Email Etiquette
I am shocked when I hear from students that many teachers don't' respond to their emails or calls. I try to respond to emails 5 times per day (okay a bit obsessive), and I am always thanked profusely for this. Why do you think many educators don't respond to students? By the same token, I can't understand why some students don't respond after I help them in replies. I think we need to teach email etiquette in schools; if you get an email, respond, if only to say "Thanks"!
Erica,
Amen sister! I agree with you totally.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Chad,
Hurray for you! I do think you are right policy and modeling are the best approaches and sets a tone of professionalism.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
I also publish my available times and I am very specific about my weekend availability. Because I am in MST, I have later availability during the week. I am also specific about how I would like students to contact me (I have a JPEG announcement that gives them the steps). Regardless, I have students who get angry, use all caps, and tell me they are lodging a complaint because 1. I did not respond to them in five minutes, 2. I am not readily available on weekends (usually Sunday at 9 pm!), and 3. I have not given them the A they have paid for. Frustrating!
I try my best, though, to model and reinforce the communication I expect from students. I agree with you on respect. It is a two way street. The more we model what we want, the better I think.
Erica
As far as the informality of student emails go, I think a specific policy and modeling are the best approaches. I actually count grammar in email response as part of the course grade in my English courses.
June,
I am trying to think of an answer to your question as to why many teachers do not respond to email or calls from students and I cannot come up with one. I try to respond to my students email within 24 hours or less--though I have mistakenly missed replying to a few that I actually thought I answered. I make it a habit to answer email so that the phone will not ring and I cannot always answer my phone. I reply based on the order the student sent the email. Some students submit the same email within a couple of hours of the first email. I have even had a few students text me--which I love. They have to use proper grammar and spelling when texting. For me texting works because I can reply immediately (except while I am driving). I am planning to incorporate this method of communication.
Vivian
Timothy,
I agree. You should have a policy in your syllabus or contract that discusses when and how you will answer questions. I don't use phones, I only use email. I have a policy that will answer emails during the week within 24 hours and answer emails within 48 hours. I also use chat with virtual office hours. All of this is articulated in my syllabus.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Few students seem to be schooled in the basics of e-mail etiquette, and so it falls upon instructors to provide some instruction there. E-mails should be returned within the same time frame that a telephone message is returned. E-mails should be written informally, with contractions, but spelling, punctuation, and grammar should be clean and correct. The e-mail should be direct, with requests front loaded. E-mails to employers and to school officials should be professional and the tendency to "overshare" with personal details should be avoided whenever possible.
Wenda,
Great points! It is hard to teach good email etiquette when our colleagues don't always use it!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Gwenda,
I feel your pain. I really have begun to "crack" down on email language. I teach a writing class and I tell them I will not answer an email that is not written well (I have examples). I send them back with a standard email that I have. I then take off participation points. I actually create a folder and dump emails that are bad and will pull them up in class and discuss them. I hate to use shame and embarrassment but it does work. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sometimes Instructors may forget to respond to an email. I have opened an email and said to myself, "I'll answer it tomorrow or later in the day." I am blessed that I remember to do so or I hear from the student in an instant chat that same day. But sometimes people forget or they get overwhelmed with grading multiple class assignments.
I truly like students to communicate with me (Whether they inform me about submitting a late assignment, personal issues, etc). I believe it's important for Instructors (to a certain extent) to do the same.
An apology can go a long way. I don't expect my students to be perfect and I don't expect myself to be perfect either. Emails, in my opinion, for so long have been seen as a quick way to get out information. But in our increasingly technology driven world, emails need to be just as polite as (sometimes more than) a face to face meeting.
Tone, facial expression and body language can't be conveyed through a keyboard. So saying please or hi (or not using caps lock) can greatly help when communicating with students via email.
I have tried many, many things to improve the quality of the emails I receive. While some posters have mentioned the spelling and grammar errors, those do not bother me as much as the true "etiquette" issues. I have many students who are simply not good at spelling or grammar (some due to ESL, some just have not developed those skills), and I have become pretty adept at ignoring the spelling/grammar issues. Because I am not an English instructor (although my mom was!), I am able to spend my time focusing more on the content of the email message.
Here are some of the tools I have used, often to no avail, to improve email etiquette:
- instruct students that they should not write anything in an email that they would not say to their work supervisors in a work meeting, or in front of a client/customer
- demonstrate for students to include their first & last name and course information in the Subject line of the email--I do this EVERY time (my university requires it)--I tell my students that I teach MANY different classes with students from all over the world and sometimes students have the same name--it is essential they provide this information so I can respond with an accurate answer; I even put the proper format for this in my signature line, yet fewer than 10% of my students ever do this for me
- remind students to accurately describe what their specific question is. If it is about the first unit's Discussion Board assignment, they need to state that in the email. Emails that say "HELP, I don't understand the assignment" do not provide me with enough information to respond in a useful way, and it can sometimes take days of exchanging emails before I can finally answer their question. I cannot read ther minds (which is even more difficult to do over the computer--haha) so how can I possibly know which assignment or in some cases, which class (some classes have different assignments with different due dates because we are not all on the same semester). Further, many students send emails from personal email addresses and I have no way of knowing who they are if they do not sign their emails, or put their name in the subject line.
"sweettulips47@ymail.com" is incredibly unhelpful when I have 100 students in 4 different classes.
- Additionally, I ask my students to include what steps they have already taken to find the answer they seek. For example: "I have read Ch 2 in the textbook and I am still having a hard time understanding personal jurisdiction. I did not understand the example you provided in the Live Chat, but I cannot find any additional resources in the library." This kind of information helps me know what level of advice to give. When a student sends me an email that says, "I need help with the assignment!" naturally my next question is going to be, "Have you read the textbook? Have you reviewed the information I already provided (in the Live Cat, Discussion Board, Announcements, etc.)" Again, this is going to take days of exchanging emails before the student can get a useful answer.
- Finally, I demonstrate email etiquette by following proper format with EVERY email I send to students. This means putting the student's name in a greeting at the beginning, and I ALWAYS say "Thank you for reaching out to me" (even when the student has been rude, crude, or worse). Starting an email in a pleasant or at least professional way can help prevent putting the student immediately on the defensive when he/she reads it.
Despite all of these steps, I still have a very poor response as far as email etiquette from my students is concerned. What else can possibly be done to improve this?
Yolanda,
Well done! I agree with the emails. It also is a way to let them know that that email is the way people "do" business.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I set my office hours so a student can communicate with me at set times. However, I do try to answer the emails as quickly as possible, but I do try not to do it on a weekend, unless it is absolutely necessary in order for them to proceed. I believe it is important to set boundaries so the student realizes that we are enjoying our time with our family, too.
I tell my students to check their emails at least twice a day so they can keep in the loop of any informative email which may come their way.
I also tell my students to have an email which has a professional name, not the cutesy-sounding emails that can sometimes be used. They should want to be considered in a business-way to ensure success!
Dawn,
You are right, but you set boundaries and create the expectations that are followed.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
I think you are so smart in creating those boundaries. Not only are your developing expectations, you are teaching them professional skills.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree. I think that people feel brave when they are behind a screen. Some of this cyber bullying or just overall disrespect towards others is cowardly. I have a feeling half of the people who do this would never do it in front of someones face. It really needs to stop because it effects teaching and learning.
I tell me students I am available everyday except for Mondays and Wednesdays and that I generally will check my email on Sundays but do not work on that day. This gives them boundaries so they do not think I am available 24/7. On the days I "am on" I check my email a few times a day. I also tell them I will respond within 24-48 hours from the time they sent the email. Besides checking email I have several online office hours a week along with my live classes. This enables them to have many opportunities to get in touch with me in both synchronous and asynchronous ways.
The email etiquette needs to be addressed. I agree. The thing that irritates me the most is when a student sends me an email with ALL CAPS TOPPED OFF WITH!!!! Some students fly off the handle when they are not handed A's. I try to tell them that an A is only reserved for work that doesn't need to be improved and then I ask them back a question. "Do you think your assignment is perfect as is, or do you see some room for improvement?". This gets them to look at the work and themselves instead of placing blame on others therefore aiding in improvement of the work. I also tell them that sentence case is fine and I can hear them just fine that way. I tell the class I expect to be treated with respect as I always treat them with respect.
Barbara,
Do you hold them accountable for their emails? You may need to make sure they have that expectation.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I am shocked when students send me emails with horrible grammar errors, yet their assignments are worded perfectly. I receive emails that state "I done that". I think that students need a course in how to send an email. I especially don't like the ones that start out with "hey teacher". I believe that many students think they sent an email, when it fact, it is probably in their draft folder.
