Getting More Impact from Office Hours
If you've ever wondered what more you can do to get students to take
advantage of your office hours, here are few suggestions--
 | One business teacher who asked her students to do a brief persuasive
writing, she set aside office time for a few students at once. Benefits
included getting to know classmates, feeling more comfortable about meeting
with the teacher, and often the interaction continued in class. |
| Though students and teachers seem to treat office hours as a time when
student questions get answered, students may have trouble wording their
confusion or curiosity. Instead of opening with "What do you want
to know?" try getting at students' prior knowledge and work through
problem solving. For instance, a student who claims not to know
"the limit of a function" presents the instructor with a chance to
inquire about the term "function," perhaps reviewing that, and
leading the student to define "limit" by working through one or
more sample problems. |
| Students may be reluctant to ask for help lest they appear ignorant,
unprepared, or confused to the person who is supposed to decide if they get
an "A" or not. For long-term tasks and independent studying
[including perhaps distance education courses], structure regular checks
into the process, including office visits. |
Evaluating Office and One-to-One Instruction
To assess your own effectiveness and methods for office meetings and
tutorials with your students, consider these options--
| audiotape the instructional parts of an office hour, perhaps getting
someone to transcribe the crucial parts in order to look for patterns in the
communication and thought processes that occur |
| alternatively, keep a journal for writing down impressions of how the
office appointment went, perhaps asking yourself such questions as
 | What worked well during this office appointment? Why? |
| What might I have done differently? Why? |
| How might this change impact on a student's learning? |
| What questions still remain? |
|
| design a feedback form that students can answer anonymously, asking
students to evaluate a set of statements such as these--
| the instructor seemed aware of my needs as a student |
| the instructor seemed concerned about whether I learned the material
or not |
| the instructor knew me by name |
| the instructor presented different approaches to explain concepts |
| the instructor raised my interest in the subject matter |
| the instructor gave me time to ask questions |
|
You might also design more specific items that reflect the topics likely
for the week or the method of office hour instruction that you are trying
(e.g. individual tutorial, probing questions, small-group or paired office
appointments).
Source: Gabriele Bauer, "Effects of Classroom Environments," Practically
Speaking: A Sourcebook for Instructional Consultants in Higher Education,
edited by Kathleen T. Brinko and Robert J. Menges (Stillwater, OK: New Forums
Press, 1997), 197-209.
|
1999