As I reviewed the 2016 NSSE Data for SUU, I found it interesting that 24% of SUU students (2015-16) stated they 'never' discussed their academic performance with a faculty member, while 49% listed they only 'sometimes' discussed their performance. On the other hand, only 20% listed that they 'often' discussed their academic performance with a faculty member and only 7% stated they did so 'very often.' In talking with students, I am surprised by the amount who have yet to take advantage of their professor's office hours this semester as these students do not want to be a bother, interrupt, or they don't know what to talk about or how to start the conversation.
The following was taken from a 'Back to College' article that I felt outlined some key points regarding office hours:
Office Hours are the posted days and times a professor can be expected to be in his/her office available to students. Students pay for those hours and, therefore, should feel free to use them. However this is not a social open house. Most professors expect that students who show up for those hours have specific questions or concerns related to the class they are taking. If the conversation becomes more casual over time, great. But the purpose of office hours is to give busy students access to busy teachers. Here are some suggestions for your student:
1. Have them begin any appointment prepared with a pen and paper, ready to take notes. Always, always, ALWAYS take notes. Students worry that they are being rude, but, remember, this is not a social occasion. There is no way they can remember everything (or even anything) from these meetings. This means there will be periods of silence while they are writing things down. That’s OK. They are not there to be entertaining. They are there to get help with their work.
2. If they are confused by a math
or science class, arrive with a written representative list of problems and concepts (but don’t include everything on the syllabus!). Take time to isolate significant problem areas and concrete examples. This lets the instructor see exactly where the troubles lie and gives him/her something specific to work with right away to illustrate the ideas involved. They may then follow-up with other questions as they arise. Tell them to be sure to leave room on the page under each question to take notes on the help and answers you receive.
3. If they are having trouble writing a paper, try to have them come equipped with some concrete ideas written out and even some free-writing exercises based on the
assignment. The best approach is to compose a few possible theses. And, if they can, it would be great to rough out a brief topic sentence outline for each thesis. Don’t worry about bringing in even the sketchiest of ideas. It’s not unusual for me to locate a really great thesis somewhere in a student’s outline or free-writing. So the more you bring in, the more the instructor has to work with. They might leave the office hour with an entirely new approach, but it will be based on work they’ve already begun.
4. Don’t waste time with small talk. Other students may be waiting, so be sure that they get right to their most important questions early. This is another reason to prepare the office hour visit in writing. List concerns in order of importance and relevance, so they can begin at the top and not have to take up time trying to remember what they wanted to ask.
5. Using office hours to let their professors get to know them in order to secure letters of recommendation later isn’t entirely illegitimate. However, they need to combine the visit with real classroom needs. If they are not all that engaged with the class material or if they don’t honestly need help with the work, believe me, it will show. They may think they are being charming when, in reality, they are only being irritating. This will not result in a good letter. If your student finds that they are truly interested in the class and have honest questions, then, by all means, take advantage of an office hour. It will certainly help them with letters later on as well as with their work now.
6. In my experience, most professors understand that students have schedules that often conflict with posted office hours, so usually there’s a “and by appointment” note following the regular days and times. Encourage them to please don’t be shy about asking for an appointment. If they need to meet with the professor, talk to him/her after class or e-mail and briefly explain their predicament. Then offer a range of days and times when they’d be available, having already made sure that none of them conflicts with the professor’s other classes.
I hope you will encourage your student to take full advantage of their professors office hours. Thanks for your continued efforts in supporting your student!
