When I first started teaching online, I neglected to provide my students with an adequate mode to address course issues synchronously. In addition, I underestimated the importance of this type of communication in fostering long term student relationships. Establishing times for office hours can give students a venue for guidance and general discussions. To begin with you will need to identify a time that works for all of your students. Most of my students are currently K-12 teachers and coaches, so evenings worked best. There are also two types of office hours, those for the individual students and those that are open to all. Students will sometimes want to talk to you alone about a specific issue or question. To accomplish this, you can have students sign up for time slots that you provide (Posted on blackboard). Group office hours let students log in and talk about general course related topics. For example, in my grant writing course, students can log in during an open evening office hour session and ask me questions about current and future assignments. Finally, the platform on blackboard that I use for office hours is collaborate ultra.
How To
Set up and navigate Collaborate Ultra
We Want to Hear from You
What teaching tips have you picked up working remotely? Please let us know so we can learn from you and share the work you are doing. Would you like to be part of a conversation about how to manage office hours remotely? Let us know by contacting John Pijanowski and we will be in touch to schedule a small group consultation via zoom where we can share ideas, work through technical questions, and learn from each other.