How to Schedule Office Hours or Tutoring Sessions

Office hours set by guesswork tend to land when half the class has a lab. If you are a TA, tutor, or peer mentor, a few minutes of asking first gets you sessions people can actually come to.

1. Start with your own constraints

Write down when you can hold sessions: between your own classes, outside work shifts, and when a room or video link is available. Only ask students about those hours, so you never pick a time you cannot do.

2. Ask students about one typical week

Create a FreeAvail event for the dates of an upcoming normal week, with the earliest and latest times you could host. Slots are 15 minutes, so a 4:30 class ending shows up accurately. Post the link in the course announcement or chat. Students do not need an account, and if someone prefers to scan, the share sheet has a QR code you can put on a slide at the end of section.

Create a free event

3. Pick slots that cover the most students

In the group view, look for windows where the most people are free. Two shorter sessions on different days usually reach more students than one long block, because people who are busy on Tuesday are often free Thursday.

4. Announce the times everywhere

Put the final times and location in the course page, the syllabus, and the chat, and remind people the day before. Students forget office hours exist more often than they decide not to come.

5. Add extra sessions before exams

Schedules change around midterms. Send a fresh availability link for exam week with a reply deadline a few days out, and add review sessions where demand is highest.

For one-on-one tutoring

With a single tutee, share an event with your available hours and let them mark theirs. Settle on one regular weekly slot and only send a new link when either schedule changes. For a small group of tutees, the same approach as a weekly study group works well.

Compare FreeAvail with other tools on our free When2meet alternative page, or create a free event now. No account needed.