Tyton Partners’ Listening to Learners 2023 found that increased awareness and utilization of student support services correlate directly with a stronger sense of belonging. April Crenshaw, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Chattanooga State Community College uses Calendly, integrated into her Outlook calendar to make one-on-one math support visible, accessible, and normalized.
Students can view Crenshaw’s real-time availability on a visual calendar, select a time that suits their schedule, and receive automatic confirmation with a Zoom link. No email exchange is required. Each appointment lasts 30 minutes, allowing time to work through mathematics concepts step by step. The visual calendar available through Calendly shows students exactly when Crenshaw is available throughout the week; there is no guessing about whether she is free or wondering if reaching out is appropriate. When scheduling their appointment, students answer a brief question about what they want to discuss, a step that serves two purposes. First, it allows Crenshaw to prepare relevant examples. Second, it encourages students to articulate their confusion beforehand. In math, identifying the specific sticking point is often half the battle. This reflection is a core component of metacognition and self-regulated learning.
Many students see needing math help as personal failure. The automated booking system helps because students are not “asking me for my time.” Instead, they are simply selecting from slots Crenshaw has already designated for students. The process feels less personal and therefore less risky. Crenshaw also deliberately avoids the term “office hours” in all communications. The word “office” implies formality and may suggest student visits are burdensome (Tyton Partners, 2023). Instead, she uses “student support hours” and actively works to normalize academic help-seeking. Crenshaw reminds students that scheduling time to discuss course material is a regular part of learning math or any new subject. Crenshaw makes an effort to include morning, afternoon, and evening meeting times each week. Those 5 PM to 6 PM times matter for students who work during the day or have childcare responsibilities. Listening to Learners 2025 found that inconvenient hours are a top barrier preventing students from using available supports (Tyton Partners, 2025). In online courses especially, a majority of students work during the day and need support after 5 PM.
Digital Resources
Calendly
Calendly provides several key benefits aligned with research on student belonging and support access. For students, it eliminates the intimidation factor of “asking me for my time” by allowing them to self-select from pre-designated slots. The automated system removes email back-and-forth, reducing friction in accessing help. The pre-appointment question prompts metacognitive reflection, helping students identify their specific confusion before the meeting. Calendly syncs automatically with Crenshaw’s institutional Outlook calendar. When she has faculty meetings or classes, those times become unavailable in Calendly. Students only see genuinely open slots. Crenshaw is able to manage one calendar in Outlook, and Calendly stays up to date automatically. Without this integration, manual updates would be both time-consuming and prone to errors. The bidirectional sync ensures that confirmed appointments also appear in Crenshaw’s Outlook calendar, displaying the student’s name, their question, and the Zoom link. The scheduling link lives in the LMS on the course homepage and appears in weekly course announcements. Students access it with one click. For a brief video tutorial on how to integrate Calendly with Outlook, visit https://youtu.be/0XnsFFtQRfU?si=FVdq79cun_d-mUTo, or similar.
Digital Enablement
Most calendar platforms (Outlook, Google Calendar) integrate with free scheduling tools like Calendly. Crenshaw recommends that instructors:
- Start with 4-6 weekly slots across different times of day to test demand. Set appointments to 30 minutes—long enough for meaningful problem-solving without overwhelming your schedule.
- Place the scheduling link everywhere students look: LMS homepage, syllabus, weekly announcements, and assignment feedback. Students need multiple exposures before they internalize that this resource exists and is truly for them.
- Enable automatic reminders (24 hours and 2 hours before appointments) to reduce no-shows and support student follow-through.
- Expect low utilization in the first 2-3 weeks until students realize the system is real and accessible. Actively promote it during this period. Consider requiring one appointment in the first few weeks or offering bonus points for scheduling—this normalizes use and demonstrates the system works. Once a few students try it, word spreads.
- Reserve flexibility for high-demand periods near exams. You might add temporary slots or offer brief group sessions. For courses over 60-70 students, consider combining one-on-one appointments with group help sessions or peer tutoring to ensure scalability.
- Review your appointment log weekly to identify students who haven’t scheduled. This approach transforms synchronous support in online courses from something reactive and hard to access into something proactive and transparent. If students from historically underserved populations, or students showing signs of struggle with assignments, have not booked by week 4-5, reach out personally: “I noticed you haven’t scheduled yet. I’d love to connect about [specific assignment or exam]. Here’s my calendar link, or let me know another time.” This type of contact bridges awareness gaps and signals that an instructor’s support is genuinely available for all students.