Notes on Scheduling, Email Etiquette, and Professional Communication

Schedule and Campus Logistics

• The syllabus schedule said library workshops would occur today, but those were moved to week five.
• The speaker noted a projector issue and asked, “Who is that? I think it's from the projector.”, acknowledging the projector is producing the message.
• Lectures were moved around: items were shifted to week five and a different lecture was inserted today.
• The final page of the syllabus is subject to change, and indeed it has changed.
• Brightspace due dates are claimed to be always up to date and will be updated accordingly.
• Assignments are set up so that students cannot access them until the instructor has provided information and actually assigned the tasks; this is to accommodate potential changes.
• The instructor hoped to write on the screen but could not because the laptop wouldn’t communicate with the projector.
• The projector is very old, and replacement was reportedly planned for some time this year.
• It was announced that seats would be replaced at some point this semester because many seats are not functional.
• Several seats are not really seats anymore; the lecture hall may be out of order for five days, though a speaker cautioned that real-world estimates could be longer.
• A personal rule of thumb was shared: multiply the estimated duration by two and increase the unit of measure by one when predicting how long a project will take. This rule was illustrated with several examples.
• The rule explained: if you think something will take five days, it could actually take 10 months according to the humorous analogy (the unit change from days to months is part of the rule); the same idea applied to other units (e.g., five minutes could become ten hours).
• The lecturer noted that at some point this semester, a class lecture would move to the math NPR (a different location); students should know where it is or be able to find it on the math site, and advance notice would be provided.
• The visit to the math NPR is not expected to be next week; the instructor will email in advance with details.
• Email usage: students should expect important messages delivered via email; the instructor does not send emails unless they carry important information (e.g., a cancellation due to illness affecting a recitation group).

Professional Communication and Emails

• The session centers on professional communication, with a focus on email as a core skill for almost all jobs.
• The instructor notes that most jobs will require email communication, and it’s important to write good, professional emails.
• The instructor has observed a wide range of email quality from students and aims to help students avoid common pitfalls.
• The guidance given is widely applicable beyond school, including life and future careers.

Parts of an Email (Aladdin and Jasmine scenario)

• An illustrative example is used: Aladdin wants to ask Princess Jasmine to go on a magic carpet ride.
• The recipient is the most important part of an email; the example will illustrate to, cc, and bcc.
• The parts of the email include:
  • To: the primary recipient, from whom you typically expect a response.
  • CC: carbon copy; considered an FYI recipient. You don’t necessarily expect a reply from someone CC’d, but you want them to be aware.
  • BCC: blind carbon copy; used for secrecy or discreet notification.
• The teacher discusses the social dynamics of CC and BCC with a playful example involving Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, Raja (the tiger), and Genie:
  • CC is for informing someone (e.g., Raja) who should be aware but not necessarily reply.
  • BCC is used for discreet notification (e.g., Genie) who should know but not be part of the visible thread.
  • The discussion includes a light-hearted note about gossiping use cases for BCC and how some people misuse CC for intimidation, or how CC can involve multiple levels of bosses.
• The example also covers how to handle embodying etiquette and deference (e.g., Raja’s protective role) within the email narrative.
• The main point: the email metadata (To, CC, BCC) should align with the sender’s intent for response, awareness, or discreet notification.

Subject Line Crafting

• The subject line should be short but descriptive enough to grab attention.
• When triaging email, the instructor looks at senders and subjects to decide urgency and ease of answering.
• A well-crafted subject helps the reader locate the message later; think about what you would search for in a year and include those keywords in the subject.
• Example subject phrasing for the Aladdin scenario:
  • "magic carpet ride tonight?" to signal a request for a reply.
  • At times, phrases like "magic carpet ride tonight, question?" indicate the need for a quick response.
• For a broader triage: someone might recall a message by keywords like course number (e.g., engineering 110), so including such identifiers helps with future searchability.
• The instructor notes they sometimes adjust the subject to aid quick triage and retrieval, acknowledging the difficulty of threading a short yet descriptive subject.

Practical Email-Triage Strategies

• When composing, consider what would make you open and respond quickly if the inbox were full.
• Use specific, actionable subjects and include what you want from the recipient (a reply, a confirmation, information, etc.).
• If you need a response, use a question or request indicator (e.g., a question mark) in the subject to signal urgency.
• If you want a message to be informational only, use CC rather than To when you don’t require a reply.
• For urgent or time-sensitive items, the subject should reflect urgency and expected response time.

Off-Topic Campus References and Context (as examples)

• The instructor interspersed casual campus updates and questions about events:
  • Mentions of a crab rally and a volleyball match at Verizon (Germany) at 7 PM.
  • References to men’s soccer and other games during the week.
  • A casual discussion about campus gym facilities, including old gym and gymnasium locations, and a question about why the gym is on the second floor.
• These interludes illustrate how everyday talk can surface in class discussions, highlighting the difference between content-focused material and incidental campus chatter.

Time Estimates and Unit Conversion Note (the twofold rule)

• The instructor describes a humorous rule of thumb for estimating how long a project will take:
  • If you think something will take t units of time in unit U, the actual duration is roughly 2t in unit U', where U' is the next larger unit.
• Concrete examples:
  • If t = 5 days, then the predicted duration is D = 2t = 10, with the unit changed to months: $t = 5 ext{ days} <br /> ightarrow D = 2t = 10 ext{ months}.$
  • If t = 5 minutes, then the predicted duration is D = 2t = 10, with the unit changed to hours: $t = 5 ext{ minutes} <br /> ightarrow D = 2t = 10 ext{ hours}.$
• Important caveat: this is a humorous rule of thumb, not a precise metric, and the unit change can lead to obviously inconsistent real-world timings. It is used to highlight how initial estimates can be wildly off and to illustrate a discussion about planning and communication in a classroom context.

Miscellaneous Observations and Practical Reminders

• The instructor stresses that emails are used for important information and that students should monitor for emails rather than relying on other channels.
• If a student receives an email, it likely contains something important (e.g., cancellation, changes). The example cited: a recitation group section’s cancellation due to illness.
• The class is framed to prepare students for professional communication, with emphasis on clarity, timeliness, and appropriate channel use.

Ethical, Philosophical, and Practical Implications

• Email etiquette and professional communication have real-world consequences in the workplace beyond academia.
• The discussion of CC vs BCC includes considerations of privacy, transparency, and potential misuse (e.g., intimidation, gossip).
• The balance between informing others (CC) and protecting privacy or minimizing escalation (BCC) highlights ethical decision-making in professional communication.
• The speaker’s stance that most jobs require email emphasizes the ethical responsibility to communicate clearly, respectfully, and efficiently to avoid miscommunication or wasted time.

Connections to Foundational Principles and Real-World Relevance

• Scheduling and communication flexibility reflect project management fundamentals: stakeholders, roles, and change control.
• The material ties into professional communication standards taught in many courses: audience awareness, clarity, purpose, and appropriate channel selection.
• Emphasis on searchability and retrievability of email content aligns with information management and digital literacy.
• The inclusion of a hypothetical narrative (Aladdin/Jasmine) illustrates practical communication techniques in a memorable, narrative form.

Key Takeaways

• Syllabus and schedule changes can occur; always check Brightspace for up-to-date due dates.
• Assignments may be locked until information is provided to accommodate changes; stay responsive to instructor communications.
• Email is a critical professional tool; aim for clear, concise, and purposeful messages.
• Understand To, CC, and BCC: To is for primary replies, CC is for awareness with optional replies, and BCC is for discreet notifications.
• Subject lines should be brief, descriptive, and searchable; include keywords you’d use to find the email later.
• Use simple, direct language; anticipate the recipient’s needs and include any required actions or questions.
• When in doubt, consider the ethical implications of who sees the email and what information is shared via CC or BCC.
• Practical examples can help you practice email structure and etiquette, reinforcing the connection between classroom skills and workplace expectations.