Parent Conferences By Appointment? Awesome or Awful?

Today was the first time my devision used an online scheduling tool to make appointments for parent conferences.  Right off the bat, I could tell that Pick A Time would be an amazing tool for us to use.  A few years ago, our very gutsy Middle School tried it out with great success.  As with our MacBook rollout, they were the guinea pigs and when the Upper School faculty saw that it was working for the Middle School, we decided to give it a try. 

Here's how it works

1. ADMINISTRATORS

• Create an online account with pickAtime
• Use pickAtime's Online Manager to import data and set up schedule
• Direct parents to the online scheduling page

2. PARENTS

• Login at their convenience and view teacher schedules and sign-up in minutes

3. TEACHERS

• Can monitor registration in real-time

Benefits for Administrators

• Reduces the time involved in scheduling conferences
• Eliminates the need for pen and paper scheduling
• Provides administrators with several different reports to help manage the event
• Increases parent participation

Benefits for Parents

• Allows parents to select from all currently available times to find the most convenient time slot(s)
• Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week
• Provides ability for parents to log back in and make changes to schedule
• Provides parents with a printable schedule
• Allows parents to request an email reminder prior to the conference event

Benefits for Teachers

• Allows teachers to have a different schedule, including different appointment lengths
• Provides ability for teachers to monitor registration and contact parents who have not signed up
• Increases parent participation

So, how are we liking it now that almost every teacher is completely book from 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM?  

For the most part I would say it was a win for everyone involved.  The faculty may not feel that way at the end of the day, but I am confident that if they consider how they felt last year after a day of conversations, today's schedule was much better.  Think about this, I told one faculty member, "Last year you had 10 minute appointments that lasted 15, a line 3-5 deep standing outside your door, and  you almost never got a break.  This year you have a set schedule with a built-in 10 minute break at the end of every hour, no one has to wait in line. In theory, it should keep everyone moving and give you plenty of time to get a cup of coffee, use the restroom, or just rest your voice.  In addition, you know the day before which parents are coming in so you can be prepared for the tough questions that we all face each year." 

One teacher asked me what I would change for next year.  Well...

1. I would stager faculty breaks by department.  (Currently everyone has a break at 9:50, 10:50 and so on. Next year we will try giving some teachers a break on the half hour, and some a break at the top of the hour.)

2. I would like to stager lunch. (Currently everyone has lunch from 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM. Next year we will try to have some faculty eat at 11:30 AM and some each at 12:00 PM)

3. We will do a better job publicizing the start and end times of the signup period.

4. I will publish a video on how to schedule an appointment and create a PDF to help everyone navigate the software.

5. We will configure the software to update faculty every day at 7:00AM with their current schedule.

6. We will look into giving faculty the ability to block out time in their schedule for personal reasons.

7. We may extend the number of days that we hold conferences.  Currently we only have conferences on one day and that only allows for 41 appointments. In some cases our teachers teach over 70 kids and  some teachers run out of slots very quickly. So, next year we are thinking other options that I am not allowed to discuss publicly.  :)