The New York Times today had a mildly amusing article on student emails to professors. The article has a few interesting points but has a strong no-news feel. There are professors who report that they get inappropriate and amusing student emails. From people in their late teens and early twenties? I am shocked. But the point of the article -- that the instant access to instructors via email has changed academic instruction -- is well taken. And it is a good thing.
One point that the article overlooks is that email communication is not only a means for instruction, but it should also be the subject of college education. The fact that we -- instructors -- get inappropriate emails (sloppy writing, no spell checking, no signature, no courtesy, etc.) indicates that students have not yet learned how to communicate professionally. Now, that's something people need to know if they want to succeed, and college should be one of the places to learn it. So, it makes a lot of sense to establish an email style code that sets minimum standards for emails that will be answered by the professors. I haven't yet implemented such a code, but I will next term.
You can find more comments on the NYT article at PrawfsBlawg and at LawCulture. (Who, by the way, started this habit of putting capitals in the middle of blog titles? Ew.)
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