Off-campus study site attracts more students

An Ozarks Technical Community College faculty member’s office hours are becoming very popular among his students, not because of when he’s available, but where he’s located.

Instead of holding office hours on campus, John Fishback, who teaches anatomy and physiology, is available for several hours every Wednesday night at the Borders bookstore in the Primrose Shopping Center.

Fishback, who moved his office hours to the bookstore several semesters ago, said students are more at ease at Borders.

“More students come to see me there. I used to get one or two students a semester come to my office. Now, it’s around 20 and even more when there’s a test coming up.  It’s a relaxed atmosphere and they aren’t thinking that they’re bothering the teacher. It’s not an intimidating setting at Borders,” Fishback said.

Biology department chair Marianne Crocker has moved her office hours to parallel Fishback’s. Since the pair have some of the same students, now those students have access to both faculty members at once

Megan Fields attended the sessions with her newborn baby in tow last semester and said it was a big help with her studies.

“I could talk to other people about things and they helped me remember things and Mr. Fishback was there to clarify and explain things,” she said.

Fishback and his wife, Sarah Nixon, who (teaches?) is in the education department at Missouri State University, are studying the sessions for a research project.

“We want to see if the struggling students, the C student, is being helped. We want to promote this as a way to get extra help with one-on-one attention. Students get a high retention rate when you get to know them personally. You build personal relationships. The student is much more involved,” Fishback said.

 Steve Koehler is coordinator of publications at Ozarks Technical Community College. Contact him at koehlers@otc.edu.