Instructional Faculty Office Hours Policy
1.00 Purpose
The Instructional Faculty Office Hours Policy provides a campus-based description of the minimum expectations for faculty office hours.
This policy is intended to reflect the University's commitment to the principles, goals, and ideals described in the CSUMB Founding Vision Statement and to its core values.
2.00 Definitions
Asynchronous is a transmission of information and communication that occurs intermittently, not in a predetermined time frame, nor at regular intervals, and neither in real time. The asynchronous online office hour may include the cumulative time responding to student email, student posts to faculty in discussion forums, text messages, or other means, that occurs outside of scheduled class time.
Instructional Faculty are individuals who are responsible for teaching courses. "Faculty" noted below should be interpreted as a reference to instructional faculty.
Synchronous is a transmission of information and communication in real time. A synchronous online office hour may include chat, instant messaging, video-conferencing, or similar methods when it occurs outside of scheduled class time.
3.00 Faculty Office Hours
Faculty members' "office hours" are designated times in which faculty members are available to their students for support and advising. To achieve this availability, each semester or instructional period, faculty members are expected to provide a schedule of "office hours" during which they will be available to their students and others for consultation and publicly designate availability "by appointment."
3.10 Number of Hours
Faculty members who are teaching 6 or more Weighted Teaching Units (WTUs) across at least two (2) courses in an academic program (e.g., two 3-unit courses) are expected to hold a minimum of two (2) regularly scheduled office hours per week. At least one (1) of these office hours shall be a synchronous office hour.
Faculty teaching fewer than 6 WTUs, or a single WTU course shall hold a minimum of one (1) regularly scheduled, synchronous office hour per week.
A faculty member should designate additional synchronous online or face-to-face office hours above the required minimum to meet student needs.
3.20 Time of Day and Access
For faculty teaching fully face-to-face courses, synchronous office hours shall be a physical presence in one's designated office space on campus or other place on campus that is convenient for students. In courses where the instruction is exclusively or primarily online, faculty shall have discretion in determining appropriate places and times for conducting the synchronous office hour(s).
The time of day of office hours shall be scheduled to maximize opportunity for student interaction and convenience to students. The office hour shall be a continuous 60 minute session. In addition to regularly scheduled office hours, faculty shall provide opportunities for consultation with students by appointment (e.g., in-person or electronically) at mutually convenient times to a reasonable extent.
Office hours are required through the instructional period, including Assessment Week.
Individual departments or colleges may develop guidelines on office hours that differ from this policy but may not decrease the minimum office hours requirements (e.g., additional office hours may be required for faculty who receive assigned time for advising). Departmental or college guidelines shall be developed collaboratively in compliance with shared governance and in consideration of workload guidelines in the CSU/CFA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
3.30 Notification
The faculty members' office hours must be submitted to the Department/School office and posted, along with faculty email address near the faculty member's office and/or posted publicly by the Department office by the end of the first week of instruction. Office hours, including schedule, location, and contact information, shall be listed on the syllabus for each course, in accordance with the campus' . Faculty shall post office hours in the Learning Management System.
Faculty should strive to maintain the designated office hours. In cases of necessary cancellation, faculty shall notify their Department office and students in a timely manner.
4.00 Continuous Renewal
This policy shall be reviewed five years from its effective date to determine its effectiveness and appropriateness. This policy may be reviewed before that time as necessary.
s/ President Eduardo M. Ochoa
Effective Date: October 21, 2019
Certification of Process
Reviewed by: Educational Planning and Policy Committee, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, Policy Facilitation Team, Academic Affairs Council, Enrollment Services & Student Affairs Leadership Team, Associated Students, Academic Senate Executive Committee, Academic Senate, and Provost.