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| Twitter Inspired Painting by Gaby Zwaan |
“o hey, i need to do some other stuff so I prolly
wont get a chance to finish the thing that’s due to day. Cool if I turn in tmrrw. LOL thx.”
This might not be the best way to address your
instructor (or anyone outside the TwitterSphere for that matter) when you have
a legitimate reason for being late. Even
if it’s not about you being late with an assignment, if you just need help with
something, this is definitely not the way to go about it.
This is where effective communication comes in
and will make you stand out to your instructor as a respectful individual that
is deserving of their undivided attention.
Remember our instructors are busy individuals that teach multiple
classes and are working professionals in their chosen field as well. If you truly need their help…help them out by
communicating properly.
Our example student (@supertwitterfanfersure),
may have had a legitimate reason for handing in an assignment late, but the
instructor would have to ask too many questions in order to actually help this
person. Our student should have sent an
e-mail that read a little more like this:
“Professor Smith,
My son fell off his bicycle this afternoon and
we are sitting in the emergency room right now.
They sent him for x-rays and we are hoping he will not need a cast. Due to this unexpected emergency, I do not
think I will be able to get Week 3 Assignment 2 Turned in by tonight’s deadline. I will get a letter from the hospital to
verify that we were here. Thank you for understanding.
Jane Doe”
Or something like this:
“Professor Jones,
I have a question regarding Week 2 Assignment 2. It says that we are supposed to shoot in
studio for this assignment. Does that
mean I can move my studio lights into the kitchen and shoot there? I appreciate your insight on the matter.
Thanks,
Ronnie Doe”
These are the types of e-mails our instructors prefer to get from
students. They are polite, to the point,
and unambiguous. 140 characters may
work on a social network, but it doesn’t cut the mustard when trying to
communicate with faculty. (oh and the same rules apply in the classroom discussion boards as well!)
Works Cited
Zwaan, Gaby. Untitled. N.d. Huffington
Post. Web. 25 June 2013.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/gaby-zwaan_b_934315.html>.
