Tips for Effective Office Hours
The fast pace in class is sometimes frustrating since it offers
little time to go over issues in depth and you may find yourself
having to cut off discussion for the sake of preparing students
for their next assignments. Office hours, then, can be very rewarding
because you have the time to explore issues in depth with students
who are interested enough in the topic to go out of their way
to attend office hours.
You may want to consider posting an office-hour sign-up sheet
with 15, 20, or 30 minute increments. Doing so may serve as a
prompt to help you monitor your time. Also, students may be more
likely to think through the best ways to articulate their dilemma,
interest, or question if they have a timeframe in mind. Whether
or not you use a sign-up sheet, be courteous and attentive to
students waiting to see you. It may be difficult to cut off a
conversation, but most students will respond well to a “five-minute
warning” or start wrapping up when you get up to tell the
waiting student, “I’ll be with you very soon.” You
might use those last few minutes to schedule another time for
the student to come in to office hours.
Reflecting on your office hours will aid you in responding appropriately
to individual students and improving your class. Repeated and
long office hours may signal that you should be referring students
to other resources, like the Stanford Writing Center. Indeed,
part of the work students are doing in PWR and as undergraduates
is learning to use the variety of resources available to them.
You might also encourage students who come to office hours regularly—especially
if they are quiet in class—to share their insights and
questions in class for the benefit of their peers rather than
saving them for office hours. Finally, you may also think about
restructuring your exercises or in-class workshops, especially
if many students are coming to office hours with similar questions.
You will want to maintain the same instructor-student relationship
in office hours that you have been cultivating in the classroom:
maintain the same level of verbal formality and a consistent
teaching persona. Model the sort of preparation for office hours
that you would like to see from your students: if you do use
a sign-up sheet, go over it to see who is coming in so that you
can get any specific materials you think might benefit specific
students, anticipate questions or work you would like to do during
your time together, and think through questions that the student
may have raised via emails or in class.
