Inclusion and Belonging through Office Hours
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Start by explaining where your office is located. Wayfinding is not a skill possessed by all students. Your syllabus could provide a map to your office. Next, explain what you mean by ‘office hours’ and how you want to use that time. Set expectations about whether you can or will meet before or stay after class, and how informal hallway chats differ from office hours.
On the first day of class, explain to your students that office hours are the times that you have set aside specifically for them in case they need help outside class. Give some examples of the kinds of things you are willing to do during this time (go over drafts of papers, talk about the readings and so on) and reassure them that all of them are welcome and, indeed, encouraged to attend. (Megan Condis, Inside Higher Ed)
Once class gets rolling, attend your own office hours. Set up your furniture so there is a comfortable place to sit with appropriate light and spacing. One of our mental health faculty colleagues brings flowers to her office every week to create a gracious setting in her office. Leave the door open, or if you’re in a Zoom room, make sure you’re there.
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