the organization has not received the email, then here a couple of possible reasons why:

1. The email may have been sent to your Spam folder.

2. The student may have input the email address incorrectly; double check with the student to ensure the email address is accurate.

Why isn’t an organization/employer or parent/guardian receiving my email for the verification of hours?

Here is a more detailed FAQ on a similar topic.

Are organizations/employers and parents/guardians required to create an account?

No, employers and parent/guardians are not required to create an account.

Students have an account where they add hours and you will receive an email that summarizes those hours and you can accept or decline the student’s hours with the option to leave a comment.

Click here to view the organization/employer fact sheet, which teachers can share with any supervisors. (Click here for the French version).

A Student is Missing When Creating Forms

If you are having trouble locating a student when creating a form, then please read below for possible reasons.

A) The student is being filtered out

Remember to check your filters! It’s possible that students are being filtered out by one or more of the following filters. The most common culprit is the Semester filter.

  • Teachers can clear the filters, including the Semester filter when selecting students? i.e. click Create Forms button > on the student select page clear all filters or select the Semester or Class filter you need.
  • You can remove filters by clicking on them and setting them to All or by clicking on the x located inside the drop-down:

B) The students’ settings are not up-to-date

  • Students who were previously enrolled in co-op may still be associated with their previous semester.
    • Or, the student may be associated with a different semester in the file that your IT department shares with us.
    • Our semester filter defaults to the current semester . There is a time period, close to semester change, where you may want to locate students for an upcoming semester (i.e. around Feb 1st, the default semester filter switches to Sem 2).  Students may be associated with the upcoming semester.

➡️ You can update the semester that a student is associated with under the student’s profile:

#1. Students section: locate and click on the student’s name to access their student profile

#2. Click the icon to access the General tab

#3.  Under the General tab, update the Semester field and click to Save your changes:

C) Student data has not been shared with us yet

If the student is still not showing up after the filters have been cleared, this means that they probably are not in our database.

If the student has just joined your co-op/ class, it can take up to 24 hours for their data to become available in our system. It depends on when the data is captured by your IT department and when it is subsequently shared with us.

If 24 hours have passed and the student is not accessible when creating a form, then we recommend reaching out to our customer service team at info[@]charityrepublic.com. Please share the full name of the student and their OEN.