He’s a best-selling author and teaches one of the largest introductory courses at Harvard. But Psychology Professor Steven A. Pinker says that during his office hours, he finds himself awaiting the knock of an intrepid student.
Pinker says that over the course of the semester, only one or two students will show up at his scheduled office hours. Another five to ten will make appointments.
The administration of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, coming away from a debilitating budget deficit, has returned its focus to strengthening the school’s commitment to teaching and learning—a campaign that includes building student relations with the top faculties in the world.
But Pinker isn’t unique in his situation at the College. Harvard professors interviewed, who teach some of the largest introductory courses, say they often spend their office hours alone.
EMBARASSED TO JUST GO
“When I’m standing on the stage in Sanders, I do feel very distant,” says Economics Professor N. Gregory Mankiw, who teaches Ec 10, the introductory economics course.
He says that this perceived distance may keep students from approaching him outside of class—only two or three come to his office hours each week.
“I suspect there is something of a divide,” says Pinker, echoing Mankiw’s comment on large courses. ”Some students just feel bashful.”
Many students say they are concerned that their understanding of the material is not advanced enough to engage in a worthwhile discussion with their professor.
And in courses that break out into a multitude of sections, students acknowledge that reaching out to the sole (and often high-profile) professor can be intimidating.
“I’d be embarrassed to just go and ask questions about reading I was confused about and waste the professor’s time,” Ec 10 student Celestine E. Warren ’14 says.
But Economics Lecturer Jeffrey A. Miron says that professors are prepared for even the simplest questions, and he encouraged students to ask basic questions so that they might be able to learn to ask harder ones.
Ec 10 student Paul A. Leroux ’14 says he once stopped by Mankiw’s office hours, but his section leader is still his go-to source for questions about class work.
“Mankiw has always been pretty approachable. He couldn’t have been friendlier,” said Leroux, who said they had a two hour conversation.
“I just haven’t had relevant enough questions,” he says. “I would like to go again in the future, but if it’s between that and finishing a problem set, I’d be more inclined to finish that problem set,” he says.
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