Want to get a fast response from your professors? Follow these simply guidelines!
Always-always-always include this. Your instructors teach several different classes and could have hundreds of students. Knowing which class you're in greatly speeds up an instructor's response time. See below for an example.
Example:
TO: rwittman@email.arizona.edu
FROM: Jane Student
SUBJECT: LDRV 304 / Question my Quiz #4 grade
(NOTE: This information was adapted from this article, which was written by Wellesley College)
E-mail to a professor should be treated like a business letter. You may think a business letter tone in an email to your professor is too formal, but you must treat this as a business communication. Remember: it's always okay to be a little on the formal side. On the other hand, being informal can cause many embarrassing mistakes.
The subject line must be informative. Don't write something like "my grade" or "password?" in that line. Instead, write a few words indicating the purpose of your message: "Question about grade, Lesson 4, assignment 3," for example.
Use professors' name when addressing them. Many professors we asked said that they don't like to be called simply "professor." They prefer "Professor Lee" or "Ms./Mr. Lee"; most tell us that the title itself doesn't matter nearly so much as the fact that you also use their names. Some professors may suggest you call them by their first names, but if you're more comfortable continuing to use a title, please do so! The only thing you must remember is to use a name in your email.
Dear, Hi, Hey, or nothing? To some eyes and ears, "Dear Professor Jones" may seem too formal for an e-mail message, but in fact it will do just finein most situations. Simply writing "Professor Jones" (followed by a comma) is fine, too. Some faculty are sensitive to the word "Hi" as a salutation, whether alone or with a name (e.g., "Hi, Professor Jones"), but others don't mind it and in fact use it themselves. But avoid "hey" – no one we asked likes that one.
Don't expect an instant response. Although we have all become accustomed to the instantaneous quality of electronic communication, your professors want you to know that they simply cannot always answer a message quickly. Allow them a day or two, or even more, to respond. You can re-send the message if you haven't heard back in five days or so.
Don't use smiley faces or other emoticons when e-mailing professors, and don't use all those internet acronyms, abbreviations, and shortened spellings (e.g., LOL, or "U" for "you"). Similarly, don't confuse email style with txt style. This is inappropriate for exchanges with your professors.
AVOID ALL CAPS AND MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! All caps come across as you angrily yelling at recipient. Be polite, use proper grammar -- and say 'no' to all caps and excessive exclamation points.
Write grammatically, spell correctly, and avoid silly mistakes. Proofread. Use the spelling checker. Especially double-check for embarrassing errors in your subject header. Show that you care about how you present yourself in writing to your professor.
Use paragraph breaks to help organize your message. It's hard to read a long unbroken stream of words on a screen.
Here's a {'Tips for Communicating with your Professors guide} that several of the instructors at CAST put together. It outlines not only the best ways for getting in touch with your instructors for day-to-day issues, but also the steps for disputing a grade as well as what to do if your issue hasn't been resolved.