3 Connect With Your Instructor
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Learning Centres
Connecting
A key to your post-secondary success is knowing your instructors and what they identify as important in each of your courses. Developing good relationships with instructors involves good communication in and outside of class times. They are available to meet, communicate, and talk with you, but you must plan how to connect with them during their available times. It is part of an instructor’s job to talk to learners outside class, and most successful learners take advantage of that option. It is your right to visit instructors during office hours and discuss any problems or concerns that you have in their course.
Self-Advocacy
• Self-advocacy is the art of learning to speak up for yourself. In college, you are the only one who is going to speak up for you! Learning how to do that well will help you tremendously over the next four years. What does that look like?
• Talking to your professor immediately when there is an issue. If they know in time, they can usually help with extensions, etc. If you wait several weeks, then it becomes more difficult to help.
• If you’re sick/injured, notify the professor according to their syllabus policy. (Some professors want you to email them, others don’t.) If you will be out more than a week with your illness/injury, contact the University of Arizona’s Dean of Students office and fill out the appropriate forms with the documentation, so that they can help you notify all of your instructors. If injured, you can get free golf cart rides around campus and to your classes by contacting Campus Health (you don’t have to go there, just call!) and then Parking and Transportation.
• If you are late turning in work, read the syllabus and see what you need to do to get an extension. Even if the syllabus says, “no late submissions,” and you have a good reason for being late, still contact the instructor. Tell them you know the policy, but this is the extenuating circumstance (give as much detail as you are comfortable giving.) Often, professors are willing to work with you if they know you are struggling. If they will not grant an extension, be polite and do your best on the remainder of the work.
• If you receive a grade on a test or project that you don’t feel is fair or justified, make an appointment to talk with them. Assume positive intent and not that they are “out to get you”. Start the conversation with something like “I was hoping that you would sit with me and explain why I got a 50% on this. I thought I followed all of the directions, so I’m confused, and I want to do better the next time.” Approaching it this way gives the Professor an opportunity to re-check the paper and decide a course of action. If you enter mad, demanding they look at it, you will likely not accomplish your goal.
* Please note: Self-advocacy works best when you already have a good relationship with your professor. The students who are in class, on time to class, participate in class and ask questions in class and at office hours, and do their homework on time, usually have little trouble getting help for an extenuating circumstance. The student who misses class a lot, doesn’t turn in homework on time, doesn’t participate in class, and is often on their phone texting, and doesn’t go to office hours, usually doesn’t get much grace when it comes to challenges.
In-Class Communication
To build your relationship with your instructor in class, consider ways that you can show your interest in the course material. Some ways to do this are:
- Listen actively during class to determine what is most important to the instructor.
- Avoid arguing with the instructor. If you disagree with something said in class, try to ask questions about the topic after class.
- Read the textbook before class and prepare questions to ask.
- Let your instructor know what interests you about the course.
Communicating in Office Hours
Office Hours
Instructors hold office hours outside of class. Whenever possible, try to meet your instructor during these times. You can use office hours to ask questions about the course material, to get clarification about the requirements for an assignment, or to learn more about a topic from the class that you find particularly interesting. Some tips for using office hours effectively:
- Arrive on time to be respectful of your instructor’s and other students’ time.
- Come prepared by bringing your textbook and other course materials.
- Prepare questions ahead of time.
- Summarize key points to make sure you understand.
Communicating By E-mail
First of all, decide if you need to email:
- Did you check the syllabus for your answer?
- Is there an absence policy, a late assignment policy that you can refer to and not have to email?
- Did you check on Brightspace for notes or announcements, and check in with classmates on what you missed?
- If you still need to email, mention that you checked with these sources. NEVER ask “What did I miss?” or worse, “Did I miss anything?”
- If you are wondering why you received the grade you did on an assignment, did you read the feedback on the assignment? Don’t ask “What did I do wrong?” if you haven’t checked the feedback!
To write an effective e-mail, consider the following:
Use your university e-mail account when possible.
- In the subject line, write the course name and topic of your email
(e.g., BIO 181 Lab Report 2). - Use a professional greeting in the e-mail (“Dear” rather than “Hey!”).
- Write your question or concern in short, clear sentences. Be concise as they get hundreds of emails each week.
- End your e-mail with an appropriate conclusion (e.g., “Thank you in advance for your help”, or “Thank you for your time and consideration”).
- Allow time for your instructor to respond (up to 5 days!)—don’t expect an instant reply.
- If you do follow up after 5 days, do so with kindness and understanding of how busy they are, and be sure to reply to the original email so they can see when it was originally sent: Hello Professor, I am following up on the request/question/assignment. I was hoping to find out….and repeat your request/question.
- Never email when you’re angry/frustrated! Always have someone else read your email before you send it to make sure you don’t sound upset.
You do NOT need to send them personal health info for why you’re sick. You should NOT attach doctor notes, photos, lab reports, etc. If they ask for a doctor’s note, you can provide that, but it shouldn’t have a diagnosis in it—that is your business and no one else’s (other than the Dean of Students if you need to provide documentation for an extended illness).
Example of a Good Email
From: Student@arizona.edu
To: Instructor@arizona.edu
Subject: Bio181, Section 3 Research Proposal
Hello Professor Smith,
I am Candy Houghton from your Bio1100, Section 3 course, and I have been working on the Research Proposal assignment that is due Nov. 6th. In the directions I see that it says we need 10 sources for the final paper, but it doesn’t state how many sources we need for this assignment. Could you please verify for me how many sources I should include in the Research Proposal?
Thank you so much for your time!
Sincerely,
Candy Houghton
Communicating with your instructor may seem straightforward, but there are some strategies that can improve your communication significantly and further support your in-class learning.
- Find out more about improving your classroom communication skills and 10 “What would you do?” scenarios online here.
By showing an interest, taking time to communicate with your instructor throughout the course, and using e-mail effectively, you will be well on your way to building a good relationship that will support your communication and learning.[1]
Try It!
If you have already reviewed your course syllabus, you will know when and where you can contact your instructor during office hours. Plan to drop by your instructor’s office hours this week. If you don’t yet have a question to ask, consider having a brief conversation with your instructor about one of the following topics:
- What is one thing I can do to be successful in this course?
- How do the concepts I will learn in this class connect with other courses I will take in the future?
- What can I do to improve my class participation/writing/presentation skills?
- What interests you most about your field?
License & Attribution
Adapted from University 101: Study, Strategize and Succeed © 2018 by Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Any changes to the original chapters can be found in the Appendix.
- Study Guides and Strategies. (n.d.). Influencing teachers and improving classroom communication skills. Retrieved from http://www.studygs.net/attmot2.htm ↵
