Policy Statement - 14-15 Faculty Office Hours

Faculty Office Hours

(This policy supersedes PS 02-10.)

 This policy was recommended by the Academic Senate on 2/19/2015 and

approved by the president on 3/17/2015. 

1.0         INTRODUCTION

Faculty members shall provide an opportunity for communication with students and others as part of their instructional assignment through regularly scheduled office hours. These office hours can take the form of face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, and electronic communication.  To the extent that face-to-face meetings are required by this policy, the University must provide a reasonably accessible location for those meetings. 

2.0         NUMBER OF OFFICE HOURS 

Each instructional faculty member is required to hold one regularly scheduled office hour per week for every 3 Weighted Teaching Units (WTUs) taught to a maximum of four hours. 

 

2.1         Minimum Office Hour.  Faculty teaching fewer than 3 WTUs shall hold at least one regularly scheduled office hour.

 

2.2         Individual Instruction.  WTUs for individual instructional hours with students (e.g., independent study) shall not be included within the requirement of Section 2.0. 

3.0         MODE OF OFFICE HOURS 

3.1         Faculty Teaching Online, Hybrid or Field Courses. 

Because the way in which office hours are held should be consistent with the mode(s) of instruction, faculty teaching online, hybrid or field courses may schedule some or all of their office hours as determined in consultation with the department chair/school director. 

 

3.2         Faculty Teaching Traditional Courses. 

 

3.2.1         Regardless of the number of WTUs a faculty member may be teaching, all faculty who teach one or more courses with face-to-face instruction are required to hold at least one hour of regularly scheduled face-to-face office hours.

 

3.2.2         The requirement of at least one face-to-face office hour cannot be met, entirely or in part, by stipulating “by appointment only.”

 

3.2.3         Typically, face-to-face office hours are held in the faculty member’s office at a time likely to be accessible to the students.

 

3.2.4         No office hours are required during the final examination period.

 

3.2.5         Faculty teaching traditional courses may schedule the remainder of their office hours (i.e., those beyond the one required office hour of face-to-face time) in any manner purposefully designed to meet student needs, including, but not limited to 

(a)          additional, regularly scheduled face-to-face office hours;

(b)          regularly scheduled times for synchronous electronic communication with students in an online chat room, via instant messaging, phone calls, or videoconferencing;

(c)          office hours by appointment; and

(d)          office hours via asynchronous electronic means, such as office hours via discussion board, returning phone messages, or email.  Faculty members will endeavor to: (1) respond within 72 hours to student contacts made by these means, (2) give electronic notice by the same means when not available, and (3) include a statement of electronic availability in their syllabi.

 

4.0         COMMUNICATION OF OFFICE HOURS

4.1         Notification to Department.  Faculty members shall notify their department office of their scheduled office hours no later than the end of the first week of instruction.

4.2         Posting.  The faculty member's office hours and e-mail address must be posted by the faculty member’s office door and available in the department office.

4.3         Syllabus.  Office hours, including schedule, location, and contact information, shall be listed on the syllabus for each course.

 

5.0         CANCELLATION OF OFFICE HOURS

Faculty shall notify their department office and students in the event that they are unable to meet scheduled office hours. A notice shall be posted on the faculty member’s door when office hours are cancelled.  

EFFECTIVE: Immediately