Of course, this is a great time for us as instructors to be able to work with students the need a little more of our time.
I agree. I find that it is very important to set office hours and stand by them. Also to be consistent with the times for the chats. It helps to maintain good communication with the students...
Laura,
Consistency really matters online!
Jon
Yes you can set office hours so that students can email you or call you. Sometimes a problem that comes with e-learning is that the learner may be in a different time zone. So maybe when they have time to call or email the office is closed and they cannot reach their Instructor.
Byron,
Good points. In my experience office hours generally see low use, I would just prefer a responsive faculty who can set appointments as needed.
Best,
Jon
I would think it would be easier to set and meet office hour requirements in a synchronous classroom setting. Everyone comes to class at the same time and questions could be answered then. In an aynchronous setting learners might be in need at different times and instructor office hours might need to be adjusted or the instructor would have to make sure that it was a policy to get back with a learner's question wihin 24 hours.
Yes, it is absolutely possible. I host 4 hrs a weeks of office hours and I am at my computer available for students. I find it very helpful because I get quite a few students who visit me during this time weekly.
Adib Shakir
I agree having your instructors available to students (online) during office hours helps to ease the tension of them feeling all alone in virtual cyberspace.
Adib Shakir
I like to multi-task during my office hours. I especially like to get all of my grading done as well as provide some real-time feedback to students who I see are online during my office hours.
Adib Shakir
I love that an on-line instructor is so flexible. This really helps with busy lives.
