Tara Allen
Contact: Karyn Turla
Instead of office hours where students visit with the instructor individually, a weekly study session is held for all interested students to attend together.
Weekly for classes of any sizes or levels in place of a traditional office hour.
This technique is a group office hour format, which is called a study session to make it feel less intimidating to students. These sessions are scheduled outside of class time based on student availability determined from a survey the first week of the semester. During the session, students ask questions and/or identify topics they need assistance. The instructor may also use this time to help the class synthesize information through creation of study resources (concept maps, flow charts, Venn diagrams, etc.). Sessions are recorded with Panopto to all students unable to attend to watch them. Students are also encouraged to submit questions/topics ahead of time, especially if they are unable to attend so that they can benefit from the session. No new material is covered at the session. While this technique assists students in their own learning, it also helps them engage with their classmates and learn from one another.
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/enhancing-learning-and-exam-preparation
I have used this for years in all my classes at UMKC. This started when I began teaching classes with high enrollment (300+) in a way to ensure that I could assist as many students as possible in office hours. I called these weekly meetings “study session” to make them less intimidating, since some students have said that they are nervous to come to office hours. I have offered these sessions in person in classroom on campus and via Zoom. The time for the session is based on a survey the students fill out the first week of class. Attendance at these sessions is not required and no new material is covered. Instead, at each session, students are free to ask questions or identify topics on which they would like to discuss further. At some sessions, I have showed the students how to synthesize topics by making concept maps, flow charts, drawings, etc. Each session is recorded with Panopto for students who are not available to attend the session live. Students not able to attend are encouraged to email me questions/topics prior to the session. I hold one session a week for each of my courses (~1 hour each) and attendance has been very good. Students have provided a lot of positive feedback about the benefit of these sessions to their learning and engagement with the course material.
Boyle, Liza and Jason Reid. (2021). ASEE Annual Conference Virtual Meeting. Turning Office Hours into Study Sessions: Impacts on Students’ Homework and Exam Grades. https://peer.asee.org/turning-office-hours-into-study-sessions-impacts-on-students-homework-and-exam-grades