Michael Braun's Blog

Email has become the de facto method of communication between my students and me. This semester, I sent out an email to all students in my class at least once a week. Often times, it was just a way for me to help them stay organized. Students also seem to feel reasonably open sending emails to me. Yet over the course of the semester, I have probably only received email from 25% of my students. What about the rest? Some, no doubt, had no need to communicate with me over email. But it seems probable that others did not feel comfortable sending me an email. The question is has email become too formal a communication tool in the eyes of some students?

It’s likely that a fair number of students have never known email as a novelty or a new, exciting technology. Whereas I remember the thrill of signing up for my first Hotmail account, these students were born as late as 1991. By the the time they were aware of computers and computer-mediated-communication, it was already widespread. Because email has never been a new technology to them, they had less chance to determine how they could use it best. It was likely a tool of their parents and teachers, with set norms and expectations.

Does this cause reluctance to use email as an everyday communication tool? Recent Pew Research data shows some support for this. “Fully 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making email the most popular online activity for this age group. At the same time, email has lost some ground among teens; whereas 89% of teens claimed to use email in 2004, just 73% currently say they use email.” If teens are less likely to use email, then are my efforts to reach out to students (to be available when they have questions) outdated? Could I be using the wrong technologies for their age group?

If email is less popular among teens, no matter the reason, then what can I do to replace it? When email is a frequent destination, sending an email makes a lot of sense. I expect my students to check their email several times per day, at least! Indeed, with the proliferation of Blackberries and other smart phones, it sometimes seems like email is instantaneous communication. But if this isn’t the case, then an alternative or an additional method should be found. The possible replacements for email would include a destination where students visit regularly, that is easy to update, and that allows for quick information on a need-to-know basis. Texting is too limited, same with Twitter. In-class announcements are helpful to those who come to class, but aren’t preserved for later searching. And web portals like Learn@UW aren’t visited often enough by students.

Though I’ve yet to arrive at the perfect solution, one very real possibility is Facebook. I could create a fan page for the course I’m teaching and use that as a way to disseminate information. Students could become fans of the class, or simply visit, as the information can be made viewable to all. It allows for a wide variety of communication and can be searched. I’m not sure if university policy would frown upon using Facebook, a commercial service. But in terms of meeting my requirements, I can’t think of anything better.

So, let me turn over the discussion to you readers. Undergraduates – how to you feel about email? Do you use it to communicate with your friends, or is it just something you use for school? How would you prefer to get information about a class? Instructors – have you noticed issues with email? How are your evaluations in terms of being available to students? Have you tried anything innovative to reach out to more students? I’d really like to get your feedback on this issue!