The following three evidence-based strategies can be used to create a more invitational approach to office hours. They are listed in order of time and effort needed to implement in a course, with strategies ranging from low time/effort (making clear to students why and how to use office hours) to higher time/effort (offering alternative time and format options for office hours) (Figure 1).

Jack’s (2019, p. 83) study observes, “When professors mention office hours, often only on the first day of classes, they tell students when office hours are. They almost never say what they are.” Likewise, a study of over 600 undergraduates at one mid-Atlantic university found that when asked, “What would make you more likely to use office hours?” the most frequent suggestion (57%) is to indicate how, why, and when they should use the resource (Smith et al., 2017).

Transparency around the purposes of office hours can help students make more considered choices around their use and create a more invitational tone for this learning space. Syllabus statements or in-class conversations can raise the following reasons to use office hours, beyond questions about course material:

• How can I find research or internship opportunities in this area?
• How did the instructor become interested in the discipline?
• What are academic and non-academic careers in the field?
• If I like this course, what other ones should I consider?

Rhea Mathews ‘21, English and Literary Arts, also proposes these topics:

• I'm confused about this topic, can you explain it to me in a different way?
• I'm interested in this topic that we discussed in class. How can I explore it more?
• I'm interested in your field/work. What do you like most about it? What do you dislike?
• What is it like, on a daily basis, to work in this field?

Catherine Bai ‘19, Literary Arts and Applied Mathematics, adds that asking for book recommendations can also be helpful. Catherine notes, “In an annotated bibliography assignment for a class, I wrote that I was actively looking to read more Asian-American writers, and my professor emailed me with a list of recommended books!” Finally, Marianna McMurdock ‘19, Education Studies and English, suggests asking, “Are there supports or student groups regarding this discipline that meet regularly?"

Another option is to prompt students to generate their own questions. Associate Dean Kate Smith finds success in devoting a small assignment to this topic, which asks students to:

1. Read about her work on Brown webpages
2. Write five questions they would like to ask her
3. Meet and take notes about the conversation
4. Summarize what they learned, as well as their observations about changes in confidence and goals: “In a separate set of paragraphs (1-3), describe your level of confidence before, during and after the meeting – were you nervous, excited, reserved, outgoing? Did your confidence change over the course of the meeting? What was something positive about your conversation that boosted your confidence? What is something you want to work on improving as you continue to interact with professors in your time at Brown?”

The research suggests that office hours are critical to course and longer-term success. Because not all students have equal access to this information, instructors may wish to consider incentivizing this practice, just as they would for other key study skills. Office hours might be incentivized in the first weeks of a class as a precondition for a paper or in-class presentation, or as one way to calculate a participation grade (Gillis, 2019).

In smaller courses, instructors could consider requiring office hours or offering extra credit to normalize their use. For example, at the beginning of each term, Jay Tang, Professor of Physics and Engineering, requires 15-minute interviews with his students, which he schedules with Google calendar appointments. He finds that, once students undertake this initial visit to his office, they are more likely to come to his office hours throughout the semester.

In larger courses, faculty may wish to have groups sign up for office hours (e.g., a group of students signs up for a time). Jim Egan, English, notes, “In larger courses, I’ve had conferences with groups of 4 or 5 students, and these group conferences lead to similar results without requiring me to spend a disproportionate amount of time in student meetings that a large course would demand.” Another possibility is to have TAs require them, to establish some connection with an instructor.

Time and location inconvenience have been found to be key perceived contributors to some students’ reluctance to visit office hours (Griffin et al., 2014; Smith et al., 2017). Holding some virtual office hours, on platforms such as Zoom, at alternate times may help reduce these barriers and communicate that “the primary benefit of office hours comes not from a student’s physical presence in the faculty member’s office, but rather from the time and space that office hours create for constructive student-faculty engagement” (Smith et al., 2017, p. 25). These alternate times need not be offered every week, nor called “office hours.” In fact, some research suggests that doing them periodically (e.g., four times a term) and using a different term to signal their “specialness” (e.g., Coffee Breaks, Open Space, Career and Course Chat Hours) can prompt better attendance (Lowenthal, Snelson, & Dunlap, 2017).  

Additionally, for face-to-face office hours, relocation to a public space like a café or the library may make the visit less daunting. However, instructors may also wish to consider keeping some office hours in their office, for students who need to discuss sensitive or personal issues. Additionally, if office hours are held at a restaurant or café, and it is expected that students will purchase food or a beverage, instructors should consider the cost of that purchase as a potential barrier for some students and pick up the tab.