Scheduling Virtual Office Hours
Eric Belt, Ed.D., shares a tip on giving students a sense of agency in scheduling virtual office hour meetings in this short. By using a tool like Calendly, instructors can share their availability via a hyperlink for the next 7, 30, 60, or more days with students in real-time. Calendly integrates with Outlook and Zoom as well as other email clients and videoconferencing software. Changes that ebb and flow in instructors' email calendars are reflected in Calendly so the tool is always current when students view the schedule. Calendly offers one free calendar connection and active event that is perfect for virtual office hours.
To set this up: First, create a free account in Calendly by logging in with Google or Microsoft. Next, navigate to Integrations—Zoom (or the videoconferencing app of your choice) and connect these software applications. Note: Zoom admin privileges may be required to complete the integration, contact your IT helpdesk for support. Finally, in Calendly, create an event (e.g., a 30-minute meeting), define the parameters (i.e., when people can book the event), optionally add invitee questions, and customize the booking link (e.g., https://calendly.com/eric-belt/30min). Share this hyperlink with your students in your syllabus or course announcements. You will receive event notifications via email when a student books a meeting and the appointment with the Zoom details will be automatically added to your calendar.
Calendly with Zoom Integration Inforgraphic: https://tinyurl.com/mt6xu62p
Tips, Tricks, and Beta Bits Vlog: https://tinyurl.com/2p9xydsy