Use Appointment Groups to Host Virtual Office Hours

Last updated on October 19, 2021

Office hours are a hallmark of higher education and as you move to online, you will likely want to continue offering this option to students.

Canvas has a tool built in to the Calendar to make this task more manageable. By using Appointment Groups, you can easily implement a way for student’s to sign up for appointments with you during a set time.

Directions

1. Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
2. Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
3. Log in to your Canvas Account.
4. Click Calendar on the global navigation bar to the left.
5. Click  the + Icon in the upper right. The Edit Event window opens.
6. Select the Appointment Group tab.
7. Type the Name of the Event or Meeting in the Name box.
8. Type the location of the event or meeting into the Location Box.
9. Click the Select Calendars button.
10. Assign the Event to the correct course(s).
11. Click the Arrow next to each course to expand options within that course to include specific sections or groups.
    • Click Done.
12. Select whether you wish Students to Sign Up in Groups.
13. Select the desired date(s) under Date.
    • Enter the time range for the appropriate date under Time Range.
      • Note: Set the standard Time of appointments within that range, and click Go to automatically create individual events/appointments.
14. Select the appropriate Options  as you see fit:
    • Limit each time slot
      • Set the Number of Students to allow for each time slot.
    • Allow students to see who has signed up for slots still available
      • Limit participants
      • Set the Amount of appointments each student can attend.
15. Type any additional details in the Details Box.
16. Click Publish.