Here’s the goal: create a signup sheet that lets you designate your blocks of office hours, from which distance students can request specific time slots.

Here’s an example of what I am talking about:

Feel free to try clicking on one of the unused time slots for dates already past to see what happens.

1. Browse to Google Calendar

2. You need to be logged in with your ODU MIDAS account.

   Click the picture/silhouette in the upper right corner.

   

   If it does not pop up with your @odu.edu email address, then sign out and sign back in with your ODU MIDAS credentials.

3. Click the Settings icon.

   

4. Under Add calendar, select Create new calendar

   

5. Name your calendar, check the time zone, the click Create calendar.

   

6. Refresh your screen (F5 or Ctrl-R). You should see your new calendar in the list on the left.

   

7. Click the $\leftarrow$ in the top-left corner to return to your main calendar view.

   If your new calendar does not have a check mark next to it, click to add one.

   

1. In Zoom, set up a block of time for office hours.

   • Set it up as a recurring meeting, extending far enough into the future to cover the semester.

     Don’t worry about matching the exact times of your office hours. You’ll be able to reuse the same meeting URL as long as there’s at least one recurrence left in the future.

   • Activate the waiting room feature so that students can’t wander into your session while you are still talking to a different student.

   • Get the link for students to join the meeting handy.

2. In Google calendar, select a day and time at which you want to offer office hours.

   Click at the beginning of your chosen time and drag the mouse down for the length of time that you want to set aside.

   

   When you release your mouse, an event box will pop up.

   

3. Type a title.

Make sure that the calendar listed is your new office hours calendar. Don’t Save yet.

1. In the Location box, paste the link to join your Zoom office hours session.

2. Click Appointment Slots.

   Fill in an appropriate value for the duration.

   

   Click “Save”.

3. Click on your newly scheduled block of time.

   A description will pop up.

   

4. See the link that says “Go to appointment page for this calendar”?

   That’s the address that you need to publish to your students.

   Click on that, then copy and paste the URL from the browser’s address bar into your syllabus, a Blackboard announcement, or some other place where your students can easily find it when they want to meet with you.

   When students visit that URL, they will see something like this: