September 27, 2008
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How often should teachers/professors check their email & respond to students’ email messages?
For example, it’s Saturday night… I just happened to wander over to my campus email account after paying a bill I was reminding myself to do all day. As it turns out, a whole bunch of students emailed me after I left campus Friday afternoon. Now, I responded to them (because some emailed me their papers when those papers are supposed to be submitted to the online Dropbox), but should I have to?In the summer for my online summer course, I check my email everyday. Sometimes twice, and I tell them I’ll be available more M-F than on the weekends, but since it’s online and the summer time, I don’t mind checking in on weekends a bit more.
During the school year, my weekends are approached differently; I don’t want to feel obligated. And, so, am I?
Comments (3)
The proper time to check your email is ten seconds after I send you one. That is all you need to know on that subject
I really don’t think so. I never expected to hear back over a weekend. Plus, it’s a slippery slope. Once you start responding SUPER promptly or on weekends, that becomes expected and you have started a habit of always being available. And while you want to be available and you want students to feel like they can come to you, you don’t want to be at their every beck and call. I say no.
@AreYouThereGodItsMeEmilyC - ”Once you start responding SUPER promptly or on weekends, that becomes expected and you have started a habit of always being available.” = Precisely!
A friend of mine has commented on this in Facebook… that I should require them to talk to me face to face about some things because then it’ll lessen the inbox load. Typically, students are emailing me questions that are answered in class or the syllabus… and since emailing is so easy/non-confrontational, they are emailing about missing class & thinking they are off the hook simply for emailing me.