Logging onto ANGEL or AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) for a professor's office hours is a far easier way to get questions answered than walking to a professor's office.
But it may not be the best way.
Using "virtual office hours" is the new trend in academia nationwide and at Penn State.
Being able to ask a professor or teaching assistant questions while sitting at work or while doing homework is a major time-saver.
But, while it is technologically savvy, it reduces some feedback that can only be achieved face-to-face.
For questions that involve a simple answer, online office hours could a lifesaver, but for questions that involve explanations, a chat room or AIM isn't the best way. It would be nearly impossible to have a dialogue of feedback about a term paper, a homework assignment or an upcoming exam via a chat room.
While not having to schedule a day around a professor's office hours is convenient, students will still need to make sure they're at a computer during the specified time to ask questions.
Maybe, it's old-fashioned, but there's something important about talking to a professor in person -- an understanding that no emoticon can express.
One professor says it best: Virtual office hours should be an "office hours supplement."
While convenience and speed are paramount in today's fast-paced world,there should always be an opportunity for students who would like meeting with a professor in person.
In online classes offered through ANGEL, that opportunity is even more important. The idea of a student never meeting the person who determines grades, evaluates participation and directs discussion forums, raises questions about how much a student can really get from an online class.
If professors don't offer in-person office hours, students are forced to ask questions about grades and coursework through a chat room or AIM -- That's nothing to "LOL" about.
Surely, students should be thankful for the new online chat option, but professors must make sure that it stays an option and doesn't become the standard.
