Scaling Ofce Hours: Managing Live Q&A in Large CoursesTommy MacWilliam and David J. Malan, Harvard University

Problem 1: we used to hold office hours in a computer lab, which did not appeal to students or staff.

Problem 2: students historically suffered high wait times because of logistical inefficiencies.

Solution 1: we relocated office hours from labto residential dining halls; attendance spiked.

Solution 2: we introduced CS50 Queue, a web- andiPad-based system for managing office hours.

Because CS50 Queue stored students' questions in a database, we were able toquantify students' confusionon each of the problem sets.

Students’ wait times were still high for office hours held later inthe week. In Fall 2012, we will allocate staff accordingly.

20112010

Office Hours Attendance

50

100

150

Average Attendance Peak Attendance

200

200

800

400

600

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Questions Asked by Students, per Problem Set

Monday Wednesday Thursday

0 1

Tuesday

2 3 4 5 6 8

30

60

90

120

150

Average Wait Times for Students, per Problem Set

7