In an increasingly technological society, we are connected in ways that would have never been possible a few decades ago. The speed at which we are able to correspond with others from miles away has led in part to a preference to use our electronic devices, such as smartphones, to facilitate communication. Such devices have also transformed academia by expanding the ways instructors and students are able to communicate.
Historically, we have relied on the office hours model to engage in one-on-one interaction with students. In this model, instructors reserve two to four hours per week, or by appointment only, so that students are able to visit their office with any questions or concerns they have about the course. As many who have taught college students know, students rarely visit office hours. In the event that they do stop by, it is near the end of the semester, and they may be scrambling for extra credit opportunities. I believe that this model of office hours is outdated and should evolve with our new technological culture. Students are constantly interacting in an online platform, and there is a space for academia in it.
As a WIP TA, I hoped students would be in my office every week with questions on how to improve their writing. I imagined I would be a writing coach who pushed them in their drills and strengthened their writing muscles through one-on-one interactions. However, the reality was that only three students visited my office hours the entire semester, and it was for reasons only tangentially related to writing. To my surprise, students were instead flooding my email with questions they had about improving their writing based on my feedback. Since I, like many millennials, am connected to my smart phone, I usually responded to their emails within a few hours. It was important to me that I was accessible to my students because I wanted them to do well, even if it meant responding to a question hours before an assignment was due. If I adhered to the old office hours model, I would have encouraged the students who e-mailed me to stop by my office hours to discuss minor issues like ensuring their rephrasing of a sentence is appropriate. Responding to their emails in a timely manner reduced their writing anxieties, and it also reduced the amount of time I had to physically spend with them in my office. I had a student refer to me as an “angel” and “the best TA ever” simply for replying to her e-mails the day before her assignment was due.
While the idea of receiving constant e-mails from students may seem overwhelming or time consuming, it can actually improve efficiency during busy points in the semester. I’m not sure about you, but I tend to spend too much time with students when they come to my office hours because 1) I’m happy they came at all and 2) I don’t want them to leave until I’m sure their issue is resolved. A larger number of students visit office hours around midterms and finals; therefore, asking them to e-mail you their concerns or questions will allow you to address minor issues that do not require face-to-face interaction. For more involved issues, I suggest scheduling a meeting with the student. Because you received an e-mail in advance, you’re not only able to prepare for the meeting, but be more efficient with your time.
I hope to broaden our ideas of what we consider office hours to a more digital space
Communicating with students through e-mail also has other benefits besides easing their anxiety and improving your efficiency. It also contributes to their professional writing development because they are practicing proper e-mail etiquette (especially when they are e-mailing you at 11:00 pm on a Saturday). I am not suggesting that we drop whatever we’re doing to respond to every e-mail from students. On the contrary, I hope to broaden our ideas of what we consider office hours to a more digital space.
This may look different for each instructor. Many students are using group messaging apps in order to communicate with each other about the class. Instructors could create a group chat with students to foster an informal way for students to ask quick questions that don’t require a lengthy e-mail or meeting. Video chats or online chats through the university’s online learning platform are other digital resources we may use to better assist students who are not able to or comfortable attending traditional office hours. As our technological society continues to create more efficient ways to communicate, I hope we can strive to diversify the office hours model, so it does not become the snail mail of instructor/student interaction.