I’m on spring break. I emailed my professor with a question like a day and a half before break and she hasn’t gotten back to me yet…
In all honesty, are professors obligated to sign onto their school email accounts, or do I have to wait until school is back in session?
If students can put off homework because “I’m on break!” then professors can certainly feel the same. I don’t think 24/7 availability is really in their job description, so probably gonna have to wait it out.
If the professor is also on vacation, then no. As in any other profession, one does not expect employees to respond to emails on their vacation. That said, if this was the case, the professor should have had an “out-of-office” autoreply set up.
There is also the possibility that the professor overlooked your email based upon the volume that s/he receives, so no harm in resending.
I would just send another email. Sometimes people read an email on their phone (while travelling, for example), and make plans to respond later and then they forget.
You’re starting the exchange with a hostile attitude toward the other person (implication that they’re not fulfilling job requirements), which isn’t going to help your case. I’d try emailing again, politely - have you first checked the syllabus/course management system and/or talked to a classmate to see if your question could be answered in that way?
Its a specific question about an assignment that has not been addressed already, but alright, I’ll try another polite email.
Professors are not “obligated” to answer your emails at all.
Many are deities and even those that aren’t often respond well to being treated as such.
Most professors answer emails anyway.
They are not obligated to answer your emails. I have a professor who reads emails, but responds if he feels like it. If you really want to talk to him you must make the effort to hunt him down.
If it can wait, try to meet up wither first chance when school is back in session.
If it’s an “I’m suicidal and think I want to end it all” type of note, then I think that any human being with an ounce of compassion has a obligation to reply.
But, beyond that, nope. Any answers you get outside of school hours are an act of kindness on the part of the professor.
As a high school teacher, I choose to check my email several times most days. But that’s my choice, not part of my job description. Likewise, I almost always choose to respond immediately, but not always.
You might be SHOCKED to read this, but sometimes we professors take VACATIONS, too!!! Some even take cruises, which offer almost no opportunity for communication.
Most instructors list contact information/guidelines on their syllabus. If not, assume 48 hours (business days) for a response.
I emailed my major advisor a month ago - and emailed her again twice. She never replied despite protocol being that you arrange advising appointments via email. I ended up just getting a new advisor. Professors don’t have to respond to emails at all.
It’s in poor taste to immediately send a follow-up email asking for a response. If you don’t hear back for two weeks, then you can ask about it. If it’s time sensitive, then let three to four days at minimum go by.
As others have said, professors aren’t really obligated to answer emails in the first place. Professors have office hours so that students can talk to them outside of class. They also sometimes go home at the end of the day and forget about work for the evening.
I’m not sure where the implications of a ‘hostile attitude’ are coming from though.
In the past, before the tyranny of email, students went in person to the professor’s office hours and didn’t feel entitled to 365/24/7 concierge service.
If employees were obligated to answer their work emails during vacation time, then it wouldn’t be a vacation.
I don’t think the OP is in the wrong or anything. I think it’s a good question to ask and an important thing to discuss.
Most of my professors have emailed me back over weekends and over breaks, although some don’t. Some typically only respond Monday - Friday between 9 and 5, but others will email back at 6 pm on a Saturday night. I think it depends on what they’re doing and how busy they are (I personally would maybe respond to an email on vacation, but probably only if it was a genuine concern and if I had Internet access).
Also, in regards to advisors and such, I think a lot of it depends on if you’re the professor’s current student or not. I had the hardest time contacting this one professor in my major for my first 2 years on campus but now that I’m her student, she responds to me at night and on the weekends. They’re always so busy, and I’ve found that they put current students on a higher priority list.
I have had professors email me back on weekends and over breaks. I have had professors that will only answer emails on Monday-Friday during normal business hours. It just depends on how convenient it is for them. The syllabus will usually note the professor’s email policy and when you can expect a response.
Ahhh okay thanks. Still never responded, but I get the images now.
Not only that, but if one’s not careful and comes across as demanding a quick response during a holiday as an undergrad classmate did in calling the Prof’s house in the midst of a family holiday dinner, said Prof is less likely to be helpful to the given student in the future…and be within his/her rights in doing so.
In his case, it meant said Prof declined to write LORs for jobs/grad school. Trust me, you don’t want to alienate Profs to the point they refuse to help with LORs.