Structure Your Office Hours to be Inclusive

It is important to decide, and clearly communicate with your students, how you plan to structure your office hours. Transparency is key so that all students will know what to expect. Consider the following:

1. Location- your office is a great option, but you may also consider a more public space on campus, such as the library.  If you do not have a private office space, consider utilizing the library or a common space near your office. Recognizing that there are many reasons that students (and you) may be uncomfortable meeting behind closed doors (e.g. claustrophobia), we recommend keeping your office door open when meeting with a student in your office.
2. Modality- you may want to offer office hours in-person, virtually, or both! The university recommends that at least some of your office hours are offered in the same modality as your course.
3. Timing- if possible, try to offer a variety of times for your office hours to accommodate student schedules. You may consider surveying your students to find times that work for them or offering additional opportunities to meet by appointment.
4. Solo vs. Groups- depending on your course subject and class size, you may consider offering opportunities for groups of students to attend your office hours together. This will still allow you to support your students in a more personal manner with the added benefit of helping students to build community with each other.
5. Sign-ups: you may want to ask students to sign up for particular times to meet within your established office hours or you may have additional office hours by appointment. This strategy may be particularly useful for a large course of a fully online course. How you ask students to sign up for office hours is up to you. Many faculty use Microsoft Bookings for this purpose.