Timeline for Is it appropriate to email a professor during summer for a difficult question?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Mar 14, 2019 at 10:32 | history | suggested | Squirrel-Power | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Body of the question changed; as such, referencing it should be changed
|
| Mar 14, 2019 at 9:10 | comment | added | Denis Nardin | @Buffy This is a bit off topic, but where I did my undergrad it was completely normal to have first year classes of 100-150 students serviced only by one professor and one TA. | |
| Mar 14, 2019 at 8:59 | review | Suggested edits | |||
| S Mar 14, 2019 at 10:32 | |||||
| Jul 26, 2018 at 21:02 | comment | added | Buffy | @AzorAhai, well, maybe only 25 staff, then. I don't think much actual learning can happen if the ratio of staff to students is 1 to 500. You can lecture, but that is about the least effective way to teach. When lecturing became a common practice the ratio was likely about 1 to 5 - in Medieval universities. If a teacher drew as many as 20 it would be miraculous. Most people don't learn from just hearing something once. It takes work that can't happen with 1 to 500 ratios. Open University UK has large online courses but with student support in small local groups. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 20:54 | comment | added | Azor Ahai -him- | @Buffy It would be brilliant if people here had 40 people to help them ... | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 20:53 | comment | added | Buffy | @AzorAhai. I'll stand by what I said, from long experience. Maybe harder in the Summer. That may be their only chance to get "real" work done and think of the 500 person course as a bit of an easy job to run since they also have a staff of 40 to help them. See the total personnel list of Harvard's CS50 class, for example, compared to its class size. The actual ratio is close to one staff person for 20 students. In any case, the OP has to expect that the professor may be just as busy independent of season. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 20:47 | comment | added | Azor Ahai -him- | @Buffy I didn't say they aren't busy during the summer, just that summer might not be "no different than any other time" for some professors. I'm fully aware professors continue to work throughout the summer. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 20:44 | comment | added | Buffy | @AzorAhai, I think that if you ask them you will find they are still busy. When do you suppose they develop those courses? I don't know many academics who have much down time - ever. And if they also do research ... Busy busy busy. It is part of the life, but also part of the misconception about teachers. Even elementary school teachers do quite a lot during "vacation" time. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 20:29 | comment | added | Azor Ahai -him- | @Buffy Well, that's certainly not true for everyone. I know profs who teach a lot during the school year and it really takes a lot out of them, but they have much more time in the summer because they aren't teaching classes of 500. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 11:50 | comment | added | xLeitix | To be fair, if the question is too simple it may also count against your chances of receiving an answer. I frequently get questions (from students and others) that at least to me appear very boring and mundane, but where an answer takes a fair bit of time to type up. These have a much lower chance of getting answered than questions that require some thinking/research but much less time to explain or type out. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 10:39 | comment | added | Buffy | +1. I would only add that such a professor is always busy. The summertime is no different than any other time. If your question is interesting you will get a reply, but it may just be a request to see him at some future date to be determined. But, as with many things in life: don't be boring. | |
| Jul 26, 2018 at 10:35 | review | First posts | |||
| Jul 26, 2018 at 10:50 | |||||
| Jul 26, 2018 at 10:32 | history | answered | Answerer | CC BY-SA 4.0 |