Easy Student Appointment Scheduling with Canvas Calendar
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Do you remember the Signup tool in Sakai? Did you know there is a similar tool in Canvas that can help you schedule your office hours, presentation sign-ups, and anything else requiring students to schedule a time with you?
With the Scheduler tool in Canvas Calendar, you can easily set a range or multiple ranges of time (e.g., 2 hr windows twice a week) and allow students to sign up for shorter blocks of time within that range (e.g, 10, 15, or 20-minute blocks.) You can allow multiple students to sign up for a given appointment or limit them to one at a time. These appointments will automatically update the Calendar and can provide email notifications to you and your students too. Students and instructors can edit and cancel appointments if necessary.
This article will cover the basics of creating an appointment group using the Scheduler tool in Canvas. It will also offer some sample language for showing your students how to sign up for an appointment slot with you.
How to use the Scheduler Tool in Canvas
Where is the Scheduler located?
The Scheduler tool is found in the Calendar, in the blue global navigation menu on far left of your Canvas display.
What is an Appointment Group?
Using the Scheduler tool is the same thing as creating a type of Calendar event called an “Appointment group.” An appointment group is the type of event that lets students sign up for appointments within a range of time. To create an appointment group, first we will have to create a new event in the Calendar.
How to Create an Appointment Group
1. Open the Calendar.
2. Create a new Appointment group by clicking on the plus sign in the top left.
3. “Create a New Event” Button, with the Plus Sign, at the top right of the screen.
4. Open the “Appointment Groups” tab. You will see the Scheduler Tool.
5. Give your appointment group name and location, and details if necessary. (Pro Tip: If doing an online meeting, you can add the link to your Zoom room in the location field.)
6. Under “Calendar”, click “Select Calendar.” Check the boxes next to any of the courses you wish to offer this appointment group for.
7. Choose a range of time to offer your appointment group. This can include multiple time slots on the same day or on multiple days. Every time you add a range, a new field for a range will open beneath it.
8. In the “Divide into equal slots of ____ minutes” field, choose the length you want each individual appointment to be. These can be as long or as short as you would like.
9. In “Options”, edit other preferences as necessary.
You can limit each slot to one user, or choose a number for more if doing group meetings, etc.
You can also allow students to see who has signed up for other slots, and to limit participants to attend one or more meetings (by default, participants are limited to one meeting.)
One final useful setting: if your Canvas course uses student groups, you can check the box beneath the “Calendar” field that allows you to sign up for appointments in groups.
If you need to communicate instructions or information for the appointment, you can place it in the “Details” field.
Your finished appointment group might look something like this:
10. Click "Publish."
If you plan to use the Scheduler, it may be useful to give your students these instructions for scheduling an appointment with you.
Instructions on Signing Up for an Appointment in Canvas
1. Go to your Calendar in the blue left-hand global navigation menu.
2. Make sure the class calendar for the course is active (the checkbox next to it should be filled with solid color – if empty, click to activate it).
3. Above the Calendar list, below “Appointments”, click the “Find Appointment” button.
4. Select our course from the Dropdown box to locate the course, then click Submit.
5. Choose the appointment you want to sign up for from the Calendar.
6. Click one of the available appointment slots, add any comments (if desired), and click Reserve.
7. You and your instructor will see an email, and your appointment will appear on your Calendar.
8. If you need to change your appointment, click on it in the Calendar to open the appointment details and click “Un-Reserve” at the bottom.
If you would like to see a step-by-step outline of this process, you can visit the following Canvas resource: How do I sign up for a Scheduler appointment in the Calendar? (Links to an external site.)
Additional Resources
For more resources on using the Scheduler tool, visit the following resources:
How do I add a Scheduler appointment group in a course calendar? (Links to an external site.)
How do I view or edit a Scheduler appointment group in the Calendar? (Links to an external site.)
How do I sign up for a Scheduler appointment in the Calendar as a Student? (Links to an external site.)