Penn Engineering Online streamlines student support with Waitwhile

The challenge

With up to 22 courses running each semester and a distributed team of TAs, managing virtual office hours had become increasingly complex. Students often joined support sessions without a clear sense of wait times, highlighting a need for a more transparent and efficient support experience. TAs also lacked visibility into the queue, making it challenging to manage sessions smoothly and prioritize student needs effectively.

From a management perspective, program leadership was hoping for more robust metrics to inform staffing decisions and ensure student success. To build on what was already working and address new challenges, the team needed a more transparent, flexible system that would work at scale.

The solution

After evaluating a few options, the Penn team chose Waitwhile for its flexibility, transparency, and communication features. They piloted the platform in a few courses, then rolled it out across all 18–22 locations. Each course uses its own dedicated queue, and TAs open and manage their queues when their office hours begin. Students join the waitlist by clicking a link in their Canvas calendar and sharing a Zoom link.

Once in line, students stay informed while waiting: they can see who’s ahead of them, how long others have waited, and receive SMS or email alerts when they’re up next. "It's great that they're able to log on, join the queue, walk away... and then get a notification saying 'You’re next in line!'," said Alex Savoth, Associate Director of Instructional Technology. "That was huge for us."

The team also uses Waitwhile’s bookable appointments feature as a complement to the waitlist. "It allows students to schedule an appointment with TAs in advance… so they do not have to wait in the queue," Alex explained further. "That has been exceptionally helpful."

Each semester, the Penn Engineering Online team updates its TA assignments to reflect changing course needs. Waitwhile’s customizable user roles, SSO integration, and bulk import tools have made this process easy — enabling admins to onboard or update users quickly and consistently. Alex noted that the team also maintains clear internal documentation and provides onboarding support at the start of each term to ensure a smooth experience for everyone involved.

The result

The impact was clear: students reported greater satisfaction in surveys, especially around the improved communication and visibility into their place in line. "They were really pleased with the transparency in their place in the queue," Alex said. "They didn’t want to have to sit by their computer for an hour waiting. This has solved that."

Alexander Savoth
⁠Associate Director of Instructional Technology

Waitwhile’s analytics gave the team clearer visibility into student engagement and TA activity. They track how many students attend sessions, how long wait times are, and which TAs are most active. “It’s wonderful for us to be able to use that data… to see which TAs are really going above and beyond,” Alex shared. 

These insights help inform staffing decisions and highlight where additional support might be needed. The team also monitors average wait times to ensure students are being helped promptly. “We use the platform to ensure students are helped efficiently and wait times are reduced overall,” he adds.

TA feedback has been largely positive as well. The ability to clearly see who’s waiting, and how long they’ve been waiting, has helped TAs manage their sessions more smoothly and reduce uncertainty. "It’s been very easy for them to use and I personally have had minimal issues and questions from TAs," Alex noted. While the transition naturally introduced some new workflows and added features, most TAs adjusted quickly. "The bookable appointments are new for them, but it’s been helpful," Alex noted.

Moving forward

As the team looks ahead, tighter LMS integrations and embedded support experiences are on the roadmap — all with the goal of giving students frictionless access to help, right where they are.

"We really enjoy having you as partners," Alex concluded. "Your communication is great and the flexibility has been great. We appreciate you."

Learn how Waitwhile can help your university simplify student services.