Providers: Drop-in Training

Log Mode

Log mode is the simplest drop-in mechanism. For this method, used exclusively for in-person support, you'll be expected to show up to the center for your scheduled shifts and follow the check-in requirements from your program coordinator. At this point, you'll set up in the center and be ready to support students that arrive. Your responsibilities include showing up to the drop-in location on time for your shift and following your program coordinator's rules for check-in and helping students. 

Students will arrive, they will check-in through either a kiosk or the app/web browser, and seek help from available providers. The system of organization is up to your program coordinator.

Queue Mode

Queue Overview

This mode gives providers more responsibility. Students will check-in and you and your peers will manage the "queue" of students, giving you an order to work off of. 

A few notes:

• The duration of time you spend with students is up to you, unless your center leadership instructs otherwise. If there are lots of people in the queue, move quickly; if no one is in the queue, take your time. Be aware the average duration of sessions factors into the expected wait time that we communicate to students.
  • Wait times are calculated by the average time that all providers have been helping the last 20 students at this location
• You can hit "Start Tutoring" on multiple students at once. This might be a good idea if all of the students are there for the same subject, or if one student is working through a problem and you know you will have some time in between. To do this, on the new student, click into their name on the queue and select "Start Tutoring"
  • Check with your program coordinator about their preference for starting multiple sessions. 
  • Allows you to tutor in "Groups"
• You can chat with students waiting in the queue through Penji
  • The first student in line will have the chat button under their name
  • After the first student, to chat with students further down the list, click into their name on the queue and select "Open Chat"
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Queue In-Person vs. Online

Queue mode is available for both In Person and Virtual drop-ins. The main difference between the two is that at the start of Virtual Queue drop-in shifts, providers will login to their Zoom room. During these virtual queue shifts, providers will need to work through the queue on Penji, and will meet students in their Zoom room. We recommend turning on the setting that requires hosts to admit participants into their Zoom room. More information can be found in the following article: Providers: Setting up Zoom in Penji.

In comparison, during In-Person Queue drop-in shifts, providers will follow the rules of their program coordinator for connecting with students and working in a given physical location. 

Zoom-based Queue Training

In-Person Queue Training

Queue Mode Step by Step 

1. Select "View drop-in rooms", or whichever home screen button that refers to Drop-In hours
   • If doing virtual drop-in, make sure you have Zoom or another virtual program pulled up and ready to go. You should have your personal room that you included in your Penji Settings open (Providers: Setting up Zoom in Penji).
2. Select the location you would like to check in to (where your shift is) 
3. Check in through the web or mobile app at the start of your shift. You must check-in
4. You will be on the same page as when you checked in. When students check-in for a topic you can support, you and other providers will be notified that someone joined the queue.
   • You will only be shown students who have checked into a topic you are approved to teach in
   • The order of the Queue will be based on who checked in first 
   • You will only be notified when the first student joins the queue. If you are working with a student and a new student joins the queue, you will see them on the locations page.
5. You will view the queue on your personal Penji account (using your mobile app or laptop) and tap "Start Tutoring" on the student in the queue who is next up, essentially grabbing them out of the queue (they will disappear from the queues of your coworkers). As a reminder, you can select "Start Tutoring" on multiple students at the same time. 
6. This will notify the student that you are ready and you'll connect for the session
   • If a Zoom-based (or other virtual queue type) they will automatically be sent a video meeting link to your personal room configured in your settings, and you'll help the student there.
   • If in-person, find the student when you are ready for them
7. Once the session is complete, press "End Session". You'll be asked to complete a feedback log. Once complete, move on to the next student in the queue.

Accepting Appointments During Drop-in

Some centers allow providers to offer appointment hours that overlap with their drop-in hours. In these cases, students must book sessions in advance, and the number of hours in advance is predetermined by your program coordinator. When a student books an appointment, Penji will automatically remove those available hours from your drop-in availability schedule. So, you'll come to the center with a preset schedule of appointments for the day, and you'll work drop-in whenever you aren't in an appointment.