MN Thesis and PhD Student

Instructions for Booking Student Advisory Committee Meetings

MN Thesis and PhD students need to meet with their Student Advisory Committee at a minimum once every 12 months. It is the responsibility of the student and supervisor to arrange these meetings and send a GPS 210 Progress Report to the College of Nursing Graduate Advisors after each meeting.

To schedule a meeting please follow the following steps.

  1. Gather the email addresses of all the members of your committee.
  2. Decide if the meeting will be in-person, online or hybrid (some participants together in a physical space, while other participants attend online).
  3. If the meeting is online or hybrid- what platform do you want to use? As a U of S student, you have access to both MS Teams and Zoom platforms under ‘Web Conferencing’ in PAWS. Instructions for using both platforms can be found below.
  4. Determine a date and time. We recommend using Doodle: instructions for using Doodle can be found below. Once you have a date/time you are ready to schedule the meeting!
  5. If you need a physical space booked for your meeting, faculty can head to the Event Booking link on the College of Nursing website here: Event Booking Request. Students can ask their supervisor to submit the request, or send your info to advising@usask.ca and we can submit it on your behalf
  6. If you do not need a physical space- you can book the online meeting directly through MS Teams or Zoom: PAWS   Web Conferencing.
  7. Ensure that you share the invitation with all members that are expected to attend.
  8. Create a calendar item for the meeting. If using Teams, a calendar invite will be automatically created for all participants added when creating the meeting. If using Zoom, a calendar invite will have to be created (refer to Zoom instructions). If the meeting is in-person, a calendar invite can still be manually created using your PAWS email account. Instructions for doing this can be found online.  
  9. Students are expected to make a summary of the meeting and send their supervisor for review, signature and submission to the Grad Nursing office.
  10. Students are not authorized to record the meeting.

Choosing a Meeting Time with Doodle

  1. Visit the Doodle Website:
  1. Start Scheduling a Meeting:
    • Click on the "Create a Doodle" button. This will take you to the scheduling setup page.
  1. Enter Basic Information:
    • Enter your name, your email, and the title of your poll.
    • Optionally, you can also fill in the "Location" and "Description" fields to provide additional details about the meeting.
  1. Choose Date and Time Options:
    • Choose the duration of the meeting you wish to schedule on the top left of the “Add your times” form.
    • Click on the calendar to choose the prospective date/times you would like. You can drag the time blocks around to easily fit where you would like to have them. You may also have overlapping times, for instance having a choice at 12:30-1:30, and having a choice at 1:00-2:00 on the same day.
    • To view weeks further in the future, use the arrows above the calendar.
    • You can choose up to 20 prospective times.
  1. Settings:
    • The optional settings are features that you must have a paid subscription for, so you can disregard those.
  1. Press Create and Share.
  2. Share the Poll:
    • You will be taken to a page containing a link used for sharing the poll with other participants. You can then copy the link and send it to the participants via email, messaging apps, or any other communication method you prefer.
    • Participants can click on the link and vote for their preferred meeting dates and times without needing to create an account.
  1. Monitor Responses:
    • You will receive an email from Doodle where you can revisit the poll to view responses from participants. You may also revisit the poll via the original link sent out to participants.
    • Once you have collected enough responses, you can decide on the best date and time for the meeting based on the votes.
  1. Confirm the Meeting:
    • Once you have determined the best time for the meeting, you can inform all participants of the finalized date and time.

How to Schedule a Meeting using Zoom

  1. Sign in to Zoom:
  1. Schedule a Meeting:
    • Once on the USask Zoom Portal, click on "Meetings" on the left-hand side.
    • Choose “Schedule a Meeting” on the top-right hand corner of the page.
  1. Set Meeting Details:
    • Add the meeting title, date and duration. A passcode and meeting ID are automatically generated as per USask ICT directions and cannot be removed.
    • You may add any additional options as needed, including registration, video/audio requirements, etc.
    • If you would like to have this as a recurring meeting, you can check the “Recurring meeting” box and specify when it will reoccur
    • The waiting room option is off by default, but it is a great way to secure your meeting further and allow external participants and guests to join.
  1. Save the Meeting:
    • After filling in the meeting details, click the "Save" button at the bottom.
  1. Copy and Send the Invitation:
    • After scheduling the meeting, you'll be taken to a page with the meeting details.
    • Click on the "Copy the invitation" link. This will open a pop-up with the meeting invitation text.
    • Click the "Copy Meeting Invitation" button at the bottom of the pop-up.
Send information via email to all participants.

How to Schedule a Meeting in MS Teams

  1. Navigate to Microsoft Teams:
    • Open your web browser and go to PAWS   Web Conferencing
    • Click on the “Teams” button and sign in using your USask credentials.
  1. Go to the Calendar:
    • On the left-hand side, click on the “Calendar” icon. This will open your calendar view.
  1. Schedule a New Meeting:
    • In the top-right corner, click the “New meeting” button. This will open the scheduling form.
  1. Fill in Meeting Details:
    • Add Title: Enter the title of your meeting in the “Add title” field.
    • Add Participants: In the "Add required attendees" field, enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite. If necessary, you can also add optional attendees by clicking on "Optional”.
    • Set Date and Time: Choose the date and time for your meeting. Use the dropdown menus to select the start and end times
    • Set Recurrence (Optional): If your meeting will recur, click on the "Does not repeat" dropdown and select the appropriate recurrence pattern (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
    • Add Location (Optional): If the meeting is hybrid, you can add a physical location in the "Add location" field.
    • Add Description: In the "Details" section, you can add a description or agenda for your meeting.
  1. Send the Invite:
    • Once all the details are filled in, click the “Send” button at the top-right corner of the window. This will send out the meeting invite to all the attendees you added.
  1. Manage the Meeting:
    • Edit Meeting: If you need to make changes to the meeting after scheduling, go back to the calendar, click on the meeting, and select "Edit".
    • Cancel Meeting: If you need to cancel the meeting, open the meeting in your calendar and click "Cancel meeting".
  1. Join the Meeting:
    • When it's time for the meeting, go to the Calendar in Teams, find your meeting, and click "Join". You can also join from the meeting reminder pop-up or from your email calendar.

Further reading provided by USask ICT for scheduling a meeting using the online Zoom Portal as well as creating the calendar invite for Zoom can be found here. Please note you must sign in with a valid USask NSID and Password to be able to access this.