Office Hours & Expectations: How Are They Impacted by COVID-19?

Your students must have the opportunity to meet with you to discuss any issues, concerns, or questions they may have. University Policy 6-18.101. While the policy specifies that instructors teaching face-to-face should hold in-person office hours, in these special circumstances, it is recommended that you hold office hours remotely. You should offer office hours in person only if the Flashes Safe Eight principles can be followed. If you are teaching remotely, you are strongly encouraged to hold at least some remote office hours. In general, you should meet remotely with any student who prefers that modality.

How do I hold remote office hours?

When you hold office hours remotely, students must be able to communicate with you synchronously. At a minimum you could be available to receive and respond to student emails in real time during regularly scheduled times. For more direct communication, you can make yourself available to students by phone or in a virtual office using BlackBoard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or another similar platform. This may be done during regularly scheduled times or using an appointment system, provided the required minimum number of hours of availability is maintained.

How do I hold office hours in person? 

Instructors must model safe behavior for students by observing the Flashes Safe Eight principles during class and office hours. In particular, you should hold office hours in person only if all of the following conditions apply:

• The office space is clean and sanitized.
• Physical distancing guidelines will be strictly enforced in all offices, requiring individuals to maintain a required amount of space between others, which may vary from 3 feet to 6 feet in different settings. In particular, instructors sharing offices should coordinate their schedules so that physical distancing can be maintained.
• The best practice would be to ensure that a facial covering is close by in case you are approached by a colleague or a visitor. For up-to-date information on facial covering requirements, please see Facial Covering and Physical Distancing Guidelines.

If your office does not meet these criteria, you may try to reserve an alternate space on campus to meet with students or hold your office hours remotely.