Where can you get help?

You can get help at office hours!  But, what are office hours?

Professors and teaching assistants schedule time outside of class to meet with students. These are called office hours. Office hours are times when you can meet with your professors and teaching assistants to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests you have. Course-related discussions include asking for extra help, seeking clarification of material presented in class and following up on aspects of the class you find compelling. In addition, students also discuss majors and programs of study, and graduation requirements, as well as summer internships, graduate schools, campus events, and much more.

Most professors do not require that students attend office hours. They expect students to decide for themselves when they need or want to participate. Professors usually announce their office hours on the first day of class or on their print or web-based course material.

Most Professors and teaching assistants do not have lessons planned for office hours. They expect students to “drive” these meetings with their questions and their thought. A good way to prepare for office hours is to attempt your homework and review your notes from class and from readings and identify as clearly as you can what you do not understand.

Do not be surprised when the professor and teaching assistants reply to your questions with questions of their own. They are working with you to uncover the source of your questions. Often they will ask students to show them their work and where they got stuck. They may ask you to explain what you were thinking as you moved from step to step. They may ask you to generate alternative ways to solve a problem. Hopefully they will help you change how you think about the material so that you can answer many different kinds of questions about it- not just the question on the homework that is stumping you. Don’t be surprised if they ask you to solve another problem before you leave the office.

TIP: You can always go with a buddy to office hours! Talk with your peer before you go and plan your questions and what you are going to ask!

What Office Hours Are NOT

Office hours are NOT related to activities in high school that require students to stay after school. They are not detention or negative consequences for poor decisions. They are also not a place where the instructor will do your homework for you.

What are my responsibilities as a student going to office hours?

To make the very most of your time with your instructor during office hours, you should:

• Study your textbook and lecture notes thoroughly and attempt the assigned problems before you go to office hours.
• Try to identify specific questions or concepts you need to address during the office hours.
• Expect instructors to ask you questions about the material. They do this to find out what you understand, and to provide you with information and strategies tailored to your individual needs.
• Be patient! Several students come for office hours at the same time. If the instructor is especially busy, you may have to wait a little longer for individual assistance. Use this time to study the material.
• Expect the instructor to suggest general study strategies to help you improve your overall academic performance. These strategies will help in all of your courses.
• Avoid waiting until the day before the test or the day before an assignment is due to seek assistance. Study a few hours each day, and keep up with your assignments. It is EASIER to keep up than to catch up!

Use other resources such as formal study groups and informal homework-help groups.

Keep a positive attitude about the subject and about your potential to excel. Your attitude will go a long way in determining how well you do in your course!

New to Cornell?  Don’t forget to check out our page on learning Cornell’s unique lingo!

Be mindful of your focus and avoid multitasking

Most people think they can multitask effectively, but the simple truth is that most people cannot. When people have an open device, the pull of messages, movies, shopping, scrolling, etc. is strong, and you might be tempted to try to do more than one thing at once, aka “multitask.”

People think they are “multitasking,” but most often people are “microtasking” instead. This means they are switching back and forth rapidly between tasks–NOT doing both tasks at once.

Here’s what happens when you try to do more than one task at once:

• Assignments take longer, because each time you come back to an assignment you have to get familiar with it, find your spot, remember what you were going to do next, etc.
• You’re more likely to make mistakes because distractions and switching between tasks tires out the brain.
• You’ll remember less because what you are learning doesn’t get encoded properly into long-term memory.

Tip: Turn off distractions when you attend class.

Instead, do these things to move towards “monotasking”:

• Allow yourself to focus on one thing at a time.
• Plan breaks between tasks. Get up and stretch, check on your friends, have a snack, pet the cat or dog.
• Consider the “Pomodoro Method” to help you focus for 25- or 50-minute periods and then reward yourself with 5- or 10-minute breaks.
• If you find avoiding electronic distractions to be especially challenging, consider using a distraction-blocking app.

It’s easy to multitask without being fully aware of it. Try to pay attention to where your attention is going. If you find this challenging, try a guided meditation or relaxation technique.

Check out this video on Managing Multitasking!

References:
Many of these tips are adapted from the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan—thank you to our colleagues for generously sharing their resources.

Adler, R. F., & Benbunan-Fich, R. (2012). Juggling on a high wire: Multitasking effects on performance. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 70(2), 156-168.

Bowman, L. L., Levine, L. E., Waite, B. M., & Gendron, M. (2010). Can students really multitask? An experimental study of instant messaging while reading. Computers & Education, 54(4), 927-931.

Law, A. S., Logie, R. H., & Pearson, D. G. (2006). The impact of secondary tasks on multitasking in a virtual environment. Acta psychological, 122(1), 27-44.

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