Admins can now track attendance for Office Hours appointment blocks, which are non-bookable sessions intended for open student drop-ins. This enhancement allows for more accurate engagement tracking and supports improved administrative reporting.
Table of Contents
- Key Features and Updates
- Admin Interface Enhancements
- Logging Attendance & Smart Defaults
- Notification and Calendar Behavior
- Overlapping Appointments Support
Key Features and Updates
New "Track Attendance" Action
A new Track Attendance button is now available for Office Hours appointment blocks. This tool enables administrators to document which students attended drop-in sessions, directly improving visibility into student engagement.
This button is accessible to:
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The admin user (adviser) associated with the Office Hours block
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Users with the School Administrator user role
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When selected, this button opens the Book Appointment form with smart defaults and logic enhancements designed for efficiency.
Admin Interface Enhancements
Accessing the "Track Attendance" Feature
To record attendance:
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Navigate to an existing Office Hours block in the Appointments module
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Select the Track Attendance button associated with the block
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The Book Appointment form will open, pre-filled with relevant details
- Fill the remaining required fields and click Book Appointment
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Logging Attendance & Smart Defaults
Auto-Populated Appointment Details
When the Book Appointment form is launched via the Track Attendance button:
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- The Date field will be auto-populated based on the date the block is being hosted
- The Student field allows manual entry to associate the appropriate attendee
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If the block contains only a single option for Location and Appointment Type (e.g. Virtual and Resume Review), those fields will be auto-populated. Otherwise, the admin/adviser will need to select the appropriate location and type from the drop-down menus.
If your institution uses the standard Attendance field, these appointments will be automatically marked as Attended (green check-mark) upon creation.
This streamlined experience reduces administrative overhead and ensures attendance is accurately captured.
Notification and Calendar Behavior
Non-Intrusive Attendance Recording
Appointments created via the Track Attendance tool:
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Do not send notifications to students or admins
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Do not sync to any calendar systems
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This ensures Office Hours tracking remains an internal administrative process without disrupting users or their schedules.
Overlapping Appointments Support
Admins can now create overlapping appointments within an Office Hours block. This allows admins to capture multiple students attending during the same time period.
Note: This feature only applies to Office Hours. The standard appointment overlap rules remain in place for all other appointment types.