Office hours are designated hours professors/sessional lecturers holds weekly, in which you can go and talk to them about a variety of topics without making an appointment. Most professors list their office hours in the syllabus of their course, so…
Speaking to Power: An Event Dedicated to Effective Communication
“FIVE RULES TO WRITING: Don’t think. Keep your hand moving. Don’t censor. Write the worst crap possible. You don’t have to share.” When I entered the room for last week’s Speaking to Power event, this was the first thing I…
Filling Out Course Evaluations
My inbox is usually flooded with e-mails regarding new course information, scheduling details, and other announcements from various departments at U of T. As I was scrolling through my e-mails looking for anything important, I noticed I received an e-mail…
Press Send and Prosper: E-mailing Profs
Cyberspace: the final frontier. These are the enterprises of the modern student. Her undergraduate mission: to explore strange new syllabi, to seek out help and resources, to boldly go where many students have gone before…
…Her professor’s UTmail+ inbox.
Okay okay, maybe e-mailing a professor isn’t quite as exciting or high stakes as hiking through Andoria, but it can feel like a monolithic task. I have heard all sorts of horror stories—everything from sending a prof the wrong e-mail to accidentally using a text abbreviation!
Shudder.
After three years of interacting with professors through various mediums, I think I am starting to get the hang of it.
Here is what I always keep in mind when I’m drafting an e-mail:
Here is what I always keep in mind when I’m drafting an e-mail:
Overcoming my Fear of Professors
Up until last Thursday, I don’t think I had ever actually seen a professor up close. I mean, sure, I’ve sat front row in lecture or passed them while walking to class, but I am really bad at actually talking…
“The Compassionate Educator”
Do professors really care? Last week, I introduced the Teaching and Learning Symposium, which I was lucky enough to attend. And, if it wasn't clear then, I'll make it clear now: that symposium—a collection of faculty, staff, and librarians from…
Let them eat cake!
This week I met with a professor about nothing. It was like a Seinfeld episode, entitled “office hours”. The great thing about Seinfeld is that even though it was the show about nothing, something always happened. I feel the same…