Zoom to an A+

Virtual Office Hours (VOH) are an alternative to traditional office hours. The virtual environment can provide students and instructors with more flexibility in meeting times and locations, content delivery, and types of interaction. A VOH can also provide a low-stakes platform for discussions, allowing students to better articulate their thought processes. Successful virtual sessions are dependent on thoughtful design. Questions which encourage deeper thinking, problem-solving, and critical analysis are essential student engagement and to the success of a virtual session.  VOH can make it easier for some students to get the help they need. Here are some of the known benefits of offering virtual sessions:

• Students can participate from any location
• Flexibility to target high demand hours–evening “homework” hours
• Opens a new or additional channel for communication
• May remove invisible barriers (shyness, intimidation)
• Multiple students can attend simultaneously
• Session can be recorded and archived for the benefit of other students
• Classmates can compare questions and help instruct each other
• Reduces time spent responding to individual questions via email
• Provides opportunities to implement active learning strategies
• Session can be adapted to student needs (muddiest point)
• Can be used for co-teaching, including TA’s or run by TA’s
• Review sessions before exams