IF YOU WANT TO:
"I find it useful to identify in advance a specific topic for my office hours," says a linguistics professor. "I encourage students who are having difficulty in that area to come for help." Based on past experiences, she knows which concepts and ideas cause problems and she schedules her office hours to provide further elaboration and discussion on these topics.
"This way, if a student misses a class or doesn't fully understand the topic, he or she has another chance at the material during office hours." TAs are also encouraged to attend these sessions so that they better understand areas of student difficulty.
Another professor uses one office hour a week in a similar fashion, although specific topics are not necessarily covered by the course. "Sometimes they are enrichment topics; sometimes they are remedial, like how to do a term paper," he says.
As an added bonus, students and the professor get to know one another in a small informal setting.
Limitations on Use of Suggestion
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