Canvas Scheduler is the perfect tool to create a block of time for office hours. It allows students (or groups) to sign up for appointment times in their own calendars.
Add Event
In Global Navigation (Canvas left-hand side menu) click Calendar. Then, either click the date on which you want to schedule your office hours or click the Add icon (i.e. the plus sign in the top right hand corner).
In the new window that opens, click the Appointment Group tab.
- Type the name of the appointment in the name field [1] and the location of the appointment in the location field [2]. (It can be your virtual office hours Zoom link.)
- Click the Select Calendars button [3]. Select the course(s) or section(s) where you want to show the appointment group to show, then click the Done button.
- If you have at least one group set in your course, you can have students sign up in groups by clicking the Have students sign up in groups checkbox [4]. (Select the name of the group category you want to use for the group signup from the list.)
- In the date field [1], enter the date of the appointment. (You can also select a date by clicking the Calendar icon.)
- Set the time range for the appointment by typing in the time range field [2]. (Note: you can set up the appointments for multiple days at once!)
- Split the time range into multiple time slots by entering the division time into the time field [3]. Then click the Go button [4].
- You should now see a list of your appointments. You can manually change any appointment time created by the division and if you want you can remove an appointment time by clicking the Remove icon.
Note: The appointment date, time range, and appointment slots cannot be modified after the appointment group is saved. However, additional dates, time ranges, and appointment slots can be added to the original appointment group.
- In the Options, you can limit how many users can sign up for a time slot by clicking the Limit each time slot checkbox and typing the number of time slots in the limit field [1]. If you selected the option to have students sign up in groups, this field reads as Limit each time slot for x groups.
- To make the appointment slots public to students in the course, click the Allow students to see who has signed up for time slots that are still available checkbox [2]. Selecting this option also allows students to see comments other students add to their appointments.
- If you want to limit the number of appointments available, click the Limit participants to attend [number] appointment(s) checkbox [3].
Note: When using the group signup option, only one group member needs to sign up for a time slot on behalf of their group. Each member in the group will see the appointment on their own group calendar
- If you want to add details about the appointment group, type them in the details field at the bottom.
- Click Publish button.
- View the appointment dates and times in your course calendar. Time slots that have been reserved by students will show as a solid color.
Note: If you added an appointment group to more than one course, appointment slots only display in the calendar for the first course shown in the appointment group.
View and Edit Appointments
- To open an appointment group, click any time slot in the target appointment group [1] and in the appointment window that opens, click the Group Details button [2].
Note: At this point you can also delete and individual appointment slot by clicking the Delete button [3]. You can also click the Edit button [4] to edit the description of the appointment slot or limit the slot to a specific number of users. (Changing either of these values in an individual time slot does not affect the description or user signup limit for the entire group.)
- In the Appointment Group details page, you can edit the name of the group [1]. You can add new appointment group sets and additional time slots to the entire group [2], and you can add or modify the assignment group location [3], group details [4], and group options [5].
- To delete the appointment group, click the Delete Group button [6]. Please note this option does not provide a warning and cannot be undone. Deleting the group will also delete any appointments that have been reserved by students.
- To save changes in the appointment group, click the Save button [7].
- At the bottom of the Appointment Group details page, you can view all appointments in the group. Each time slot shows the date and time and whether or not the time slot is available. You can also view the name of each student who signed up for the time slot.
- If you want to send a message to students in the appointment group, click the Message Students button. You can send a message to all users in the appointment group, users who haven’t signed up for a time slot, and users who have signed up.
Important: Students need to click the “Find Appointment” button in their calendar to see the time slots you’ve created. (For more information see How do I sign up for a Scheduler appointment in the Calendar?Links to an external site. in the Student Canvas Guide.)
Additional Resources / Sources
Canvas Instructor Guide How do I add a Scheduler appointment group in a course calendar? and How do I view or edit a Scheduler appointment group in a course calendar?