When is the best time to go to office hours? When you have a question. When you are not sure about something from class. When you want to introduce yourself to your instructor. When you didn't do as well as you hoped on a quiz and are unsure about the expectations for the class. When you want to ask about that homework question. When you want to share that funny meme that popped up on social media. Sooner rather than later. When do most students go to office hours? When it is too late. Attending office hours can give you valuable time to better understand your class content and your professor’s expectations and can have a big impact on your academic success. Nervous about attending office hours? It helps if you are prepared. What are office hours?: Office hours are times that teachers set aside to meet with students. Some instructors hold individual office hours (one at-a-time, wait your turn) while others hold group office hours (a bunch of people sitting around with round-robin questions). They are expecting you to come! They want you to come! This is when you can ask questions about course content, study approaches, life, careers, problems, etc. Who is going to be at office hours: It depends (see above). Definitely you + instructors, TAs, and/or UTAs teaching your course. Generally, each of these individuals will hold office hours each week. There could also be other students. It is a good idea to figure this out ahead of time as this may affect the questions you ask. Why go to office hours?: Be sure to read the syllabus as some instructors may hold different types of office hours for different reasons (individual v. group, guided reviews v. question sessions). Here are some great reasons to go to office hours:
When are office hours: Check your syllabus! Make sure you know when each of your teachers’ office hours are held. If there are office hours that you cannot make, reach out NOW to figure out the best way to find a time to meet or an alternative way to ask questions. Where are office hours?: This semester - mostly likely via zoom, but it is best to double check and have those zoom links organized so you know you are going to office hours and not a psychology lecture (not that this happened to me this semester). How to office hours: You can just show up, but it is usually a good idea to have a plan and to think about the time of the semester. Some examples:
Still feeling unsure? Here are some sample questions you can ask: What qualities do successful students in this class have? If I only have 1 hour to study outside of class how should I use it? How much time do you think I should be putting in outside of class and what should I do with that time? How did you become interested in ______ (field)? I am really enjoying your class. Can you recommend another class that goes into more detail on this subject? Or Do you do research on this subject? How might you ask a question about this on an exam? Do you have any recommendations on additional resources for understanding this concept? What would you say is the most important part of ____ (topic)? Do you have an analogy to help me better understand this topic? Do you have recommendations on how to approach the exam (what parts to do first, etc.)? Things not to do in office hours:
Not all visits to office hours are fruitful. Try to avoid these office hours missteps: 1. Complain about the class. If you are having a hard time or don't agree with something about class, write an email first to give the instructor a heads up and allow them time to think about your complaint. Also – it is always best to wait a night before sending such emails to make sure that they are still respectful and will help to solve the problem. 2. Ask about your grade if it is a group office hours. This is likely better saved for a one-on-one meeting or email. 3. Arrive unprepared and expect to be given time. Don't ask about homework 3 if you have not yet looked at homework 3. Expect the instructor to ask follow up questions to help you think about the material in new ways. One of the best secrets about regularly attending office hours or tutoring is that you usually spend a good bit of time preparing for them (secret studying). 4. Ask the instructor to reteach an entire class that you missed. Go through the material yourself, ask a friend, and then go and ask specific questions. 5. Show up 5 minutes before offie hours ends with 45 minutes worth of questions. 6. Show up the day before the final exam and ask for extra credit. Show up today.
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January 2022
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