With fewer faculty and students physically on campus at any one time, the utility ofregular office hours has become problematic in many units. While one may regret thedeleterious effects of such absences on the collegial and intellectual life of a campus,online office hours present an appealing opportunity not only to (partially) address theincreasing gaps in faculty–student contact, but also in some instances to enhance theexperience for faculty and student alike. As a relatively recent newcomer to the use ofvirtual office hours in a large second year law course that is taught in-class as well asbroadcast online and on television, I am generally enthusiastic about my experience, butit is obvious that certain challenges present themselves. Some of the issues that will beaddressed include the effective use of online time, the types of questions and problemsthat can be successfully addressed using this technology, comparisons to alternativemodes of contact, institutional support, and technological factors and concerns. The goalis, in particular, to raise and discuss ideas as to how to make virtual office hours moreaccessible, effective and attractive to both students and faculty members and, in general,to further the dialogue among the users (both current and potential) and theadministrators so that through sharing experiences and ideas the use of such devicescan enhance the overall student experience.
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