I know this a old discussion, but I've been thinking about conferences. This will probably apply only for me and Lauren (we share the Wick office on the third floor), but our office space can only be described as wildly impractical for holding student conferences.
My lit professor at CSU this semester holds his office hours at the CSU food court, as opposed to his office in Rhodes Tower (anyone whose been to the campus knows that it's a pain to get to professor's offices in that building). I had a conference with him earlier this semester there, and I think the setting worked really well. Neither of us had a detailed plan of what we were going to cover (just a general idea), but we ended up hanging out for about an hour easily. The thing I've realized looking back was that there were plenty of times during the meeting that both of us were silent. We were either looking at our notes or books or thinking about responses. Oddly enough, even during the silences, it wasn't awkward. I think that the setting allowed us to be comfortable enough during those times when neither of us spoke, and I think that it would have been a little more uncomfortable if we were in an office setting.
That in mind, I was thinking about possible places to hold my office hours. The food court here at Kent is a little more busy (especially during lunch hours) so I figured that was a bit impractical. The second floor of the Student Center seems to be a proper place, and there's also the library. I was just wondering what you guys thought.
I'll also talk to Cathey Fahey-Hunt, another office mate of mine that teaches creative writing, where she holds conferences, since she has the same problem as Lauren and I.
3 comments:
Right off the top of my head, I can think of three different places you can try.
- The basement of the student center with Jazzman's, the post office, etc. There's quite a few tables down there, and the atmosphere is low-key and cozy.
- The library. I'm thinking of the table setup by the first floor coffee shop, but the KSU library is so huge that you can always find a place to do some non-quiet work.
- I've also seen teachers doing conferences not in their offices, but in the "lobby" type areas outside of their offices. You might want to check out the second floor offices; if you want to have your conferences in 203, I can vouch for you.
I wouldn't try the food court -- but not because of the noise. I'd be too distracted by the stench of frying medium.
I noticed some group study rooms around the first floor reading area. That could work. Maybe there’s a way you could reserve one. It’s not quite as relaxed as a coffee shop, but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing other people in the library.
i just held conferences in the lobby area outside my office (what bob was referring to). this worked absolutely fine. i've also conferenced in moulton, where there's heaps of unclaimed space, tables, chairs, and quiet. i offered to conference at an off-campus coffee shop, but it seemed too difficult to organize. most students seemed more comfortable on their home turf.
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