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Patriot Connect Update-October 2025

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your interest in the Patriot Connect program! We are excited to share recent updates with you.

Calendar Syncing and Accessibility Updates on Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success 

As we continue adapting to Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success, we want to acknowledge that the process hasn’t been without its challenges. Like with any new technology implementation, we’ve had some bumps in the road which have caused frustration among users. We are actively working to resolve these issues and develop long-term solutions that will strengthen the overall experience. Specifically, we want to share updates on two key system issues affecting Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success and outline how we are working to address them. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and resilience as we navigate these challenges together.  

 

Calendar Syncing: Ongoing issues with calendar syncing are impacting the appointment scheduling experience for staff, faculty, and students in Patriot Connect. We have made Salesforce aware of this issue; however, we have not yet received a proposed resolution or a timeline to address it. We’ve identified an alternative tool to replace the calendar syncing functionality, and we hope to initiate a timeline for implementation later this fall.

 

What does this mean for Patriot Connect users? If you have already enabled calendar syncing, continue to use it. Please refer to the Outlook Calendar Sync with Patriot Connect FAQs for the latest information about workarounds or assistive practices and continue to submit tickets to ITS so that they have a greater awareness of the breadth of the issue. New Patriot Connect users will not be configured for calendar sync until a full fix for the issues is applied.

 

Accessibility: Screen reader compatibility issues in Patriot Connect could affect students who rely on assistive technology (such as screen readers or keyboard-only access), making it difficult for them to schedule appointments. Salesforce has been providing solutions for this issue in staged deployments, each of which has been successful. The final component to address accessibility is currently being tested by George Mason’s Assistive Technology Initiative team and will be available once testing is approved.  

 

In the meantime, students may contact the Mason Student Services Center (MSSC) to receive assistance in scheduling, or they may contact their advisor or a member of their success team directly, using the email address or phone number listed in the Patriot Connect student portal under the “Success Team” heading. 

  

Where to Go for Support for Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success 

We understand that support may be needed when using Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success. Please refer to the following channels depending on your needs: 

Patriot Connect Student Usability Test Recap: Appointment Scheduling via Mobile Devices

On September 3, the Patriot Connect team and the University Life Project and Process Management team hosted a table at the Fall 2025 Get Connected Fair where 30 George Mason students participated in usability testing. During the test, students were asked to access Patriot Connect and book appointments on their mobile devices, as well as provide feedback. The objective of the testing was to evaluate key features and identify both pain points and strengths in the overall user experience. Key insights from the report include: 

  • With many participants new to George Mason, several students weren’t familiar with Patriot Connect, and only three participants (10 percent) shared that they had previously used Patriot Connect to schedule an appointment. 
  • After the usability test, 20 participants (67 percent) reported a positive, user-friendly experience with Patriot Connect while 10 participants (33 percent) reported that it was slow and difficult to navigate.
  • 18 students (60 percent) had advisor availability in the next 30 days, while 11 students (37 percent) had no advisor availability. Please note that advisors are responsible for setting shift availability in Patriot Connect. Inconsistency in advisor availability indicates a gap in student support. 

For further details, read the full report.

Patriot Connect Featured Training Materials

Are students reporting that they can’t schedule appointments with you? Search for your Service Resource record in Patriot Connect and check the following details in the “Shifts” panel: 

  • Did you set up your shifts? Shifts must be set up for students to schedule an appointment with you. If the Shifts panel says “Shifts (0),” you must create at least one shift.  
  • Does your shift have a status of “Confirmed”? If the status on your shift is “Tentative” or “Published,” students will not be able to schedule appointments. Open the shift record, select the “Edit” button, and update the status field to “Confirmed”. 
  • Is the Recurrence End Date for your shift in the future? Click on the shift number (e.g., SFT1234) and confirm that the shift continues into the future. If the Recurrence End Date is in the past, clone your existing shift with recurrence start and end dates in the future (shifts can be set for a maximum of 180 days/six months).  
  • Does your shift have all of your “Shift Work Topics” and “Shift Engagement Channels”? Shift work topics are the areas of assistance. Shift engagement channels are the types of appointments (e.g., virtual, in-person). Open the shift record and add shift work topics and shift engagement channels. TIP: You can select multiple shift work topics by holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard.  

If you’ve checked all these items and are still having trouble, please submit a ticket with ITS, contact them via chat, or call 703-993-8870. 

 

For additional training and support related to managing shifts, log in to MasonLEAPS to access the recordings from the recent Creating and Managing Shifts micro-training and the Day in the Life of an Advisor micro-training. 

Patriot Connect Team Spotlight Series

Meet the Patriot Connect team members supporting you and the George Mason community as we adapt to Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success and continue into Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions. Discover their roles, what motivates and inspires them, and a fun fact or two. Get to know Salesforce Executive Committee member and Vice President for Enrollment Management, David Burge! 

ICYMI

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to share the sign up form with your colleagues who are interested in staying up to date with Patriot Connect.

Sincerely,

The Patriot Connect Program Management Team