Undergraduates’ Email Response Expectations and Instructor Responsiveness

Instructors and students communicate via email in both online-only and traditional college coursework. Few institutions have guidelines regarding instructor-to-student or student-to-instructor response norms. This article discusses findings from a study investigating undergraduate student instructor email response expectations and perceived instructor response rates to inform college instructors about improving communication for better end-result student learning experiences. This study reinforces previous research that students expectations about instructor responsiveness in email communications and supports prior research findings regarding communication with Generations Y and Z. Suggestions are offered to improve student satisfaction pertaining to course-related email communication in both online and traditional course settings.