A tool for student success: using your professor’s office hours
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — There is a likelihood that during syllabus review, professors mentioned “office hours” and encouraged students to come to see them at those times. By the end of the semester, some students will have taken them up on this offer at least once, while others never utilize this one-on-one time with their professors.
Office hours are more a time to understand assignments or better grasp what a professor has been teaching, these hours also provide a space to fellowship and build connections that can extend farther than the classroom.
“Just know your professor. That relationship is right there. If you can get to know your professor, you’re going to do better in their class, and you’re going to understand the material better,” said Dean of the Helen DeVos College of Education, Dr. Bill Estes.
Estes, wanting to clarify the specific office hours professors have, brought out his copy of the Faculty Constitution for Lee, “it’s required [to have office hours] and the constitution says eight hours a week.”
These eight hours should not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the study body as it can provide more attentive help for students.
Dr. Brian Mattson, a professor in the Communication Arts Department, gives extra credit to his students for coming in during his office hours.
“I’ve found in the past that many times students just don’t use office hours. Sometimes, students are just intimidated to go talk to a professor, but they are motivated by points and grades,” Mattson said. “So one of the things that I try to do to help overcome the anxiety of going and talking to a professor is to offer extra credit. I try to show that I’m generous in hospitality and that I really do want to get to know them.”
In Mattson’s experience, once a student has time with their professor, they are more likely to stop in again as a sense of comfortability has hopefully been reached.
“I found that once students come into my office for the first time, it’s easier for them to come see me again and again and again. Breaking down that initial barrier helps make them feel more comfortable,” Mattson said.
Going beyond the interaction, office hours can be seen also as a tool for further development as a student into skills needed for future adulthood.
Dr. Angela Waltrip, director of LEAP, said the use of office hours can help round out responsibilities of students while building foundational relationships at Lee.
“It is a tool for student success. Helping students bridge the gap between faculty [and themselves]. It can help students with time management and learning study skills from their professors,” Waltrip said. “One of the emphasises at Lee is learning to learn, and here at Lee, professors want to be personable. It’s not something that we see at all universities.”
This time outlined in a professor’s day is there for students to reach out. Waltrip’s thoughts were echoed by Mattson.
“Professors are human, they cannot read minds. So we don’t know when a student necessarily needs help unless they voice that,” Mattson said. “In fact, all professors that I know here want students to come and ask questions and be able to get the help that they need — or at least we can point them in the direction they need to go.”
Mattson reiterated the idea of office hours being used as a tool for students, “I think it can be a great tool for student success. Not only just academically, but I think it’s also a great tool to help them socially as well,” Mattson said.
Whether seeking help on an assignment, understanding a new topic in class, wanting to get an extra credit grade, wanting someone to talk to, or in fact, needing someone to talk to, office hours are open to students. Professors want to use that time for more than sitting in silence in their offices, but that can only change through student involvement. Taking professors up on their offer, regardless of the circumstance, can result in a multitude of positive outcomes.
So, when you are sitting in a classroom and a professor talks about their office hours – listen. Building that student-teacher relationship can prove to be beneficial not only to your grades in the coming semester, but to your level of comfort in opening up a new door to welcome in professional and meaningful relationships with those that are here to be a guide, those that are here to teach.
