E-mails Aren’t Texts- Things You Should Never Do When Writing Your Instructors in Online Courses

Taking online courses from online colleges and online universities are a great way to go back to college on your own time and make it fit within your own schedule. In online courses you will most likely be communicating with your professor exclusively through e-mail. Here are some tips on things you should never do when writing your instructors in online courses.

1. Never use a subject line for the email that is too vague. If you use a title that is simply a greeting - for example, “Hello” - how will the teacher know what it is about? They could easily delete it without even reading it, leaving you with your question or other concern unanswered. State your business clearly in the subject line and tell them who you are.

2. Avoid making use of abbreviations. Not everybody will know what you are trying to say, and it could lead to confusion and misunderstandings. Common abbreviations are acceptable, but it is not advisable to stray from that.

3. Do not write the instructor an email when are you angry. Should you do this, you are a lot more likely to use strong words and offensive language. Aggressiveness will not solve anything, especially when it comes to more formal relations. Calm down before writing anything. Going to college means you are bettering yourself and striving for a good future, so it should not be thrown away on something such as this.

4. Do not use text language, such as “U” for you and “l8″ for late. For anybody who reads it, it will be prove to be frustrating to understand exactly what you are saying. Using these for friends and family members is fine, but when you are trying to talk to somebody outside of that group, they are unlikely to take you seriously.

5. Try to convey your message in a short fashion, not a long one. If you simply want to ask a question about a math problem, you do not need to do so in five different paragraphs; especially if it can be said just as well in one. Nobody wants to read an essay when they get an email, especially a teacher, who has a lot of other students to focus on, too.

6. Do not write in all capital letters. It may save a few moments of your time because you do not have to manually capitalize things, but it makes it appear as though you are yelling.

7. Greet your instructor courteously. Using vulgar slang or something that is a little too personal is not appropriate. At the end of your message, thank them for their time and for reading the email.