Lonely Office Hours

This Q&A was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond –

Question

Dear Jonas,

I just gave their midterm exams back to my freshmen. A lot of them seem to be having trouble, but still none of them come to my office hours for help. What can I do to get my students to come to visit my office and talk with me when they’re having problems, or better yet, before they have real problems?

Signed: The Lonely Professor

Answer

Dear Lonely Professor,

I’m afraid that this is a common problem, especially with freshmen. Upperclassmen seem to appreciate the value of one-on-one help more. I can tell you what I do, and some things that others have found to work, but don’t think that there’s any one technique that will get all of your problem-students to come to you for extra help.

The first thing to do is to make sure that your students can come to your office hours – make sure that they know where your office is, and that the times of your office hours allow them to attend. Your office location should be on your syllabus and, ideally, you would have talked to your students at the beginning of the term about convenient times for office hours. You may want to schedule your office hours so that they overlap two different class periods – that way, more of your students should be able to find some time when they can meet with you. Also, I always tell my students on the first day of class that, if my office hours aren’t convenient, they should let me know, and I’ll either change the times or arrange to meet individuals at other times.

After the first week or two – perhaps after the first quiz or first graded assignment – it’s good to point out to your students, especially freshmen, that you really do want them to come to your office hours. Point out that it’s the best way to get extra help. Make it clear that they don’t need to make an appointment – if it’s your office hours, you’ll be there. To try to convince my students to come to my office, I try saying to my classes, laughingly, “Please come to my office hours. I’m so lonely. I just sit there the whole time waiting for students to come by”. I try to remember to repeat all of these things to my students every couple of weeks.

Two of the reasons why students don’t choose to come to their instructor’s office hours are because they find instructors intimidating and because they’re afraid/embarrassed to let their instructors know how little they know. To alleviate that fear of being one-on-one with the instructor, I suggest to some of my students that they come to my office in groups of two or three. You may even give them a group problem or assignment that requires them to check in with you at some point. To make the students feel more comfortable with their lack of knowledge, I say to the class, with a hint of humor, “Don’t be afraid of letting me know how far behind you are – believe me, I already know”, or “This seems to be a difficult area for a number of you. I don’t have time to go over it more in class, but I’ve got plenty time in office hours”. This way they know they’re not the only ones who don’t understand.

Just to get students used to coming to their instructor’s office, and to make sure that each student knows where the office is, some instructors give an assignment, for credit, that requires students to come by.the instructor’s office during the first weeks of classes. However, even if you do this, you should keep reminding your students, especially freshmen, throughout the term that your office hours are a valuable resource that you wish they’d take advantage of.

Another obstacle for students could be the location of your office. Is it situated at some remote end of campus, or tucked away in a maze of a building? Some professors hold office hours in the cafeteria during quieter times – it makes the process (and them) seem less intimidating, more accessible.

During those days that you expect your office hours to be extremely busy (e.g., just before or after mid-term exams), you may wish to move your office hours to a larger room, or to post a sign-up sheet on your door in 20-minute (or whatever is appropriate) increments. This avoids the student-sitting-on-the-floor-in-the-hallway syndrome, and lets them budget their time better.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of word-of-mouth. If some students do come to your office hours, it’s important that they have a good experience – that they learn something and feel comfortable coming back. Word of this positive experience will get around, and encourage other students to come for help.

Jonas

Quick Tip

If you leave your office, even for two minutes, during office hours, post a BIG sign or clock saying when you’ll be back.

______

This content was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond.

Browse the complete Index of Teaching Challenges – Chalk Talk