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Make office hours easier to understand, easier to attend, and clearly useful before students are in trouble. Explain what students can bring, invite them personally and often, and offer workable options for timing and format. The available university guidance supports these practices, but it does not establish that generative AI has reduced attendance or that any particular approach is proven to increase it in AI-rich courses.
Why students may not come to office hours
Students may not know what happens during a visit, assume office hours are only for people who are failing, or worry that asking for help will make them look unprepared. Some may think the instructor is too busy to be interrupted. Scheduling conflicts, work, travel, inconvenient locations, and discomfort with one-to-one meetings can also be barriers.
The University of Washington and Virginia Tech describe these as possible barriers, not characteristics of every student. Ask students what is getting in the way rather than assuming a lack of interest. University of Washington guidance; Virginia Tech guidance.
Make the purpose concrete
Do more than list a time and room in the syllabus. Explain that students can come to clarify a concept, discuss feedback, ask about an assignment, explore a research interest, or talk about a career question. Tell them they do not need to be failing or arrive with a perfectly formed question.
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The University of Washington describes office hours as a chance for in-depth questions, personalized guidance, clarification, and stronger instructor connections. Virginia Tech recommends making the purpose broader than questions students cannot solve on their own. University of Washington; Virginia Tech.
What should you say in the syllabus?
Use a direct, welcoming invitation near the course information students are likely to consult early. Adapt this wording to your schedule and policies:
I’m glad to talk with you about course questions, ideas you want to explore, feedback, or plans related to this subject. Come by during student hours, or use the appointment link if those times conflict with class or work. You do not need to have a polished question; bring a problem, a passage, or something you are curious about.
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Repeat the invitation in class and through course announcements. A schedule hidden in the syllabus may not be enough to make students feel that they are genuinely welcome. Indiana University recommends warm syllabus language, while Washington and Delaware recommend reminders. Indiana University; University of Washington; University of Delaware.
Make the visit mechanics obvious
State whether hours are drop-in, appointment-based, or a mix. Give the office location or online meeting instructions, explain whether students should bring anything, and say whether they may come with a classmate. If an appointment is required, provide a straightforward signup route using tools approved by your institution.
For online hours that may involve grades or private feedback, use a waiting room or private breakout arrangement so students do not enter someone else’s conversation. Follow institutional privacy requirements and the platform’s local settings. Indiana University discusses these logistics and privacy options. Online Office Hours.
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Offer formats that fit different schedules and comfort levels
There is no single best format for every course. Choose options that reduce real barriers while preserving a private route for sensitive conversations.
| Option | May help with | Plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed in-person hours | Predictable access and face-to-face discussion | Class, work, travel, or location conflicts |
| Online hours | Reducing travel and location barriers | Clear entry instructions and privacy for individual conversations |
| Appointments or varied time blocks | Students whose schedules conflict with the posted time | Signup and scheduling overhead |
| Pairs or small groups | Students who prefer a less formal first visit or a shared topic | A private alternative for grades or personal concerns |
| Topic-focused sessions | Reducing uncertainty about what to ask or discuss | A clear agenda and a topic suited to group discussion |
These are options described in university teaching guidance, not formats shown to work equally well in every discipline or class. Consider accessibility, class size, workload, and institutional rules when choosing. Sources include Virginia Tech, the University of Washington, and the University of Delaware.
Give students a reason to drop in
A named purpose can make an open-ended hour feel less intimidating. For example, set a session for discussing this week’s problem set, reviewing exam feedback, or asking about research methods. UMass Amherst recommends thematic sessions, and Virginia Tech suggests stating an agenda for topic-focused group meetings. UMass Amherst guidance; Virginia Tech guidance.
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Invite students personally and without judgment
A supportive individual invitation can reach students who may not initiate contact. Keep it constructive and specific: invite a student to discuss a question or plan, rather than making office hours sound like a summons for poor performance. Indiana University recommends personally encouraging visits, and Delaware discusses direct invitations to students who may be struggling. Indiana University; University of Delaware.
Should you require an early visit?
Some teaching-center guides suggest an early required visit, a small-group introduction, or a minimal incentive to help students learn what office hours are like. Treat these as context-dependent course-design choices, not guaranteed ways to improve attendance or learning. If a required time conflicts with work, class, or other obligations, provide a workable alternative. Virginia Tech specifically advises planning around scheduling conflicts. Virginia Tech guidance; University of Washington guidance.
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The university guidance available here addresses help-seeking, approachability, flexible access, and online meetings. It does not measure whether generative AI has changed office-hour attendance, whether AI substitutes for instructor conversations, or which practices increase attendance in AI-rich courses. Avoid presenting AI as the cause of low attendance without direct evidence.
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You can make the human purposes of a visit visible: feedback on a student’s own work, dialogue about ideas, mentoring, or help thinking through a process. These may be useful reasons to meet, but they are not established AI-era attendance interventions. If students have questions about your course’s AI policy, explain the actual local policy and invite them to discuss their work or process; office hours should not be framed as an AI-detection or enforcement mechanism.
Choose an approach that is sustainable
Before changing the format, consider access, social comfort, purpose, privacy, and instructor workload. A broad mix of appointment slots and formats can improve flexibility but adds scheduling and follow-up work. A focused group session can make the purpose clear but will not suit private questions. Match the arrangement to students’ likely schedules and the kind of discussion the course requires, then ask whether the process is working.
For online meetings where handwritten work or physical materials matter, a USB document camera is one option; Indiana University also notes that a smartphone can be pointed at the material instead. The camera is optional. Indiana University guidance.
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