Making the Most of Office Hours

By Joanne Goldwater, Associate Dean for Retention & Student Success/

Seahawk Family Liaison

Faculty members and staff in the Office of Student Success Services are strong supporters of having students meet with their instructors and academic advisors during their posted office hours (or, what we like to call, “student visiting hours”). Faculty members submitted their midterm grades in October and students were notified if they were not performing well in any of their classes. Meeting with the faculty can help them turn things around.

What Do You Need to Know?

• All professors, including adjunct faculty, are required to post their office hours (in the syllabus and/or on their office doors). Office hours are the times when students should meet with the instructor in their office (or they can go for a walk, or for a cup of coffee/tea/smoothie, etc.) to discuss:
  • Grades
  • Ask questions about the information being discussed in class or in the textbook
  • Find out the format for an upcoming exam (short-answer, essay, multiple choice, etc.)
  • Get info on possible internships or summer jobs, graduate programs, etc.
    If a student has a class conflicting with the instructor’s office hours, they can (should!) contact the instructor to schedule an appointment outside of office hours.
• If a student has missed a number of classes, and/or they are earning below a C- (or in some STEM majors, earning a grade below a C), they may have received a midterm grade notice. In those cases, the student really should meet with their instructor(s) to figure out what they need to do to get back on track in the course, review test corrections, get feedback from the instructor, see if there is an opportunity to do some make-up work or extra credit, etc.
• Students in jeopardy of earning a poor grade were advised that the last day to withdraw from a course was Friday, November 15.
• Asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness! It is a sign of self-awareness and a desire to do better!

What Can You Do?

• Ask open-ended questions.
  • What are you learning in [class]?
  • What are you struggling with in [class]?
  • What steps have you taken (or will you take) to get back on track in [class]?
  • Who do you think might be able to help you? (Correct answers: Their instructor, the Teaching Assistant (if there is one connected with the course), their advisor, and staff in the Office of Student Success Services located in Glendening Hall room 230!)
• Encourage your student to meet with their instructors and academic advisor sooner rather than later.
• Remember: The instructors and academic advisors are front-line staff (along with the Teaching Assistants, Lab Assistants, and tutors and staff in OS3) who can help students. All of these folks have “student visiting hours”.