Michael Leddy’s entry on How to Email a Professor made me think of when, way back when I was teaching, I somewhat irritatedly clamped down on how students emailed me. After the first few “hey prof,” “im ur student,” or “IM CONFUSED. HOW DO YOU CALCULATE GDP PLEASE HELP ME” volleys of the semester, I’d come to class and insist to students that I was not their chat buddy and that therefore their emails should reflect our professional relationship. While they did not need to overdo the formalities, at a minimum they had to sign their emails (haironfire@xxxx.com leaves no way of identifying the student, let alone course and section) and attempt to use proper punctuation and grammar. Students might as well use emailing professors as a dress rehearsal for future workplace communication, where they might be more harshly judged. Whether or not the course is a CIC, students can practice trying to carefully phrase questions, articulate positions, and apply common rules of courtesy. Having professors set minimum email standards seems like a low-cost way of getting students into the habit of thinking about what they write. What do others think of this?
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CAC.OPHONY is a weblog on communication-intensive instruction at the college level and its implications for students about to face the challenges of writing and speaking publicly in professional settings. CAC.OPHONY is written and edited by the Fellows of the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Baruch College is the 2008 recipient of TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award in recognition of the Schwartz Institute's outstanding faculty development programs.
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Great point Christina. I don’t know how many times I deleted students’ e-mails without reading them because neither the address nor the empty subject line suggested any hint about the identity of the sender. Among those that I did read, there were many that made me really upset with their incoherence and sometimes lack of manners (and I’m not talking about ESL issues). It never occurred to me to address the issue in class but now, as a writing fellow, it sounds like a very good idea.
Reply to Nida
What gets me is when students sign their emails with their social security numbers or every possible code number associated with the class. When I get this kind of thing in small classes, I always wonder how much and what sort of interpersonal contact students are used to having with their professors.
Reply to Mikhail
Right on, Christina!
I liked the post by Leddy that you linked to. I have often spoken to groups of students (both in classes, but also in resume-writing workshops!) and encouraged them to think about their email addresses and how they may be perceived.
Reply to Kate