Setting Up Availability

Step One: To setup your availability, select the My Availability tab from the Navigate home page.

Step Two: To add a time, select Add Time from the Actions drop down menu on the My Availability page. Selecting the Add Time link will bring up a pop up to input details for the type of appointments you wish to make yourself available for. 

Step Three: Fill out the information in the following fields:

• Days of week: Select days of the week you are available.
• Times: Select the time range you are available.
• How long is this availability active: Select date range this availability is valid
  • Forever: Effective immediately with no end date.
  • Semester: Beginning the first day and ending the last day of a semester.
  • Range of Dates: Select specific dates this availability will be active.
• Add to your personal availability link: Check this box if you want students to use your personal scheduling link to be able to schedule appointments during this time.
• Type of Availability: Specify if this is drop-in time, scheduled appointments, or campaign availability (more on these types in the FAQ section).
• Meeting Type: Choose which ways you are willing to meet with students. Navigate recommends creating a separate availability for each meeting type so that Special Instructions can be specific to Meeting Type. This is not required.
• Care Unit: Choose the Care Unit that this availability applies to.
• Location: Select the location of your advising office. ​​​​​​​NOTE: Even for virtual advising, select your physical location on campus. If you are a faculty advisor, select Faculty Offices but make sure to specify a location in the Special Instructions. 
• Services: Select which services you are available for during this time.
• URL/Phone Number: List a URL or Phone Number students should use for your meeting (if applicable).
• Special Instructions for Student: In the special instructions area, add any details (directions, instructions, etc.) that you want conveyed to student. This information will be sent to them in the appointment confirmation and reminder.
• Max Number of Students per Appointment: Enter how many students can be in one appointment. For individual appointments enter 1.

Step Four: When all information has been entered click Save. Repeat this process until all of your availability has been defined. You can create as many as needed. 

There are two other options when adding ‘Available Times’…:

Copy Time: To copy a time, select the time you would like to copy and then click the Copy Time button. The availability will be copied and a dialog will open allowing you to make edits or to save your newly created availability.

Delete Time: To delete your time, simply select the time and click the Delete Time button.

Personal Availability Links

The Personal Availability Link (PAL) is a useful tool for scheduling. The PAL is a link that can be given to students to simplify creating appointments. Each PAL is unique to a staff member in Navigate. The link does not change over time.

Open the "Action" drop-down menu to add time to your availability. Click Add Time to open the "Add Availability" form in a new window. Make sure to check the "Add to your Personal Availability Link?" box to allow students to schedule meetings with you using that feature.

When you include a PAL in a URL field, website, email, or SMS and students click the link, they are taken to the "New Appointment" page in student scheduling. The link redirects to the scheduling page in the student’s browser and asks if they want to continue in the browser or open Navigate Student app.

The staff user, their Care Units, and services are preselected. Students then see the times staff are available to meet. The student will only see the Care Unit, services, locations, and times the staff user has selected to be part of their PAL. It is important to note that all configurations, limitations, and permissions for the availability remain in effect. This means any limitation that would normally apply to the student being able to schedule an appointment will still apply. For example, if the student is not assigned to the advisor they will not be able to schedule an appointment through the Personal Availability Link.

Important Information

As currently setup: students can only schedule an appointment with their faculty advisor if their primary advisor is the faculty advisor. The reverse is true for professional advisors. Students can only schedule an appointment with their professional advisor if their professional advisor is their primary advisor.

Navigate will delete inactive date range and term-based availability older than one year on a nightly basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can students schedule with staff who have set up calendar sync, but have not yet set up their availability?

No, students cannot schedule with staff who have not configured their availability in the platform. Calendar sync allows the platform to understand when staff are unavailable due to calendar conflicts, but does not indicate when, where, and for what services a staff member is available—all important components of appointment scheduling.

Do users need to modify availability to account for calendar conflicts like meetings or blocked time?

If users have set up the platform to sync with their external calendar (Outlook), calendar conflicts will prevent students from scheduling during these times, even if it is during an active availability. If a user’s calendar has not synced properly or recently, calendar conflicts may not be up to date in the platform.

Can a student schedule an appointment in Navigate if an advisor has only set drop-in availability? Or do they need to create appointment availability too?

Staff must set up appointment availability for students to be able to schedule appointments with them.

I have active availability, but students are still unable to schedule with me. Why?

Students may not be able to schedule with an active staff member for a variety of reasons including:

• the student may not have permission to schedule appointments
• the selected Location-Service may not be configured to allow for appointment scheduling
• the staff member may have a calendar conflict during the selected time
• the student may be prevented from scheduling due to no-show or category/major restrictions
• the availability type may be for drop-in visits, rather than appointment scheduling 

What is the difference between ‘Appointments,’ ‘Drop-Ins,’ and ‘Campaign’ availability?

• Appointments: Meetings scheduled in advance. Students book a meeting that is (in most cases) at least 18 hours away from the time they schedule.
• Drop-Ins: Availability for students to drop-in for quick questions. The times you are available for drop-ins will show, but students cannot make an appointment for this block of time.
• Campaigns: A campaign is an outreach effort that is sent through Navigate. You are able to request students make an appointment with you through campaigns. This option will set aside specific time only for the students who a part of your campaign to schedule appointments.