Classes

Jamf Pro allows you to create classes for use with Apple’s Classroom app and Jamf Teacher. When you create a class in Jamf Pro, you use a payload-based interface to configure settings to apply to teacher and student computers and iPads. These settings are then applied to the devices in a class for use with Apple’s Classroom app and Jamf Teacher.

In addition, you can use an assistant in Jamf Pro to import classes created in Apple School Manager and configure them to be used with Apple's Classroom app and Jamf Teacher. When you import a class to Jamf Pro, you also import the users associated with the class.

Class Payloads

The payloads you choose to configure for the class depend on if your environment uses Shared iPad. The following table explains the payloads you can configure in Classes:

Payload

Description

General

This payload allows you to enter a display name and description for a class.

Students

This payload allows you to add students to a class.

Student User Groups

This payload allows you to add student user groups to a class.

Teachers

This payload allows you to add teachers to a class.

Teacher User Groups

This payload allows you to add teacher user groups to a class.

Mobile Device Groups

This payload allows you to add mobile device groups to a class.

App Usage Restrictions

This payload allows you to restrict which apps are available to a student.

Shared iPad only

Home Screen Layout

This payload allows you to configure the layout of the Dock and the pages on the student iPad.

Shared iPad only

Apple's Classroom App Class Configuration

When creating a class for Apple's Classroom app, you can configure settings for the following environments:

  • Environment with Shared iPad—

    In this environment, you add a student user group that contains students with Managed Apple IDs to a class. You also add a mobile device group that contains Shared iPad devices. You assign the teacher to an iPad or computer in Jamf Pro, and then add the teacher to the class (either as an individual user or as a user group).

    In addition, you can include app usage restrictions and Home screen layout settings to customize the student experience on the iPad.

  • Environment without Shared iPad—

    In this environment, you assign each student to an iPad in Jamf Pro. Then, you add the students (either as individual users or as a user group) to a class. You assign the teacher to an iPad or computer in Jamf Pro, and then add the teacher to the class (either as an individual user or as a user group).

  • Environment with computers—

    In this environment, you assign a student to a computer in Jamf Pro. Then, you add the students to a class (either as individual users or as a user group). You assign the teacher to an iPad or computer in Jamf Pro, and then add the teacher to the class (either as an individual user or as a user group).

    Note:

    When assigning a student or teacher to a computer in Jamf Pro, you must ensure that the username in Jamf Pro matches the username of the MDM-enabled user on the computer.

When you create a class for use with Apple's Classroom app, Jamf Pro automatically installs an associated EDU profile on the teacher and student devices. This profile allows student and teacher devices to communicate. It also ensures that students can log in to a Shared iPad device if Shared iPad has been enabled on the iPad.

Classes Imported from Apple School Manager

You can automatically create classes in Jamf Pro by importing classes from Apple School Manager. When you integrate with Apple School Manager, you configure a class naming format by choosing variables that are applied to the display name for all imported classes. In addition, the Students payload and Teachers payload for imported classes are automatically populated with the information imported from Apple School Manager.

An assistant in Jamf Pro guides you through the process of importing classes from Apple School Manager. It allows you to choose the class you want to import from a list of classes in Apple School Manager. When you import a class, you also import the users associated with the class. This automatically creates new users in Jamf Pro and appends inventory information to existing users. For information about users imported from Apple School Manager, see Importing Users to Jamf Pro from Apple School Manager.

Note:

If a user is added to a class in Apple School Manager after the class has been imported, the user is imported to Jamf Pro and matched with existing users at the configured sync time based on the criteria for matching imported users from Apple School Manager. If there is no match, the imported user is added to Jamf Pro as a new user in the Users tab.

After a class is imported, class information is updated automatically based on the Apple School Manager Sync Time.

For more information about class naming, matching criteria for importing users, and Sync Time, see Apple School Manager Integration.

General Requirements

If you are creating a class to work with Apple's Classroom app and Jamf Teacher, you need the following:

  • Apple Education Support enabled in Jamf Pro. (For more information, see Apple Education Support Settings.)

  • Teacher assigned to an iPad or computer in Jamf Pro. If using student computers in a class, the student must be assigned to the computer. (For more information, see User Assignments.)

    Note:

    When assigning a student or teacher to a computer in Jamf Pro, you must ensure that the username in Jamf Pro matches the username of the MDM-enabled user on the computer. For more information about enabling MDM for users, see the following:

In addition, you must ensure that teacher and student devices meet the minimum device requirements for use with Apple’s Classroom app. For more information about device requirements, see Classroom requirements in Apple's Classroom User Guide.

To import class information from Apple School Manager, you need the following:

  • Jamf Pro integrated with Apple School Manager (For more information, see Apple School Manager Integration.)

  • A Jamf Pro user account with the "Users" and "Classes" privileges

Configuring a Class

  1. In Jamf Pro, click Computers , Devices , or Users at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Click Classes.
  3. To create a new class, click New and do the following:
    1. Use the General payload to enter a display name and description for the class.

      If you specify a Class Description Format when integrating with Apple School Manager, the Description field is not editable.

      Note:

      The description for the class is not synced from Jamf Pro to Apple School Manager.

    2. Add students to the class using the Students payload or the Student User Groups payload.
    3. Add teachers to the class using the Teachers payload or the Teacher User Groups payload.
  4. To import class information from Apple School Manager, click Import and do the following:
    1. Follow the onscreen instructions to import class information.
      Note:

      If you are importing a large number of classes (e.g., 10,000), a progress bar is displayed in the assistant during the import process. You can click Done and perform other management tasks while the import takes place.

      If you import users from Apple School Manager that match current users in Jamf Pro, you can choose to match the imported user with the current user, or create a new user in Jamf Pro with the information imported from Apple School Manager.

    2. Click Done.

      Class information is imported to Jamf Pro, and user information is applied in the Users tab.

      If you have site access only, classes are imported to your site only.

    3. Click the class you imported, and then click Edit to add devices and optional Shared iPad payloads to the class.
  5. Add computers or mobile devices to the class by doing the following:

    • Add mobile device groups to the class using the Mobile Device Groups payload.

    • Add computers to the class by adding students that are assigned to computers.

  6. (Optional) If your environment uses Shared iPad, do the following:
    1. Use the App Usage Restrictions payload to restrict which apps are available to users on Shared iPad.
    2. Use the Home Screen Layout payload to configure the layout of the Dock and the pages on the iPad.
  7. Click Save .
Note:

  • If you change the site of a class, devices in the class are removed from the class. Users that are not already added to the new site are also removed from the class.

  • Deleting a class also deletes the EDU profile from devices in the class.