Students want instructors to hold virtual office hours. Faculty responding to the 2014 ECAR survey
described seeing an increase in emails received from students, paired with a decrease in in-person visits
during office hours. Comments from UW students confirmed this trend in behavior. Students noted that
they can access their instructors more efficiently when they are online. When asked what the UW could
do differently to improve student outcomes, students expressed interest in receiving real-time
responses from instructors through social media. A 2013 study similarly found that students appreciate
the opportunity to engage in virtual office hours as a means of supporting their learning and increasing
flexible communication with faculty (Michael, 2013).