(Note: a previous version of this blog post discussed Google appointment slots. This feature is being replaced by the feature “appointment schedule.” This post has been modified to reflect that change).
Google has created a new powerful scheduling tool called appointment schedules! This tool differs from other scheduling tools as it works best when you don’t know who you are going to meet but want to show your availability. For example, a professor who has open office hours but wants to meet with just one student at a time might find appointment schedules to be a good scheduling option.
An example of an appointment schedule webpage
Google Workspace Learning Center has instructions for how to create a Google appointment schedule.
It should be noted that you also must turn on Google Schedule in settings. To do so, click the settings icon on the top right of the screen, then click “appointment schedules” on the sidebar. From there, you can toggle between the “Create appointment schedules instead of appointment slots.” However, when Google Slots is replaced, this option will automatically select “schedules.”
All appointment schedule time slots can be found through the appointment schedule owner’s personal link. An easy way to share your personal appointment schedule is through your Moodle page or an email signature. To find your schedule link, click “open booking page”, then “share”, then copy the link.
Where to find the share link in appointment schedule
For students, to sign up for appointment schedule times, you can simply ask for a link to someone’s appointment schedule. After getting their appointment schedule link, you can choose however many appointments you want to make and click save. The appointments will show up in your Google Calendar like any other event. If you need to cancel your appointment, click your appointment time and under the section Going?, click no.
This tool is exclusive to school and work emails but luckily all Carleton emails are school emails. While you could just have individual Google Calendar events to schedule meetings, appointment schedules are much more efficient and intuitive. Hopefully this post helped you!
This article was updated by Alex Tananbaum on 11/08/2023.