Office (Student) Hours 

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Why does this matter?

“Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement” (Chickering & Gamson, 1986, p. 3). In fact, we know from multiple studies (Griffin, 2014) that student-faculty interaction can lead to increased retention and satisfaction. Yet many instructors report that students are not taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with faculty during posted office hours. In fact, in her 2019 article in Faculty Focus, Jennie Carr reports that “the percentage of students who attend office hours has declined drastically over the past several years.”

It may be helpful to learn that a search of the literature identified evidence that there are a number of reasons why students are not seeking to meet with faculty outside of the scheduled class time. Read below to learn what researchers have found about how the timing of office hours and confusion around the purpose of office hours impacts student participation.

Timing of office hours

In a 2014 study, Griffin et al. found two-thirds of students self-reported never using office hours. Interestingly, they discovered students who perceive office hours to be more convenient are more likely to attend (Carr, 2019).

Suggestion

Survey your students to get a sense of how to complement their schedules. Consider offering virtual office hours.

Purpose of office hours

Students may be unclear about the purpose of office hours. See “Don’t be alone during office hours” for an example of a student’s perspective on the purpose of office hours. Can this be the case for some of your students?

Suggestions

Survey your students to get a sense of what they perceive to be the intended purpose of office hours. Follow up with a discussion of what you have learned from their responses.

References

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