Add Timezones to workshops and reflect events correctly in admin user calendars.

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Pip Austin

• 20 October 2022 22:04

The timezone issue has been raised a couple of times already and would be really good if we could have progress on getting this working better.

 

We need to have the option to set time zones on Workshops/Sessions (Basically all Calendar events with a start and end time) to reflect the timezone where the event is running and for this to be displayed correctly across users in all time zones.

The system needs to be able to adjust the calendar to display the event based on the timezone the event is set in because the only way to display correctly in the calendar at the moment is if we offset the times of events but this means that we can't communicate the times correctly to students.

 

There is currently no option to specify which timezone a workshop is taking place in and this is leading to confusion as all events appear in the axcelerate Admin and Learner calendars using the timezone an individual user is in rather than the timezone of the system or where the event is taking place.

So for example for someone in NZ attending an online session set at QLD time, the event will still appear to begin at NZ time even though that is not when it is scheduled.

We need a better way to specify exactly when an event is running so that if we want to run a session for people across timezones then the information is communicated about which timezone it is scheduled for and calendars can reflect this information.

 

Suggestion

If we could have workshops default to the timezone of the axcelerate account and then have an additional option on the workshop to specify if the timezone for that workshop is different that would be great.

6

• Official comment

  

  Jack Christensen

  • 11 October 2023 03:45

  Hi Pip,
  
  We have made some significant changes to how Timezones are set and stored in our Workshop Bookings Feature set which is currently available on our Staging server for testing. Hopefully, this should cover these issues and for more information check out any of the following:
  Help Guide
  SHOT
  
  Thanks,
  Jack

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  Pip Austin

  • 20 October 2022 22:18

  An example of what could be added, a drop-down box so you can select an alternative timezone if needed, but it should default to the timezone of the core account setting.

  

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  Permanently deleted user

  • 20 October 2022 22:20

  We're a national based RTO and, especially thanks to the increase of online based workshops, we often have students logging in from multiple time zones. Any work on time zones that will make things easier for admin users gets a tick from me.

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  Liz Pilkington

  • 29 September 2023 03:48

  Hi Pip, did anything come from this? We are having multiple time-zone issues with some non-accredited online workshops currently running.  The website aX plugin can only show the workshop times as displayed in the back-end  but students are seeing adjusted timezones in their learner portal. 

  We have had some work-arounds provided by aX but they cancel each other out e.g. If we update the timezone in the backend the website is incorrect and we can't send templates with date/time fields as they won't match up. If we keep the time-zone as is so that it displays on the website, the learner portal will be incorrect. 

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  Pip Austin

  • 01 October 2023 21:15

  Hi Liz,

  No, another year, another lot of timezones differences and no changes from aXcelerate.

  We use the custom field but it is not ideal because we have to enter the time correctly to display on a confirmation of enrolment letter and this time will end up being QLD time.

  So when the student goes to the learner portal, the times display differently.

  It is very frustrating aXcelerate have not introduced something to make this better.

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  Pip Austin

  • 18 October 2023 02:40

  Hi Jack, these new sessions look like they will have some benefits.

   

  Just a couple of important questions:

  1. Will the change from complex dates to sessions have any impact on the attendance marking on past workshops - it could be a big issue if past data is not going to properly show daily attendance any longer.
  2. How will the new timezone information be available for templates to communicate times to students and trainers?
  3. How will courses be displayed in admin and trainer calendars with the new time zones?
  4. When is this change likely to be fully implemented? I can already see the timezone field on delivery locations in the live system.

   

   

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