Sharing Study Plans
Share your curated study plans with others to help them learn:Open Your Study Plan
Navigate to any study plan where you have edit permissions (creator or editor).
Enter Email Address
Type the email address of the person you want to share with. They don’t need to be a Study Sync user yet.
Select Role
Choose their permission level:
- Viewer: Can view and create instances, but not edit
- Editor: Can view, create instances, and edit the plan
Recipients receive an email invitation with a link to the study plan. If they don’t have a Study Sync account yet, they’ll be prompted to create one.
Permission Roles
Owner
The creator of a study plan has full control:Owner Permissions
Owner Permissions
- Edit plan title and description
- Add, remove, and reorder resources
- Change plan visibility (public/private)
- Share with viewers and editors
- Remove shared access from anyone
- Delete the study plan
- View all instances created from the plan
Editor
Editors can modify the plan but not share it further:Editor Permissions
Editor Permissions
- Edit plan title and description
- Add, remove, and reorder resources
- Create instances from the plan
- View plan details and metadata
- Cannot change visibility settings
- Cannot share with others
- Cannot delete the plan
Editors can make changes that affect everyone using the plan. Choose editors carefully and communicate before making major changes.
Viewer
Viewers have read-only access:Viewer Permissions
Viewer Permissions
- View plan details and resources
- Create instances from the plan
- Cannot edit any plan information
- Cannot share with others
- Cannot modify resources
Managing Shared Access
People with Access
The sharing dialog shows everyone who can access the plan: Owner Section:- Displays plan creator
- Shows their email
- Marked with “Owner” badge
- Cannot be removed
- Lists all people with shared access
- Shows email addresses
- Displays role (Viewer or Editor)
- Shows when access was granted
- Remove button for each user (owner/editor only)
Removing Access
Owners and editors can revoke shared access:- Open the sharing dialog
- Find the user in the “People with access” list
- Click the trash icon next to their name
- Confirm the removal
- User immediately loses access to the plan
- Plan disappears from their “My Plans” view
- Existing instances they created remain accessible
- They can no longer create new instances
Collaboration Workflows
Study Group Collaboration
Perfect for group study sessions:Instructor-Student Workflow
Great for classroom settings:When instructors update shared plans, existing student instances are not affected because instances snapshot resources at creation time. Students would need to create new instances to get updated resources.
Peer Review Workflow
Collaborate on plan quality:Public vs Private Plans
- Public Plans
- Private Plans
Public Plans
Visible to the entire Study Sync community:Features:- Appear in the public plans library
- Searchable by all users
- Anyone can create instances
- Track instance count (popularity metric)
- Great for building reputation
- Widely-taken courses (CS101, Calculus I)
- Community knowledge sharing
- Building a portfolio of quality plans
- Helping students in popular courses
- Cannot make private later (protect reversibility)
- Your name appears as creator
- Resource quality reflects on you
Public plans can still be shared with specific people who get edit permissions. “Public” just means anyone can view and create instances.
Email Invitations
When you share a plan, Study Sync sends an email invitation:Email Contents
- Subject: “[Name] shared a Study Sync plan with you”
- Plan Details: Course code and title
- Shared By: Who sent the invitation
- Role: Your permission level
- Call to Action: Link to view the plan
Recipient Experience
Existing User:- Clicks link in email
- Logs into Study Sync
- Plan appears in “My Plans” view
- Can immediately create an instance or edit (based on role)
- Clicks link in email
- Prompted to create account
- After signup, automatically has access to shared plan
- Plan appears in “My Plans” view
Collaboration Best Practices
Communication
- Coordinate Changes: Discuss major edits before making them
- Announce Updates: Let shared users know about new resources
- Use Descriptions: Keep plan description current
- Share Context: Explain why resources are included
Resource Curation
- Quality Over Quantity: Add valuable resources, not everything
- Verify URLs: Ensure all links work before sharing
- Check Accessibility: Resources should be available to all users
- Consider Audience: Match resources to group skill level
Permission Management
- Start Restrictive: Share as viewer, upgrade to editor if needed
- Review Regularly: Audit who has access periodically
- Remove When Done: Revoke access when collaboration ends
- Trust Editors: Only give edit access to trustworthy collaborators
Instance Independence
- Create Own Instances: Each person should have their own instance
- Customize Freely: Edit instances without affecting others
- Respect Deadlines: Set realistic deadlines for your pace
- Share Progress: Discuss what’s working in group sessions
Sharing Security
Email Privacy
Study Sync protects user privacy:- Email addresses only visible to plan owners/editors
- Viewers cannot see who else has access
- No public display of user emails
- Recipients can opt out of future invitations
Access Control
- Authentication Required: Must be logged in to access shared plans
- Permission Checks: Server validates permissions on every request
- Audit Trail: Track who made changes and when
- Revocable Access: Remove access instantly at any time
Data Protection
- Instance Privacy: Your progress is private to you
- Note Privacy: Your notes are never shared
- Plan Ownership: Original creator retains ownership
- Deletion Rights: Only owner can delete the plan
Next Steps
Study Plans
Learn how to create shareable study plans
Instances
Create personal instances from shared plans
Notifications
Stay updated on shared plan changes