The appointment lot feature of Google Calendar has always been one of our favorite tools, and its use was particularly important over the past few semesters. We are excited to share that Google has rolled out a brand new version of appointment slots called “Appointment Schedules”. If you are an avid appointment slot user, you are definitely going to want to check out this upgrade. If you haven’t tried appointment slots yet, now would be the perfect time to try out this new system.
The Google appointment schedule is meant to be a cleaner, more personalized scheduling system than the original appointment slots. You can create multiple appointment schedules for different purposes, and each schedule will display its own customized landing page. When participants sign up for an appointment with you, they can see what the appointment is for, where it’s being held, and any other information you’d like to share with them at the outset.
The new scheduling feature is considered “smart” in that it will automatically adjust your availability based on other events on your calendar. In the past, appointment slots would have to be manually changed if you had a conflicting event. Now, with the new appointment schedule, you can set up your appointment calendar anytime and Google will automatically remove any slots if you schedule something during that time. Additional features such as buffer times and automatic appointment closings help manage your calendar to avoid overscheduling.
Appointment schedules will eventually replace the appointment slot feature, but for the time being, the new system is “opt in”. You can find out more about how to enable and use this new feature by watching this video tutorial or by emailing teachtech@conncoll.edu to set up an appointment with the Instructional Technology Team. (Heads up – you’ll probably be booking that appointment on our shiny new Google Appointment Schedules!)