How do Yonseians make use of office hours?
THE TIME that professors provide outside of class dedicated for students is called “office hours”. Unfortunately, there are still many students who do not know that office hours exist. For students who know of the professors’ office hours, whether they make use of that time is up to them. Through either making an appointment or seeing the professor at a given time, students can receive various types of help regarding questions they have about their classes, essay ideas or drafts, or even inquiries on internships. While some find the office hours helpful, others do not find them as beneficial.
Number of responses: 261
1. Do you know what the “office hour” system is?
Yes: 84.3% /No: 15.7%
2. How do professors hold their office hours?
A specific time is provided: 45.6% / Through an appointment: 34.1% / Not sure: 18.8% / Others: 1.5%
3. How many hours per week are provided?
No hours provided: 1.1% / 1 hour: 10.7% / 2 hours: 36% / 3 hours: 8.8% / 4 hours and above: 5% / Not sure: 38.3%
4. Have you been to a professor’s office hour? (Please respond to questions 5-6 if you chose “No”, and 7-9 if you chose “Yes”)
Yes: 50.6% / No: 49.4%
5. What is the reason for not using the office hours?
Nothing to ask: 35.7% / Do not have the time: 16.3% / The professor did not notify the office hours: 3.9% / Professor’s response to my questions was not satisfactory: 4.7% / Not really sure about the use of office hours: 30.2% / Others: 9.3%
6. If you do not use office hours, what do you do when you have a question about the course?
Ask the professor during or right after class: 23.3% / Ask a friend or other people in that class: 31% / Email the professor: 21.7% / Find out by myself: 23.3% / Others: 0.8%
7. How many times on average do you use office hours per semester?
Once: 33.3% / Twice: 39.4% / Three times: 17.4% / Four times or more: 9.8%
8. Through office hours, what kind of help do you receive?
Help on understanding the course: 35.6% / Help on topics other than the course (i.e. internships): 4.5% / Help on assignments: 31.8% / Career counseling: 16.7% / Getting closer to professors: 6.8% / No help at all: 3.8% / Others: 0.8%
9. Please rate from 1 to 5 on how satisfactory office hours are. (1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest / Please respond to 9-1 if you rated 2 or lower, and 9-2 if you rated 4 or higher.)
1: 1.5% / 2: 5.3% / 3: 27.3% / 4: 46.2% / 5: 19.7%
9-1. Why were the office hours unsatisfactory?
Could not understand the professor’s response: 13.3% / Professor’s response was insufficient: 20% / Was not able to ask all the questions: 13.3% / Not enough time: 26.7% / Others: 13.3%
9-2. Why were the office hours satisfactory?
Received the help that I needed: 64.8% / Built a strong relationship with the professor: 12.1% / Earned a lot of information: 20.9% / Others: 2.2%
Jeong Hong-bin
hbjeong@yonsei.ac.kr