How many times a day do faculty members check e-mail? How often do they send work e-mails in the evenings or over the weekend? Do students or colleagues expect faculty to reply to e-mails within twenty-four hours or in far less time? How can we change the university culture to keep up with technology? While the use of e-mail has become widespread over the last decade, the development of policies, rules, and etiquette around its use in colleges and universities has been haphazard at best. Unfettered e-mail expectations create misunderstandings between colleagues, as well as between students and faculty; they lead to increased “bleed” between work and home and create inefficiencies as well as stress. It is time for universities to implement e-mail policies aimed at improving workplace conditions for faculty and maintaining the quality of communication with students. The dissemination of a consistent set of guidelines to colleges and universities could help change expectations regarding electronic mail.
- email,
- higher education,
- faculty
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jennifer_lundquist/13/