I have to respond within 48 hours, but typically I never take that long to respond.
Christina,
Keep those announcements coming. The students have a lot of questions answered through these I also have a FAQ discussion board for students to ask/answer each other questions. Thanks!
To decrease the amount of "not so urgent" emails from my students, I let them know in the first week of the course that announcements will be posted weekly with all important information regarding the course content. I also inform them that if I do have an urgent matter to discuss with them individually, I will contact them via email. This decreases the amount of emails I receive from students that may not pertain to an urgent matter that needs immediate action. I make sure to check my email daily to ensure that I am responding to emails in a timely matter so that students are informed on any questions or concerns they may have throughout the course.
Barry,
Yes, using a student's name helps build respect and community. And, being proactive is essential. Interesting that you can't call your students. I've never heard of this. Can they call you? Thanks for the input.
I always address the email by name, I begin with "I hope this letter finds you well."
I begin talking in reference to their question or the issue at hand... and I try to give them multiple options or variations in how to finish the project, research the topic, or "attack" the situation. Then I wait for response.
This normally happens during open office hours when I have the chat room open, my phone handy, my text chat open and have face time available.
They have six hours a week that I am completely and totally on call for questions -- outside of regular class hours --
Some take the help, others simply sit in silence if you will... And those are the ones I try and be proactive... We are not allow to call our students... so, I have to request the retention officer to call... and then we see what will happen.
James,
A 24 hour rule for responding is common. However, I think many of us respond before that. We just don't want to get our students used to a 5 minute response as they'll always expect it and then we can get frustrated - and so can they. Thanks!
I reply as soon as I can, always within the acceptable window given by the university, but most of the times way before that. I want to model my expectations to students, not just tell them about what I am going to do. I also ask them to be very specific and tell me which class they are in, which saves me time as their questions often revolve around some work they did or were to do.
Louise,
I like the use of the term "business day." To me that provides for some down time on weekends. This is important for all to understand. We have to continue to teach our students to use the subject line of an email well so that we are called to the email and we know who/where it's coming from. Keep working on it! ;-)
I advise my students that I will respond to emails within 1 business day of receipt. Further, I have set my outbound message to indicate that I do not read emails until a specific time due to my teaching other classes.
I have asked my students on numerous occassions to provide the course; I have even stated that I do teach more than one class, and this information would be of assistance to help me respond more quickly. However, this has not been successful.
Marco,
The 24 hour rule is a good one. If I'm going to be later than 24 hours, for example if I am going to be at a conference, I always am proactive in my communication to let them know. Thanks!
One of my rules is to ensure that I get back to them within 24 hours. I feel that this gives them an expectation that they can always measure and ensure that they do not get missed.
Shenita,
Good point. The subject line can even tell the students the majority of the message. I like to think of it as a headline in the newspaper. Thanks for bringing up the point about being concise and to the point.
When e-mailing my students I try to be clear and concise. I know students don't want to read a 5 paragraph essay via e-mail; therefore, I do my best to get straight to the point while maintaining a positive and encouraging feel.
Cindy,
The subject line can be key to the communication process through email. It helps us answer more quickly and respond to students. the 24 hour rule is a good one. Thanks!
Generally I try to respond within 24 hours. I try to have the students put in the subject line whether it is urgent or just a general question. However, this rarely works. I think all students think their questions are urgent. lol
Patricia,
I do the 24 hour rule as well. I also tell my students (and put it in my syllabus) when I will be checking email and Blackboard (i.e., during my office hours (whether online or F2F from 10:00 a.m. - Noon Tuesday and Thursday, etc.). Thanks for your input.
Hi Dr. Tena,
I have 24 hours in order to reply to my students but I go into my e-mail everyday to make sure that I do not miss anything. I know what it is like to be in an online school and not hear back from your instructor for days. I want to make sure that my students get their e-mails answered daily. If a student is considered an "At Risk" student then I will call them and follow up with an e-mail to try to get them engaged.
Patricia
Mark,
The 24 hour rule is common. How do you stop ALL emails receive a response. If they say thank you do you say your welcome, etc.?
My rules are fairly simple and laid out in an "expectations" email I send to students on the first day of class. First that emails will be responded to within 24 hours. If a student does not receive a response within that time frame the can feel free (without penalty) to send me a reminder. The second rule is that ALL emails receive a response. Even ones there the students just say "Thank you".
Joan,
I typically tell students my range is from 24-48 hours for answering questions. We do get used to doing that.
Thanks!
