Last Modified: Jul 14, 2021

Overview

In July and August, EAB will be releasing a set of new features to integrate Meeting Types into Staff Availability configuration and the student scheduling workflow. This will allows students to indicate how they want to meet with Staff for appointments.

Phase 1 - Configuration - July 20 (Enabled!)

The first phase is the configuration phase. Once enabled, staff will have a new selection box in their availability entries to specify what Meeting Types are offered. Because Meeting Types will be required, staff must select at least one to save the availability.

Open

Meeting Type Choices

At this time, the standard Meeting Types will be:

• In Person

• Virtual (e.g. Zoom)

• Email

• Phone (Student Calls Staff)

• Phone (Staff Calls Student)

Availability entries will now show with the allowable Meeting Types:

Open

Phase 2 - Release - August 3 (Enabled!)

The second phase is the release phase. Once enabled, students will now be able to see and specify Meeting Types for their appointments. Additionally, staff using the staff scheduler or appointment center will be able to specify Meeting Types for new appointments.

Students will have a new filter in the scheduler where they can select from the available Meeting Types. This filter is after they’ve chosen their appointment area (Care Unit) and service.

When an appointment is scheduled, the Meeting Type is displayed to staff:

Recommendations

Separate Instructions for Different Meeting Types

For staff that would like special instructions to display differently for different Meeting Types, it’s recommended that separate availability be created (with duplicate of date/time/location/services/etc.) with each Meeting Type and associated instructions specified separately. This is not a requirement as multiple Meeting Types can be added to the same availability.

Hybrid Availability

Staff that are working hybrid (some days at home, some days on campus) can utilize separate availability entries with separate Meeting Types to properly convey their availability. For example: Monday and Tuesday are from home so those availabilities would have Virtual, Phone, Email, Meeting Types, Wednesday and Thursday are on campus so those availabilities would have the In Person Meeting Type. When students scheduled for a Thursday meeting, only In Person would display as an option. Likewise if students filtered for only Virtual appointments, only Monday and Tuesday would show as available.

FAQ

Do I have to use Meeting Types?

Yes, Spartan Connect will have the Meeting Types functionality enabled once phase two is released. From that point forward, any appointment availability and appointments must specify a Meeting Type.

What will happen if I never update my availability to include a Meeting Type?

Availability not updated with at least one meeting type before the release of phase two will have the default Meeting Type of Virtual (e.g. Zoom) automatically specified.

Once enabled, where are Meeting Types required?

Meeting Types will be required to be selected in student and staff scheduling workflows, as well as in the Appointment Center when creating an appointment. Meeting Types are not required when submitting an Appointment Summary for an existing appointment or ad-hoc summary report.

Can I use a Meeting Type that’s not on the list?

If you have a justifiable need for a Meeting Type that is not currently an option, please reach out to SpartanConnect@sjsu.edu

Is there a default Meeting Type?

There is currently no concept of a default Meeting Type. If the student selects an availability that is associated with multiple Meeting Types, no Meeting Type is chosen for the student. Students are required to select a Meeting Type on the Appointment Confirmation page before being able to confirm the appointment.

However, any availability that does not have a meeting type specified before the release of phase two will have the default Meeting Type of Virtual (e.g. Zoom) automatically specified.

What’s the difference between the two “Phone” Meeting Types?

The Phone Meeting Type has been updated to clarify the person that will initiate the phone call.

An appointment with the Meeting Type of Phone (Student Calls Staff) will begin with the student calling the staff organizer. Staff should provide their phone number in the URL/Phone Number field in the availability listing so that it is associated with the appointment instance.

An appointment with the Meeting Type Phone (Staff Calls Student) will begin with the staff organizer (advisor, tutor, counselor, etc.) initiating the phone call to the student, either with a phone number provided specifically by the student or with a number from the student’s profile.