Providers: Drop-in Training

Log Mode (In-person locations only)

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.

Figure 1: Example of what providers see when checking into an in-person location using Log mode. Notice how there is no queue/waitlist of students waiting to receive tutoring. 

Overview of Queue Mode (In-person and virtual/online locations)

This mode gives providers more responsibility for monitoring and reaching out to students who have checked in for drop-in help. Students will check in and you and your provider peers will manage the queue of students. 

Important Notes:

• The duration of time you spend with students is up to you, unless your center instructs otherwise. If there are lots of students 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 Penji communicates to students when they select a drop-in location.
  • Wait time for a specific location is determined by calculating the average time that all providers have spent helping the last 20 students at that location.
• You can select "Start Tutoring" for 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, click into the name card of the student you want to add in the queue and select "Start Tutoring." There are more details about this in the video in #5 of the section "Queue Mode, Step by Step."
  • Check with your program coordinator about their rules for starting multiple sessions at the same time. 
  • Allows you to tutor in "Groups."
• If students have checked in using the Penji app/web browser, you can chat with students waiting in the queue through Penji. There are more details about the Penji chat function from the queue in the section "Queue Mode, Step by Step" below. 

In-Person vs. Virtual (Online) Queues

Queue mode is available for both in-person and virtual (online) drop-in tutoring. For virtual drop-in tutoring, providers will need to log in to their Zoom room (or another virtual platform) and have it ready to go in another window/tab before admitting any students from the queue in Penji. 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 drop-in shifts, providers will follow the rules of their program coordinator for connecting with students and working in a given physical location. 

Below are video tutorials on how to manage the queue when using a virtual/online platform as your location (in this case, Zoom) and when attending your shift at a physical location. 

Virtual/Online Queue Training (Zoom)

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 tutoring.
   • If doing virtual drop-in, make sure you have Zoom or another virtual platform pulled up and ready to go. You should have your personal Zoom room that you included in your Penji Settings open so that you can admit students at the start of their drop-in session (Providers: Setting up Zoom in Penji).
2. Select the location you would like to check in to (where you attend your drop-in tutoring shift). 
3. Check in through the web or mobile app at the start of your shift. You must check in to view/manage the queue and start tutoring! 
   Figure 1: Provider's screen when they're about to check in to their drop-in location. Notice the empty queue area below -- the queue is only visible once the provider checks in. 
4. After checking in, you'll remain on the same page for the drop-in queue. When students check in for a course/topic you're certified to teach, you and other providers will be notified that someone joined the queue. Notifications are sent via email and the mobile app. 
   • 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 the new student on the locations page.
   • You will only be shown students who have checked in to receive help for a course/topic you are certified to teach for.
   • The order of the queue will be based on who checked in first. The newest students to check in will be at the bottom of the queue, so make sure to scroll down so that you don't miss anyone waiting!  
5. You will view the queue on your personal Penji account (using the mobile app or web browser) and tap "Start Tutoring" on the student in the queue who is next up, taking them out of the queue (i.e., they will disappear from the queues of other providers). You can also select "Start Tutoring" on multiple students at the same time (see video after Figure 2). 
    
   Figure 2: Example of what the check-in/queue screen looks like after a provider checks in. Here, two students have checked in, Talia and Andy. Since Talia checked in before Andy, she is at the top and is listed under "Next." 
   Video: This video walks through how to start tutoring with multiple students from the queue at the same time for both a virtual/online (Zoom) location and an in-person location. Note that in this demo Community, the "Start Tutoring" button says "Start Advising" -- this is because the demo Community provides advising as its main form of support. 
6. Selecting "Start Tutoring" will notify the student that you are ready for their drop-in session.
   • If the session will take place over Zoom or another virtual platform, the student will automatically be sent the virtual meeting details (e.g., meeting room link, meeting password, etc.). Once the student enters the meeting room, you'll admit them and help them in there.
     
     Figure 3: Example of what providers see when they've started tutoring with a student in the queue. Note the "Start Tutoring" button, when clicked, has been replaced with the virtual meeting location's details (in this case, Zoom). 
   • If the session is in-person, find the student or tell them your location via the Penji chat (select "Open chat" to use the Penji chat) when you are ready for them.
     • NOTE: If the student has checked in via the Kiosk, the option to chat ("Open chat") will not appear.
       
       Figure 4: Example of a student next up in the queue who checked in using the Penji web browser or app. The "Open chat" button is present on the left.
       Figure 5: Example of a student further down the queue who checked in using the Penji web browser or app. After clicking on their name card, "Open Chat" appears at the bottom. 
       
       Figure 6: Example of a student in the queue who has checked into an in-person location using the Kiosk. Note that the "Open chat" button does not appear as an option. 
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.
8. When your drop-in tutoring shift has ended, make sure to check out of the location you were at! This is important so that your program coordinator can keep an accurate record of your drop-in session.

Accepting Appointments During Drop-in Hours

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 schedule. During your drop-in shift, you'll provide drop-in tutoring whenever you are not scheduled for an appointment.