Dealing with Unprofessional Student Emails

[Karajan]

Hi all,

 

Any advice about how to deal with unprofessional student emails?  I regularly get emails from students that do not begin with a salutation or end with a signature, demand answers to questions and fast responses to their drafts, and are generally impolite (i.e. do not use "please" or "thank you).  

 

How do you deal with these types of emails?  Up until now, I've just responded normally and haven't included any note in the response asking them to be more professional.  Today, however, I decided that I don't want to respond that way anymore because they really do need to learn professional email etiquette, so I responded to one such email with an answer to the student's question and a note to please make sure in the future that their emails adhere to professional email etiquette by beginning them with a salutation and ending with a signature.  I then thanked the person for making sure that all future emails correspond to these guidelines.

 

How do you handle these situations?  

 

Thanks!  

[NoSleepTilBreuckelen]

You did the right thing by adding that note! Your students' unprofessional emails could really undermine them in the long run.

 

I don't have too much advice on the matter since I'm just finishing my first term as a RA now, but, in solidarity, I can share a story about an email with an inappropriate sign-off I received recently. There are several undergraduate students who I oversee in as part of my research assistantship, and one day one of the students had forgotten to record observations about the material that she worked with in the lab. Since this record is a very important part of the project, I sent an email asking for the observations while they were still fresh in her mind and I signed off "Thank you, [my name]." She writes back with the information she'd forgotten to record and signs of "You're Welcome, [her name]." I know she doesn't realize it, but what she wrote sounds very arrogant, especially when she was certainly not doing me a favor. Now that I've read your post, I wish I had mentioned this to her (in a diplomatic way, of course) because she probably will continue to use that sign-off, which is border-line snarky...

[rising_star]

It's hard to do this late in the semester. When I teach, I have it in my syllabus that students need to correspond in a professional manner and that I reserve the right not to reply if they fail to do so. I also directly address this in class, telling them the story of a former coworker (back when I was in the workforce) who got fired for his inability to correspond appropriately (poorly written memos, unprofessional emails, etc.). That point usually gets even the more stubborn kids to pay attention.

 

But yes, it's something you can and should address. It's part of their education.

[pears]

Karajan - I get emails like this, too.. For now, my solution has been to respond in an overly courteous manner if they're rude. That said, I'm TAing a class of c. 125 undergraduates who are mostly underclassmen, so I don't have many chances for mentorship. I think if I were a TA for a smaller &/or higher level class, I would have no problem doing what you did: asking them to be a bit more polite, but explaining how being able to correspond in what professionals perceive to be a polite, appropriate manner is super important, regardless of what career path you end up following.

[Lisa44201]

You did the right thing by adding that note! Your students' unprofessional emails could really undermine them in the long run.

 

I don't have too much advice on the matter since I'm just finishing my first term as a RA now, but, in solidarity, I can share a story about an email with an inappropriate sign-off I received recently. There are several undergraduate students who I oversee in as part of my research assistantship, and one day one of the students had forgotten to record observations about the material that she worked with in the lab. Since this record is a very important part of the project, I sent an email asking for the observations while they were still fresh in her mind and I signed off "Thank you, [my name]." She writes back with the information she'd forgotten to record and signs of "You're Welcome, [her name]." I know she doesn't realize it, but what she wrote sounds very arrogant, especially when she was certainly not doing me a favor. Now that I've read your post, I wish I had mentioned this to her (in a diplomatic way, of course) because she probably will continue to use that sign-off, which is border-line snarky...

I'm not sure she will continue to use that sign off, unless you sign yours with Thank You. Honestly, it took me a minute to figure out that was snarky (disclaimer: I have trouble understanding nuance). Had I received an e-mail where someone signed off with a thank you, I would be confused about what, exactly, the author of the e-mail was thanking me for. 

[Karajan]

The student emails that have no text at all and just an attachment (draft or whatever) are also pretty irritating... 

[surefire]

Oooh! Good thread!

 

I think the worst one I got was last spring, when a student's mum (NO!) at his request, e-mailed me his essay (NO!NO!) via a spam-bot-looking hotmail account (NO!NO!NO!).

 

I agree with the syllabus thing. It helps me to "pick my battles" and stand my ground on a couple of the fundamentals. I know a colleague who will actually write back "consult the e-mail etiquette portion of the syllabus and try again"; I would have a hard time doing that, but he swears by the effectiveness of the technique! I suppose it's better than the hard-nosed "if it doesn't conform to these guidlines I won't respond", approach, I would find that impossible!

 

One of the most miraculous things I did was to prioritize the online "blackboard" system as the first resource for correspondence. I build a forum there and tell students that, if they have a question whereby the whole class might benefit from the answer, then they are to post there first. I then plug the etiquette guidelines right above where one might create a thread, so it's right in their face while they're writing. Between the front and center guidelines, and maybe the fact that many people will be reading the question (they're not anonymous), students seem to take a little extra care to craft messages with the fundamentals in mind. Not only that, it cuts down on the infuriating or duplicative queries; either the student will consult the syllabus first and find the answer, or they'll see that I've already posted a response to a similar question.

 

If the question is personal or individual, then students e-mail me (and, honestly, this is mostly regarding illnesses/deaths in the family ect;, crisis moments where I'm not hung up on etiquette).

[braaaaaiinnns]

I definitely agree with all of the responses saying it's the right thing to do if not for yourself, for them. However, I also think it's important to phrase carefully. My roommate addressed an email to her new academic adviser with "Dear Ms. So-and-so" instead of "Dear Dr. So-and-so" and got a response that came off as rude and condescending. The adviser seemed offended that she was not being treated with respect rather than educating my roommate on etiquette for future (possibly more important) emails. This way your students won't misinterpret your efforts to help them.

[TakeruK]

I definitely agree with all of the responses saying it's the right thing to do if not for yourself, for them. However, I also think it's important to phrase carefully. My roommate addressed an email to her new academic adviser with "Dear Ms. So-and-so" instead of "Dear Dr. So-and-so" and got a response that came off as rude and condescending. The adviser seemed offended that she was not being treated with respect rather than educating my roommate on etiquette for future (possibly more important) emails. This way your students won't misinterpret your efforts to help them.

 

I think calling a PhD by the title of "Ms." instead of "Dr." is actually a pretty rude act (intentional or not). "Ms." is a title. If you are going to take the time to use a title, why not use the professional one earned by the professor instead of one that refers to the fact that someone is a woman (and could potentially imply that she does not have a PhD). An exception would be cases where everyone, regardless of degree, is "Mr." or "Ms." and I think this post is important to read: http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2009/01/just-call-me-f.html

[dr. t]

I definitely agree with all of the responses saying it's the right thing to do if not for yourself, for them. However, I also think it's important to phrase carefully. My roommate addressed an email to her new academic adviser with "Dear Ms. So-and-so" instead of "Dear Dr. So-and-so" and got a response that came off as rude and condescending. The adviser seemed offended that she was not being treated with respect rather than educating my roommate on etiquette for future (possibly more important) emails. This way your students won't misinterpret your efforts to help them.

 

Your roommate was super offensive, and a pretty cold reaction is completely justified and expected.

[hashslinger]

Often times I don't respond at all to emails that are rude or abusive. That's probably not the best way to go, however; students generally don't see anything wrong with being rude or abusive to TAs and instructors and therefore don't "get" the fact that they're being deliberately blown off. They see us as rendering a customer service. Therefore, when we don't jump to their demands, they use our lack of reply as more evidence of our lack of professionalism.

 

Sometimes I have indeed replied to students letting them know how rude their emails are. But I think it is best to make a syllabus policy and let them know upfront that you won't respond to rude or unprofessional emails.

[TakeruK]

Often times I don't respond at all to emails that are rude or abusive. That's probably not the best way to go, however; students generally don't see anything wrong with being rude or abusive to TAs and instructors and therefore don't "get" the fact that they're being deliberately blown off. They see us as rendering a customer service. Therefore, when we don't jump to their demands, they use our lack of reply as more evidence of our lack of professionalism.

 

Sometimes I have indeed replied to students letting them know how rude their emails are. But I think it is best to make a syllabus policy and let them know upfront that you won't respond to rude or unprofessional emails.

 

 I think this is correct (TAs seen as rendering a customer service), and I've seen pretty horrible emails to my friends who are TAs but I have not (yet?) received such an email! Although some of my students were super surprised in the past to learn that I did have my own classes and did research, instead of someone hired purely to be their TA!

[braaaaaiinnns]

I think calling a PhD by the title of "Ms." instead of "Dr." is actually a pretty rude act (intentional or not). "Ms." is a title. If you are going to take the time to use a title, why not use the professional one earned by the professor instead of one that refers to the fact that someone is a woman (and could potentially imply that she does not have a PhD). An exception would be cases where everyone, regardless of degree, is "Mr." or "Ms." and I think this post is important to read: http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2009/01/just-call-me-f.html

My roommate didn't know that her new academic adviser had a PhD since some don't. I think she was erring on the side of caution. By bringing up this anecdote I didn't mean to justify my roommate's actions but rather bring the perspective of the naive student. My roommate now (whether warranted or not) prefers to meet with other advisers for one reason or another.

[Socrates1]

My roommate didn't know that her new academic adviser had a PhD since some don't. I think she was erring on the side of caution. By bringing up this anecdote I didn't mean to justify my roommate's actions but rather bring the perspective of the naive student. My roommate now (whether warranted or not) prefers to meet with other advisers for one reason or another.

 

Wouldn't erring on the side of caution mean going with "Professor" or "Dr." until the adviser said otherwise? I mean, it seems like a lot worse to just assume someone who doesn't have a PhD has one than it is to assume someone who does have a PhD doesn't.

[hashslinger]

 I think this is correct (TAs seen as rendering a customer service), and I've seen pretty horrible emails to my friends who are TAs but I have not (yet?) received such an email! Although some of my students were super surprised in the past to learn that I did have my own classes and did research, instead of someone hired purely to be their TA!

 

Yes, undergrads have wild misconceptions about what TAs/grad instructors are and what we do. Some believe that we're mini-professors; most don't understand that we hardly get paid anything to teach them. I've had a few tell me that they "pay my salary" as a kind of threat (which makes me laugh). I've heard others say that they believe their bad evaluation got a TA fired. As in: "So-and-so doesn't teach here anymore--it must be because I gave her a bad evaluation and got her fired!" No, dumbass. So-and-so probably just graduated and got a job somewhere else.

[braaaaaiinnns]

Wouldn't erring on the side of caution mean going with "Professor" or "Dr." until the adviser said otherwise? I mean, it seems like a lot worse to just assume someone who doesn't have a PhD has one than it is to assume someone who does have a PhD doesn't.

Perhaps. I go to a pretty big school and usually our advisers are peer advisers meaning they are other students. The culture is usually pretty casual too, my professors usually sign emails with first names. I don't know the whole story, like whether or not the professor introduced herself and if so, what title was used. I just work with a lot of first year students and I know an intimidating experience, albeit for their own good, can really scare them from asking for help again. My main point was suggesting to let students know the proper protocol in a way that wouldn't prevent them from seeking assistance in the future. 

[danieleWrites]

These little pedagogical moments.

 

Unless you're teaching at a private school, you're dealing with open enrollment policies. This means that the kind of writing education your students get are hit and miss. Most of them don't know email etiquette. They don't know how to write in a professional manner. They don't know that what they've written is never read in the same tone of voice in which they wrote it. They flat don't know.

 

At the beginning of the course, I talk about professional aspirations, advocating for yourself (and how to do it), impressions they can make, and why they should care about those impressions.My university has an email account for all students, and some of them have their mail forwarded to their personal accounts, and then respond from there. I've had emails from puerile and pubescent email addresses. I've had whiny emails. Entitled emails. Texts from people who never identify themselves and get snotty about it. Students who think they can discuss their paper via text message. Students who can't spell my name (in all fairness, Daniele isn't normal). And so on.

 

Preemptive. I teach lower division courses, so I expect this kind of self-entitled ignorance. I give them permission to text me, but also make it clear that they should never, ever text someone in their professional and college lives without prior permission. Texting is just too casual right now. I tell them that texting on professional concerns, without prior permission to do so, has the implied message: I don't respect you. I discuss email etiquette, and why they should care (you're not going to get a letter of recommendation for your dream job when you email your profs from superprinces69@xxx.com, or show up late all the time in your PJs. It tell them that I am Ms., not Dr., because I am a PhD student. I tell them that they should always err on the side of flattery when emailing someone in the university, if they don't know the titles, because demotions are insulting. Example, if you tell someone you're a student, would you like it if they ask you when you're graduating from high school? Then we talk about familiarity and how to compose an email. And what kind of rights they have as to response time. None. At all. Deal with it. Then we talk about tone and writing, and what kind of tone is appropriate for an academic setting, and how tone is different in various disciplines.

 

I don't do this for classes that don't have many freshmen in them, actually.

[TakeruK]

Perhaps. I go to a pretty big school and usually our advisers are peer advisers meaning they are other students. The culture is usually pretty casual too, my professors usually sign emails with first names. I don't know the whole story, like whether or not the professor introduced herself and if so, what title was used. I just work with a lot of first year students and I know an intimidating experience, albeit for their own good, can really scare them from asking for help again. My main point was suggesting to let students know the proper protocol in a way that wouldn't prevent them from seeking assistance in the future. 

 

I agree that when trying to correct behaviour, an intimidating response without teaching the offender what they did wrong is not helpful. In the ideal world, if a student has offended me (e.g. the way your roommate offender her advisor), I would be able to stand up for myself, let the student know what they did wrong, and also do it in a way that prevents them from offending others in the future. But I should not be obligated to follow through all these steps in my student's best interests--even as an advisor, I have the right to work in an environment free from offensive behaviour, and it would be my prerogative to simply let the offender know they have offended me and then distance myself from this person. Helping them understand and adjust for the future should be something I'd do if I felt comfortable, not something that I have to do.

 

By the way, just be to really clear, your roommate was not offensive because she failed to call someone with a PhD as "Dr." It's not simply the fact that some professors insist on a title instead of a first name basis and that your roommate was just lacking respect/deference . If I didn't make it clear in my above post and the linked article, your roommate was making a sexist remark. So while I agree that in the ideal case, the person offended would be able to educate the offender and prevent future offenses, I don't think it's fair to say that the anyone should have to endure sexism/racism and other discrimination in order to educate the offender.

[Karajan]

These little pedagogical moments.

 

Unless you're teaching at a private school, you're dealing with open enrollment policies. This means that the kind of writing education your students get are hit and miss. Most of them don't know email etiquette. They don't know how to write in a professional manner. They don't know that what they've written is never read in the same tone of voice in which they wrote it. They flat don't know.

 

At the beginning of the course, I talk about professional aspirations, advocating for yourself (and how to do it), impressions they can make, and why they should care about those impressions.My university has an email account for all students, and some of them have their mail forwarded to their personal accounts, and then respond from there. I've had emails from puerile and pubescent email addresses. I've had whiny emails. Entitled emails. Texts from people who never identify themselves and get snotty about it. Students who think they can discuss their paper via text message. Students who can't spell my name (in all fairness, Daniele isn't normal). And so on.

 

Preemptive. I teach lower division courses, so I expect this kind of self-entitled ignorance. I give them permission to text me, but also make it clear that they should never, ever text someone in their professional and college lives without prior permission. Texting is just too casual right now. I tell them that texting on professional concerns, without prior permission to do so, has the implied message: I don't respect you. I discuss email etiquette, and why they should care (you're not going to get a letter of recommendation for your dream job when you email your profs from superprinces69@xxx.com, or show up late all the time in your PJs. It tell them that I am Ms., not Dr., because I am a PhD student. I tell them that they should always err on the side of flattery when emailing someone in the university, if they don't know the titles, because demotions are insulting. Example, if you tell someone you're a student, would you like it if they ask you when you're graduating from high school? Then we talk about familiarity and how to compose an email. And what kind of rights they have as to response time. None. At all. Deal with it. Then we talk about tone and writing, and what kind of tone is appropriate for an academic setting, and how tone is different in various disciplines.

 

I don't do this for classes that don't have many freshmen in them, actually.

 

This is really helpful - Thanks so much!  

[Andean Pat]

I had this problem when I taught in High Schools. 

 

They probably don't mean to be rude. I would call their attention to way they address you in a polite manner, and teach them how to do it or at least explain them what you expect when being contacted by e-mail. There is no harm in making expectations clear. 

[Henry Hudson]

I have thus far had the advantage of only TAing in Canada, where there is generally a bit more of a baseline level of respect and decorum (and decent spelling and grammar). As I will be heading back to the States, I suppose I will have to readjust to a less polished undergrad student body.

 

I definitely like the idea of mandating protocols up front, as well as letting them know you are not obligated to reply instantly to any query. Some of my peers have set online office hours, that they will only reply at certain times. I like that idea, particularly when ones student head-count exceeds a couple dozen. 

 

I myself favor tolerating one single digression, along with a polite but firm reminder of acceptable procedures. It might be advisable to write up a standard reminder that one can cut-and-paste into emails. Or maybe a blog entry one can send them the link to.

 

Once a student shows they are conscientious and/or dedicated to their studies, I tolerate a bit of informality, but that has to be earned. 

[TakeruK]

I have thus far had the advantage of only TAing in Canada, where there is generally a bit more of a baseline level of respect and decorum (and decent spelling and grammar). As I will be heading back to the States, I suppose I will have to readjust to a less polished undergrad student body.

 

I don't think it is generally true that the student population in Canada and the US are this different. Although I have not gotten any rude emails from any of my students, Canadian or American, I've seen the emails that my Canadian and American TA colleagues get and I do not see any significant difference! Your experience obviously has been different, but let's not generalize too much here

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I had this problem when I taught in High Schools. 

 

They probably don't mean to be rude. I would call their attention to way they address you in a polite manner, and teach them how to do it or at least explain them what you expect when being contacted by e-mail. There is no harm in making expectations clear. 

You can email high school teachers? Shit I haven't been in high school in ten years. Nobody even had cell phones when I went. 

[ImHis]

It's even worse when you send them something/resources and never respond if it was helpful or even a thank-you.

[DHumeDominates]

I think you're overreacting massively. "Professional e-mail etiquette"? Give me a break.