Being available to students doesn’t end when they walk out the classroom door. For many GAs and TAs, meeting with students during office hours is part of your contract. Some TAs and GAs set a weekly time to be available in a specific location, ready to answer student questions. Depending on the class, how many students are in class, and the nature and frequency of assignments, you might sit in your office alone, week after week. This number might increase by a handful right before a due date or examination, or perhaps when students get an assignment back and they show up to dispute a grade. This can be very frustrating if you’ve travelled to campus specifically for office hours or if you know students are struggling and are confident that you could help. What can you do to increase the likelihood that students will take full advantage of your office hours?
Here are some things you might consider:
- Be sure students know who you are.
- Be certain students know that you know the material and are able to answer questions.
- Be sure students know when and where to find you. If your office is far from the classroom, they’ll need directions.
- Consider holding at least some of your office hours online. The campus LMS (CL EW at UWindsor) has a live chat option. If your students can ask their questions and you can reply in text, online office hours might be an option. Shy students and busy students will have an easier time reaching out and you’ll be able to communicate from anywhere you can get online. Since LMS chat is visible to other students in the class you might find you repeat yourself less.
- If LMS chat is not available for you, you could also consider setting up Skype or another IM service and setting a weekly time to be available to students.
What other ways have you found to increase the value of your office hours and encourage students to take advantage of them?
I have used many of the suggestions listed. I have also asked students to come and pick up a handout or package during office hours when/if a class has been cancelled so that they can familiarize themselves with where I am on campus and so that they can see that my cubicle is not so scary a place.
@Melanie: good idea. If the class isn’t too large perhaps another option is to schedule interviews when first papers/assignments are due or when they are returned. I had to do this in first year, to discuss the topic I wanted to choose for the course’s major assignment. It was the first time I’d ever visited someone in their office (outside of the classroom) and after that I wasn’t so intimidated to go when I really needed help.