Remote teaching has quickly gone from a luxurious option to a must. Due to the pandemic, it has been introduced on each level of education: and the change happened almost overnight.

Switching from regular classes and schooling to online-based remote teaching was definitely a big jump. Yet, technology has supported education for years by now. This trend will only get stronger after the pandemic.

We can find a variety of solutions that support teachers and administration staff. Some tools were designed especially for teachings, like digital boards and school portals. Other software turned out to be useful also in the education area, just like systems for online meetings or scheduling tools.

The University of Antwerp adopted the latter approach. They opted for using Harmonizely as a scheduling tool for their needs. Simplifying the administrative part of teaching will give you more time to focus on what matters most: your students.

How can a scheduling tool help you?

The education industry has to deal a lot with scheduling. Whether in terms of picking the date to postpone a class or leading an elaborate recruitment process, you can streamline it by implementing a scheduling tool.

Both remote and traditional teaching share a lot of processes. That is why the solutions can be treated universally. If you decide to implement this new tool to deal with the remote teaching situation, it will surely stay with you after the lockdown.

Classes

Throughout the academic year, some classes have to be postponed due to unexpected situations. When you have the comfort of setting up the time of the new class with your group, a scheduling tool will come in handy.

If you give a lot of private classes, the scheduling tool can help you in keeping control over your schedule. Your students can choose the most suitable dates on their own, adjusting to their plans. You don’t have to remember about creating an event in your calendar, as the tool can do it for you.  

Office hours

Organizing office hours is often associated with waiting in line to be able to talk with your professor. When you have to take it to the Internet, it gets even more complicated. Preparing some slots for your students to come can help both parties in better planning out their time.

Recruitment process

Some institutions have a more complex recruitment process than others. If you’re in charge of leading the multi-step recruitment that includes various interviews and meetings, and you have to manage it in the times of a lockdown, a scheduling tool is definitely for you.

You can prepare a scheduling page for your applicants, so they can pick up the suitable dates and confirm them without having to send you a separate message. By using a custom meeting type feature, you can cover various stages of interviews, campus tours or any other event that require scheduling.

A useful scheduling tool lets you forget about differences in time zones. When your applicants come from all over the world, the chances are that some of them can mess up the hour of the interview. As a result, both of you lose time and nerves. A scheduling tool that detects the time zone of the user allows you to save the hassle.

Exams

Attending an exam might be a stressful experience. Help your students by sending them exact meeting details right to their inboxes.

The scheduling tool is handy in case of the oral exams. You can let your students pick the date and ensure they appear in the right place and time. The less organizational trouble, the better – both for you and your students.

When setting up the exam meeting type, think about adding some buffer time between them. It allows you to get a moment of rest and prepare for the next person so that you can lead the exam with a focus it requires.

Remote teaching

The lockdown forces us all to be more flexible. That situation can result in a higher level of chaos and uncertainty. Using a scheduling tool allows you to avoid double-booking, forgetting about a meeting or showing up at a wrong time.

Why Harmonizely?

Our competitive pricing isn’t the only reason. Read about the features that will be especially useful in the education area.

Universality and accessibility

Harmonizely stands out by its universality: it integrates not only with a wide range of calendars but also offers a scheduling page in over 10 languages.

CalDAV scheduling tool

You can connect any CalDAV calendar without any workarounds. That group includes not only the most popular solutions like Google Calendar, Outlook or iCloud. If you or your students use Zoho, Zimbra or other CalDAV calendar, the scheduling process is just as easy.

A scheduling page in over 10 languages

The scheduling page detects the language basing on the geolocation of the user. That is especially important if you work with non-English speaking students. Displaying the scheduling page in their native language will help in improving accessibility.

Flexibility

Various meeting types

Harmonizely allows you to set up different predefined types of meeting. That is how you can avoid the hassle of adjusting the details like duration, place or hour anytime you set up a meeting. You can create specific types for your classes, office hours, thesis supervision or meetings with parents.

Adding participants to already scheduled meetings

Sometimes there is a higher demand for a particular meeting than you expected, and more people should be involved. In such a situation, you don’t have to cancel the meeting and set up another one with more participants. Simply share a link with an invitation.

Setting up availability

Mark out the hours when you’re accessible for your students and parents and set up the notice period. Thanks to those options you won’t be surprised by a meeting you couldn’t prepare for.

Invitee questions

When you share the link to schedule a meeting with you, make use of the custom questions feature. You can ask your invitees about their needs, as the issue, they want to talk about. It will help you to prepare yourself for the meeting and use this time effectively.

Custom domains

Keep everything within your school or university domain. You can adjust the branding of the scheduling page and the email notifications. It will build trust and coherence in each touchpoint with your students or their parents.

Integrations & notifications

Zoom integration

You can generate a unique Zoom link for a meeting room in just one click when setting up a meeting. Avoid the hassle with sending out meeting addresses and PIN codes in separate messages. Your invitees will access all the information from the Harmonizely invitation on their inboxes.

Email reminders

Increase attendance by sending out reminders about the meetings.

Email notifications

As soon as the meeting is scheduled, both you and your invitees receive a notification. The meeting will also appear on your Harmonizely page.

How to make the most of Harmonizely in education?

Take a look at our tips on how to explore its potential.

You can attach it to your emails, publish it on your page or in contact details.

Adjust your meeting types

Make the most out of Harmonizely by creating appropriate meeting types for your classes, office hours or meetings with parents. Set up the default location and reminders.

Set up custom questions

Make the most out of your office hours, knowing in advance the problem your student wants to talk about. Harmonizely lets you making some questions when someone schedules a meeting with you.

A quick recap

When you look for tools to support you in remote teaching, think about solutions that will work for you just as well in a normal situation. Using a scheduling tool will simplify the organizational tasks you have to deal with.

No matter if you teach or take care of the administrative part of schooling, making use of tools will free up your resources and let you focus on tasks that bring the most value.
Take a look at the 14-day free trial period and explore the possibilities.