Making virtual meetings and office hours actually work

Eric and Marty talk about how to make virtual meetings effective with students and colleaguesThe New Normal – Virtual Office HoursHow virtual office hours are becoming more common post-pandemic.Benefits: Accessibility for online/hybrid students, schedule flexibility for faculty.Tech tools that support flexible scheduling (Calendly, Bookings, Google Appointment Slots).Best practices:- Set clear boundaries (availability, response times).- Use waiting rooms to manage multiple students.- Record office hour sessions if needed (with permission) for follow-up.- Offer a mix of synchronous and asynchronous options.Calendly – https://calendly.com/ Microsoft Bookings – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/bookings Zoom – https://zoom.us/ Google Meet – https://meet.google.com/ Reducing Repeat Questions Before They HappenFAQ documents and pinned announcements as the first line of defense.LMS-integrated Q&A boards (Canvas Discussions, Blackboard Forums, Moodle Forums).Use AI or chatbots (Piazza, Packback, or even ChatGPT-based FAQ bots).Benefits: saves time, encourages peer learning, builds classroom community.Piazza – https://piazza.com/ Canvas Discussions – https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-create-a-discussion-as-an-instructor/ta-p/1029 Notion – https://www.notion.so/ Google Docs – https://docs.google.com/Meetings with Colleagues – Making Collaboration ClickAvoiding calendar chaos: set recurring meetings, share calendar visibility.Use shared agendas (Google Docs, OneNote, Notion) to keep things focused.Screen sharing for collaborative editing, reviewing student work together. Alternatives to meetings: Asynchronous check-ins via Slack, Teams, Loom.Loom – https://www.loom.com/ Slack – https://slack.com/ Microsoft Teams – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software Doodle – https://doodle.com/ Pro Tips – Keeping Virtual Time ProductiveHave students submit a quick form ahead of office hours (topic, question).Use breakout rooms if multiple students show up.Share a weekly 'top questions' summary with answers.Offer optional 'co-working' sessions—open Zooms for quiet work and drop-ins.Your Tech TakeawaysSet structured virtual availability, and stick to it.Lean on discussion boards and FAQs to cut down on repeat questions.Don’t underestimate the value of asynchronous tools.Faculty-to-faculty virtual meetings thrive on shared documents and clear agendas.Links & ResourcesCalendly – https://calendly.com/ Piazza – https://piazza.com/ Loom – https://www.loom.com/ Google Forms – https://forms.google.com/ Notion – https://www.notion.so/ Microsoft Bookings – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/bookings Email: [email protected] Website: ThePodTalk.Net