Dear Professor Ahlgren
My name is Shih-Hao Chien and I am in your 231 class.
I have a question about what I should do about the discussion class. I had originally signed up for the BD7 discussion class and I had started going to that session. However I later changed my schedule around and somehow ended up with the BD5 discussion class(I am not sure how). I had signed up for webassign later so I am in the BD5 section for webassign, however I had been going to the BD7 discussion class because I hadn't realized that my section was changed. I am wondering what I should do about this because it seems that I dont have any grades for any of the worksheets and only for one of the hw assignments. So what should I do?
Shih-Hao Chien
Computer Engineer Freshman
chien8@illinois.edu
His Reply:
Hello,
I just read both of your emails.
Your name is listed in the BD5 class, although no grades are recorded there.
If you have been attending BD7, then the TA for BD7 (Alex Duda) has a list of the grades for the work which you have turned in.
If you wish to attend BD7, then please
1) Switch sections through the university system (the math undergraduate office in 313 Altgeld Hall can provide any needed help).
2) email me and Alex Duda to tell me that you have made the switch
I will change your section in webassign when I hear back from you.
This should be done soon.
Best,
SA
Brian:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all you should add the subject of your email e.g. "section switching problem." Also, it seems that the email is a bit wordy. You should directly tell the professor that you did wrong when choosing the section, and you hope to switch back to BD7. Even I get a bit dizzy reading this whole chunk of words.
And at the end of your email, I dont think it is necessary to add "computer engineering freshman".
Just out of curiosity, the professor said he read "both of your emails". I am wondering whether your two emails are saying the same thing.
Hope it helps,
Bo
Brain,
ReplyDeleteFirst thing I have to say after reading your mail is that even though you seemed to have crammed quite a bit of detail into such a small space, your professors response shows that you managed to get your message across fairly effectively. Additionally you provided him with more than sufficient information to give you an accurately detailed response.
The primary criticism I have for this email is the use of the statement "I am not sure how", as this suggests a lack of understanding of the scheduling system, and it is a general hindrance to effective communication.
I would also wonder what your other email said, because if it had more details than this then one might question the first statement I made complimenting the effectiveness of your email.
Regards,
Akbar
Brian:
ReplyDeleteWe have met the same problem XDD. I think your point is clear but you could reduce some detail just brifely saying you take the wrong section. Also, it is better to write a subject to cover your general idea so that Professor could grasp your meaning immediately.
As a whole, your point is very clear but you could reduce some detail so that your professor could understand your meaning more easily.
I do agree that your e-mail seems a bit wordy, but overall, your message is clear enough.
ReplyDeleteTo cut down on the word count, I think you could have said something along the lines of,
"I was unaware of a change in my discussion section, so I have been attending the wrong session. The section that I'm a part of on WebAssign is also incorrect. I have noticed that I'm missing grades on Compass. What do I have to do to remedy this?"