PimaConnect Calendar & Appointments
Why use the PimaConnect Calendar tool?
creates available appointment slots and/or office hours for your current students for the entire semester
provides the ability to share your individual PimaConnect calendar link with your students for easy access to scheduling
provides the student the option to select different types of appointments (virtual, in-person, phone call, etc.)
offers student registration for group sessions/events
If you are interested in syncing your work Google calendar with your PimaConnect calendar, follow the steps below.
TIPS: Students are only able to see events that you allow them to view. The PimaConnect calendar automatically blocks times on the PimaConnect calendar that conflict with your work Google Calendar. You will be able to view your PimaConnect appointment slots on your work calendar and see all work events on your PimaConnect calendar. If you ever need to delete something from your PimaConnect calendar, make sure you do it in PimaConnect and not from your Google work calendar.
Step 1: Setting your Appointment Preferences
Before you can schedule open appointment/office hour slots, you will need to set up your appointment preferences. You can follow the steps below or watch the short video.
Click on the hamburger icon in the top left corner (image of three horizontal lines)
Click on your name and go to "Appointment Settings." The settings you select in this area are the default and you can add or edit these settings when you build your office hours or appointments.
Select "minimum appointment length", and when you want the deadline for students to be able to schedule on your calendar. You can also allow it to be flexible and allow drop-ins after the deadline.
Move to Calendar Sync area. To sync your work Google calendar to PimaConnect, select box "Allow PimaConnect to read busy times from my Google Calendar."
IMPORTANT: paste your Google Calendar link in the identified area. If you don't know how to find this link in your work calendar, select the "click here" link for further instructions. This should only need to be done one time.
Add "My Locations" so students have different options when selecting where to meet. You can control which options they have but this area provides a way for you to pull different options into their view. You can also create special instructions that will display to the student on how to connect, prepare, what to bring, etc.
Step 2: Creating Office Hours & Student View of "Making an Appointment"
Now you are ready to build recurring office hours/appointment slots for your students to view. Review the brief descriptions below and then watch the short video to learn how to build "Office Hours." The video also provides an overview of what students see when they are scheduling an appointment within Office Hours.
Definitions of Appointment Types:
Office Hours: An instructor can add structured blocks of time labeled Office Hours (or a different title of your choosing) to their calendars to indicate when they are available to meet with students. You can add appointments outside the blocks, but students can only self-schedule within the block. Office Hours allow students to sign up for individual one-on-one slots within the time parameters entered by the calendar owner. You can also create special instructions that will display to the student on how to connect, prepare, what to bring, etc. For example, a student can view openings to set up an appointment each week from 3-5pm on a Wednesday for the entire semester.
Scheduling Wizard: This option allows an instructor to set up Office Hours that are less structured than above. For example, a student can view openings to set up an appointment that may only be available once or twice a semester on different days and times.
Appointments: WE RECOMMEND USING OFFICE HOURS INSTEAD OF THIS OPTION. Students may only schedule these in the future at times the instructor designates as available. You can schedule future appointments and create appointments to document past meetings.
Group Sessions: Groups sessions are like Office Hours, but more than one student can sign up for this block of time. An instructor decides how many students can sign up for each Group Session.
Once you have built your PimaConnect calendar office hours, you can send the calendar link to your students so they can schedule a time to meet with you. To find the link, go to "Appointment Preferences." Only students that are registered in your current semester courses will have access.
If you need more assistance or would like a live tutorial, please contact John Ocasio or Chris Rodriguez at pima-connect@pima.edu.