Using Google Calendar with Zoom

By Shannon Gibson, Associate Professor (Teaching), Department of Political Science and International Relations – May 3, 2020

 

In usual circumstances, managing office hours is pretty simple – pick the block, post the block, wait for students in office. Obviously online teaching changes that whole format, so I’d like to share some tips on how you might manage Zoom office hour appointments. For about 3 years now I’ve been conducting my office hours “by appointment only” in order to avoid a hefty commute to campus just to sit in a lonely office and have not students show up (well, of course until midterm and finals week). I’ve found using an appointment scheduler to be very handy for my own organization and in terms of holding students accountable to the appointments they make, so I’d like to share how it’s done.

 

1. Create a new calendar in Google Calendar. You will want to do this so as to keep your personal calendar events private from your students. I like to be open with them, but they certainly don’t need to know when I have a colleague happy hour or my dog is getting groomed. Make sure you label this something obvious (example: USC SGibson Course Calendar). I also find it useful to add important course dates to this calendar and then I share the link in Blackboard for them to access it.

 

2. Add the Zoom Plug In to Google Calendar. This is such a handy function. Once installed you will be able to schedule Zoom meetings directly from Google calendar. Also when appointments are booked by students, they will have direct access to the login link and passwords. This is great as it prevents them from having to search for the link in an email.

 

3. Schedule your Appointment Slots.

    • Next go to your Calendar (see picture 3.i below) and select the day you want to add an office hour block. Click in the middle of that day’s column to pull up the “add event” pop up.
    • When the event details box appears, select “Appointment slots” on the far right.
    • Fill in your details and select “Make it a Zoom meeting” (see picture 3.iii below) This will now ensure that when a student books their appointment, it goes on their calendar and provides them the zoom information.
    • I suggest making the appointment slots slightly longer than you anticipate, so you have some buffer room to ensure student’s do not butt in on one another in the Zoom room.

4. Share your Appointment Calendar with Students (also detailed in the link above).

    • Go to your own Appointment Calendar. Copy the link in the web browser.
    • Open up Blackboard, then create a weblink in the folder of your choosing (I put it in my Contacts and Syllabus tab) and paste it there for students to access (see picture 4.ii below).
    • Provide clear instructions for them on appointment conduct. For example, I make sure they know they need to book at least 24 hours in advance and I ask them to add a “reason for the meeting” in the description section when they book. That way I’m prepared and have whatever information at hand they may need. I also make sure they know that to cancel an appointment last minute is not a good look.

5. Set your calendar alerts to your preferences. I like to get a heads up when a student books an appointment, so I have mine set to ping me in my phone app when a new appointment is booked.

 

I’d like to add a final note on the importance of maintaining face-to-face contact with our students, not only through finals, but throughout summer and going into Fall.  In the last two months, I’ve found myself having to add more and more hours to my calendar for students to choose from. As I attended each of these successive meetups, it is clear they are craving contact and a listening ear. I also quickly realized that many students didn’t necessarily need anything from me. In a lot of cases they wanted reassurance — to make sure they had the material under control, to know that they understood the testing format, or to simply talk about their experiences and struggles. I truly do think it’s crucial for us to be available for our students as we wrap up this tumultuous semester. As we shift our gazes beyond this semester, it could be that these small connections will be the make or break moments that encourage a student to attend online courses in the summer or recommit them to returning to USC in the Fall.

 

Images of Selected Steps Above

 

Step 3.i – Professor View of Appointment Calendar

 

 

Step 3.iii – Setting an Appointment Block

 

 

Step 4.ii Student View