Advising Tech Tips: Get Started

Appointment Scheduling App

Scheduling App = Live Door Schedule Controlled via Outlook Calendar

Remember making a door schedule with the table and putting text in each cell for your classes and office hours. Then putting that door schedule on your door and in D2L at the start of the term. Our faculty schedule eliminates the need to schedule unchanging office hours that students typically don't see or use, but we still need to show our availability. The benefit of a scheduling app is you can change that schedule anytime by adjusting your Outlook calendar and post the schedule anywhere you can put a link or QR code. In the scheduling app description, you can tell students the best ways and times to contact you, and they may not make an appointment or need to given that information, but they know they can. As of December 2024, Bookings is the app you should use because it is an internal scheduling app that can access your Outlook Calendar. 

Bookings

• Bookings is one of our Microsoft Apps and that is the advantage, it is capable of many things including texting your students reminders of their appointment and having more than one appointment link like one for in-person and one for virtual. It is part of your Outlook already and you won't get emails asking you to upgrade.
• Being a Microsoft App happens to be the disadvantage too, it is complicated, as it could be used by a business with many staff and appointment types. (Don't select "Add Online Meetings" or it will auto-generate a Teams link if you use Zoom for your meetings. On the other hand, Bookings can automatically generate a Teams link so you don't have to use Zoom). 
• See this quick video below about making a Bookings link in Nashville State Outlook and try this accompanying Bookings link.

Additional Bookings Help

• Our Teaching Center Professional Development Library has Recorded Zoom Training Videos about Scheduling Apps. 
  • Search for
    • Advanced Session – Using Scheduling Apps (51 min): If you have been using a scheduling app, join us to learn how to make it work better for you and students with Q&A. Special focus on Bookings. Presenters: Jessica Rabb and Jay Chambers
• Because Bookings is one of our Microsoft apps there is in-house tech support available.
  • Nashville State TSD supports the use of Bookings. You can ask the ServiceDesk@nscc.edu for help.
• Access LinkedIn Learning to learn more about Bookings (Under myNSCC Quick Picks).
• ​​​​​​​
• You can also google "Bookings Office Hours" and find tutorials online from other colleges and here is a teacher's video on using Bookings for meetings. 

QR Codes

Create a Quick Response (QR) code for your appointment link that can be placed on your office door and other locations to make accessing your appointment link easier when clicking a link is less feasible. Watch this video (5:00) for more information. 

Outlook Calendar

Keeping your Outlook Calendar updated with times you are NOT AVAILABLE during your business day makes using any Appointment App so much easier for you. It helps you set reasonable boundaries. Outlook will communicate with Calendly and Bookings and remind you via Outlook email and notifications that you have upcoming meetings.

• Putting an Outlook App on your phone can help remind you of upcoming meetings as you will receive notifications.
• Need Outlook Calendar Tips? Access LinkedIn Learning through myNSCC (Under Quick Picks).

Email Signatures

You may update your email signature in Outlook and D2L to include your appointment link and other information that you think may save you and students time. 

• In Outlook, go to Settings --> Mail --> Compose and Reply
• In D2L, go to Email -->  Settings

Sample Signature

Jessica Rabb, PhD

Professor of Biology

School of STEM

Nashville State Community College

On-Campus Contact: White Bridge Road Campus • Office K-219 and 615-353-4383

Off-Campus Contact: jessica.rabb@nscc.edu • Zoom Link (by appointment only) • 803-720-9838 (call or text)

Click here to schedule an appointment with me (Zoom, phone, or in-person)

Helpful College Links for Students

Contacts (e.g. Financial Aid) • Supports (e.g. Wellness) • Learning Center

Communicate Early and Often

Communication Tips

In pre-term, send students in classes, advisees, organizations, programs a welcome email with...

• your appointment link and other contact info
• syllabus preview
• welcome survey (Google Forms)
• video intro to you, course, program etc. (Yuja in D2L, ScreenCastify, PowerPoint)
• helpful links such as
  • Nashville State Contacts (like Financial Aid)
  • Nashville State Beyond Financial Aid Support (like Campus Cupboard and Counseling)
  • Student Success Center Link (Success Advisor Contacts)
  • NSCC Jumpstart (short video tutorials to help students get started on topics like Outlook email and D2L access--shared with NSCC 1010 students, but may be shared with any student)

Class/Advisee Email List

You can find your class/advisee email list in myNSCC. Follow these steps: 

• Class: My Self Service --> Faculty Services --> Detail or Summary Class List
• Advisees: My Self Service --> Faculty Services --> Student Information Menu --> Advisee Listing 

At the bottom of the list click “Email class” or “Email your advisees.” If nothing happens (especially if off campus), see the following video for how to find your email list when using Google Chrome.

Note 1: By default, Outlook needs semicolons as the email address separator.

Note 2: BCC the email list.

Note 3: The class/advisee email list is a mixture of personal and @my.nscc.edu emails depending on which email the student prefers. Due to FERPA, do not share personal academic information using a personal email, use the student’s @my.nscc.edu email or D2L email. 

Advisee Email List from Excel File

You may receive an Excel file with and updated list of currently enrolled advisees. To convert this list into an Outlook friendly list do the following: Copy the Excel column of email addresses. Paste them into a blank Microsoft Word document, selecting the ‘Keep text only’ paste option. Click the ‘Replace’ button on the Home tab. In the ‘Find’ box enter ^p. ( “^” = Shift-6). In the ‘Replace’ box type in a semicolon. Click the ’Replace All,’ hit OK to close the Find/Replace dialogue box. Copy the resultant text into the BCC line of your Outlook email.

Communication Modes

Email, Text, Phone, Zoom, Teams

Email

• Outlook email 
  • Encourage your students/advisees to check their Outlook email (@my.nscc.edu). If they are not sure how, or are having trouble with the Multi-Factor Authentication, ask them to contact the TSD Service Desk: servicedesk@nscc.edu or call 629-353-3678
• D2L email
  • You can forward your D2L email to your Outlook email to help you notice new D2L emails. Go to email settings. Note: you still need to return to D2L to reply to the email.

Text

Google Voice App

• You can text students without using your personal cell phone number using the Google Voice App (Instructions). 
• You can text via the website or phone app.
• Click student’s name in myNSCC to reach their phone number (usually a cell number these days). 

Remind App

• The Remind App allows you text an entire class at once, if the students opt in via a link you share.
• You could use this app for your advisees too, as if they were a class.
• The app protects privacy of your phone number and student phone numbers.
• Using Remind App for Chat/Text is free for educators.
• You can use Remind App from the website or phone app.

Phone

Picking up the phone can be the most direct and simplest way to communicate. So, if off campus during the business day, be prepared to share your cell number, Google Voice number, or use Teams (see below) which has a call function. You can have your office phone forwarded to your personal phone (contact TSD helpdesk). Put appropriate phone info that works for you in your email signature.

Zoom

Put your personal Zoom room link in multiple places to make reaching you via Zoom more likely, such as in your email signature, Appointment App information, and D2L instructor information. You can customize your personal Zoom room link in your Zoom Profile. Note: Faculty may not have Nashville State Zoom accounts permanently. 

Teams

Teams is one of our Microsoft Apps. If you are in the habit of opening Teams when you open Outlook, you can chat, audio call, or video call, any Nashville State colleague that has also opened Teams. More and more of us are doing that with the switch to Teams for committee meetings and internal college work. You have a personal meeting room link in Teams, and could use it instead of Zoom.

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Click on the Calendar icon on the left side of the Teams window.
3. Click the Meet Now button at the top right corner of the calendar.
4. Click Get a link to share to get your personal meeting room link (virtual office link) 
5. Click Configure Options to adjust setting

Questions or Suggestions?

For more information about this page contact Jessica.Rabb@nscc.edu (last updated December 2024)