Most of the questions students ask over e-mail are easy to respond to with a brief message, but if a student asks something that requires a more involved response, or something you feel should be discussed in person, you can suggest an office visit. Likewise, some teachers give students the option of calling them at home if they have a question or need an appointment. Again, if a student calls with a question you can best address in person, you can make an appointment to meet. Although most teachers encourage students to visit office hours when they have questions about the material, many students wait to come until they are concerned about their performance in the course. In fact, teachers commonly report an increase in office visits after returning the first set of exams or papers.
Students can feel threatened and defensive when they get their first grades in a course.
Oftentimes, they react as if the grades they receive are indicative of their attributes as a human being, not a measure of how closely what they produced met the grader's expectations. Usually, the best way to deal with this situation is to help students to interpret the experience in a more reasoned manner. In many cases, just talking candidly with students about their expectations for their own performance and about ways to improve their preparation for the next exam will be enough. Looking at their class notes together and discussing their study habits may help you make suggestions for improvement. In other cases, students may be struggling academically because they need individual attention or a review of prerequisite information.