Counseling creates new appointment making system for students

El Camino College has a new counseling appointment system set in place for students this spring semester that can be accessed online or through their MyECC.

Starting Feb. 18, 2019, students were able to schedule general counseling appointments online for the following week.

“There’s all kinds of fun things going on with this new counseling appointment system called Campus Calibrate,” counselor of the Mana and Knowledgeable Engaged and Aspiring Students (KEAs), Robert Williams said.

Modifications that have been made to the counseling appointment system are that students are able to schedule appointments any day of the week.

“So far, it’s already better because students are not restricted to make appointments on only one day,” Bryan Peña, psychology major, said.

Students are now allowed to make appointments online from the counseling website or MyECC 24/7.

“It’s online, its web-based, students can go online at home and schedule an appointment any day for the following week,” Associate Dean of Counseling and Student Success, Cesar Jimenez said. “It’s a lot easier for students to make an appointment with this new system.”

Another addition to the system is that students can receive automated email and text messages to remind them of appointments.

“One thing that was asked for is reminders,” Jimenez said.”This new system now has the opportunity to send emails to students and texts so now students [can] get emails the same day they make appointments.”

The new system is set out to make it easier for students to make appointments when they want so they can focus more on their classes.

“The only challenging thing for students at El Camino should be class,” Jimenez said. “Being able to make an appointment should be easy for a student.”

In the old system, students had to fill out an appointment sheet and turn it in on Thursdays by 1 p.m. to make an appointment the following week.

“I really didn’t like the old system, it was difficult to make appointments when you wanted to and it was always packed in the office with many students,” Peña said.

Williams said that not a lot of positives come out of using antiquated systems.

“Using technology to our advantage to help student success is a move in the right direction,” Williams said.

Jimenez said he wants to hear feedback from students and hopes they create focus groups on how to improve the new system.

“We need it in order to make this system better,” Jimenez said. “This is a brand new system so there is going to be hiccups but we are getting there.”