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Sending E-mails to Professors One student skipped class and then sent the professor an E-mail{{U}} (51) {{/U}}for copies of her teaching notes. Another{{U}} (52) {{/U}}that she was late for a Monday class because she was recovering from drinking too much at a wild weekend party. At colleges and universities in the US, E-mail has made professors more approachable (平易近人). But many say it has made them too accessible,{{U}} (53) {{/U}} boundaries that traditionally kept students at a healthy distance. These days, professors say, students seem to view them as available{{U}} (54) {{/U}}the clock, sending a steady stream of informal E-mails. "The tone that they take in E-mails is pretty astounding (令人吃惊的)," said Michael Kessler, an assistant dean at Georgetown University. "They'll{{U}} (55) {{/U}}you to help: 'I need to know this.'" "There's a fine{{U}} (56) {{/U}}between meeting their needs and at the same time maintaining a level of legitimacy (正统性) as an{{U}} (57) {{/U}}who is in charge." Christopher Dede, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said{{U}} (58) {{/U}} show that students no longer defer to (听从) their professors, perhaps because they realize that professors' {{U}}(59) {{/U}}could rapidly become outdated. "The deference was driven by the{{U}} (60) {{/U}}that professors were all-knowing sources of deep knowledge," Dede said, and that notion has{{U}} (61) {{/U}}. For junior faculty members, E-mails bring new tension into their work, some say, as they struggle with how to{{U}} (62) {{/U}}. Their job prospects, they realize, may rest in part on student evaluations of their accessibility. College students say E-mail makes{{U}} (63) {{/U}}easier to ask questions and helps them learn. But they seem unaware that what they write in E-mails could have negative effects{{U}} (64) {{/U}}them, said Alexandra Lahav, an associate professor of Law at the University of Connecticut. She recalled an E-mail message from a student saying that he planned to miss class so he could play with his son. Professor Lahav did not respond. "Such E-mails can have consequences," she said. "Students don't understand that{{U}} (65) {{/U}} they say in E-mail can make them seem unprofessional and could result in a bad recommendation." |