Reserve a Time Slot During Registration Process
When a parent selects a time slot, MyConferenceTime immediately holds that time slot so that nobody else can claim the time slot while the parent completes registration.
With improvements that we introduced in January, 2020, a time slot is held for a defined amount of time when the parent selects it. The parent can complete registration without worrying that the time slot will be taken from them. This process can be compared to a shopping cart system: the item (in this case, the selected time slot) is in the shopping cart and is held for the customer (i.e., the parent) until checkout (registration) is complete.
In the past, time slots were given to the person who completed student registration most quickly. Now, a time slot is held only by one parent as soon as the time slot is selected (much earlier than completing registration) so that registration information can be entered and nobody else can take the time slot.
If the parent does not complete registration, the time slot is released so that others have the opportunity to select the time slot.
We are pleased to make this feature available to improve conference registrations.
Overriding Registration Limits
MyConferenceTime admins can impose conference registration limits such as only one conference per child; three conferences per email address; only one conference per student, per time slot. Admins now have the option to allow school staff to override the school's registration limitations.
Example usage: a school has a limit of one conference per student for each teacher, but the teacher realizes that additional time is needed for one of his students. When the school allows staff to override conference limits, the teacher is able to register the student for more time slots than the permitted one per teacher.
Admins have three options for overriding conference registrations:
- Nobody can override
- Admins and Mid-levels can override
- All staff can override
New Privileges Available for Staff Members
MyConferenceTime added new user roles. In addition to the existing roles of read-only, staff, mid-level and admin, users also have two types of isolated privileges restricting access to student names on other staff members' schedules.
The new isolated privileges prevent users who are logged in from seeing student names on other staff members' schedules. There are currently two options for isolated privileges:
- Staff member can see/edit/delete students on his/her own schedule; staff member cannot see student names on other teachers' schedules. For example, Mary Smith is able to see, edit and delete students on her schedule but is not able to see any student names on other teachers' schedules.
- Staff member can see students on his/her own schedule; staff member cannot see student names on other teachers' schedules. For example, Mark Jones is able to see students on his schedule but is not able to edit/delete students on his schedule and is not able to see any student names on other teachers' schedules.
Staff privileges can be edited by admins using the Staff Summary.
New Registration Restriction Available
MyConferenceTime allows schools to limit the number of registrations based on a student's name or a parent's email address. We recently added the option to restrict the number of registrations on one conference schedule based on the parent's email address.
The following is a list of current registration limitations that can schools can activate:
- maximum number of registrations school-wide based on student name
- maximum number of registrations school-wide based on email address
- maximum number of registrations on one schedule based on student name
- maximum number of registrations on one schedule based on email address
- maximum number of registrations during a time slot, school-wide, based on student name (great for preventing overlapping conferences)
- maximum number of registrations during a time slot, school-wide based on email address (great for preventing overlapping conferences)
- maximum number of unique time slots, school-wide, based on name
- maximum number of unique time slots, school-wide, based on email address
Three Minor Features Added
MyConferenceTime has three new features focused on helping administrators:
- Find locked dates in the conference readiness checker (Summaries -> Are You Ready for Conferences?). Additionally, if a schedule has a locked date, a banner will appear above the schedule informing staff. Don't worry, the banner is not visible to parents.
- View students who have conferences with multiple teachers during the same time slot. Using the Date Summary, admins can view a list of students who have conferences scheduled at the same time. (Don't forget that you can use the conference registration limits to prevent a student having multiple conferences at the same time.)
- Find upcoming conferences for a student faster. When searching for a student, the initial report will show only upcoming conferences since this is primarily what schools want when searching. Past conferences can be viewed by clicking on "show past."
Close Conference Sign Ups Automatically - Current Day
MyConferenceTime can automatically close conference sign ups on the day of conferences. This will prevent last-minute registrations that could negatively affect a staff member's planning.
Example scenario:
- Conferences are scheduled for September 12 and 13.
- On September 12, MyConferenceTime can automatically close the September 12 time slots but keep the September 13 time slots open.
- On September 13, MyConferenceTime can automatically close the September 13 time slots.