The Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC) continually discusses strategies to better help undergraduates to thrive at the University of Iowa.

One seemingly very small issue has been brought to our attention by faculty.

This generation of students seems particularly puzzled by the term “office hours,” not understanding that students may drop by an instructor’s office during this time without making an appointment.

Some instructors have renamed office hours as “walk-in hours,” resulting in fewer emails exchanged between the student and instructor about office hours and with more students taking advantage of this opportunity to talk with faculty.

We plan to update our online syllabus materials to use “walk-in hours.”

Students, of course, continue to be confused about other terms, and we plan to work with our campus partners on creating a glossary for new students. If you have suggestions about terms to include, we would love to hear from you.

Many thanks for your help with this project and for alerting us to this concern. We appreciate your insights and suggestions.