Provide Students with Commonly Asked Questions

Students may be nervous about what types of content questions are acceptable at office hours out of fear that their questions may be perceived negatively. By offering a list of commonly asked questions, you will help to destigmatize the question-asking process.

Here are a few examples of commonly asked questions you can provide for your students. You will want to personalize these questions for your own course content and add more specific questions [adapted from https://lsadvising.berkeley.edu/news/icebreakers-office-hours]:

1. I am struggling with the new concept that we covered last class. Can you please go over it again with me?
2. I keep getting stuck on this assignment. Can we work together to answer question 10?
3. I am disappointed with my latest test result. Are there specific areas I should be working on for next time?
4. What are the best ways for me to be more successful at learning in this class?