Several MSU faculty members agree that e-mail has increased the ability of students and professors to communicate, even if the volume of that communication can prevent instant answers to questions.

Some professors say, however, that poor e-mail etiquette can confuse a student's meaning, and can make it harder for an instructor to respond with a clear answer.

"Some students do expect immediate responses at all hours, and are unskilled at using e-mail effectively to communicate," said Robert Wiseman, a management associate professor who, incidentally, responded via e-mail.

He said student e-mails that have an inappropriate tone or word choice hinder the intent of the communication. Still, he added that many students find it a more convenient method of asking questions.

"If it does happen, a tactic I use is to explain that it is inappropriate," said Jon Sticklen, a computer science and engineering associate professor, about e-mails he finds unprofessional. "This is mostly people who aspire to become engineers. When it is not just a grammar issue, but a civility issue, I think we have an obligation to turn that into a learning experience. If not, they could get into trouble later when they are in the workforce."

Sticklen said for the most part, his experience with e-mail has been good for both parties. He did add that the prevalence of e-mail means fewer students seek him out during his office hours.

"It has been an unfortunate side effect," Sticklen said. "Face-to-face is always best."

Psychology sophomore Kim Faulkner said e-mailing a professor is a matter of convenience.

"It's right there at home," she said. "You don't have to walk anywhere."

Faulkner said for most situations, e-mail works best, such as for questions about an assignment, but if the student is "really sick," he or she should explain it to the professor over the phone or in person.

Ralph Putnam, an educational psychology associate professor, said he has heard some of his fellow faculty members say e-mail seems to make it easier for students to ask for special requests, such as having to miss class, but in his experience, the ease of communication has been better for everyone.

"If a student has a question about an assignment, they're able to get a pretty quick response," Putnam said.

Another benefit of e-mail that Putnam, as well as many of his colleagues, mentioned was the ability for a professor to send mass e-mails to students about schedule changes or other class-related updates.

"In that respect, it has been a positive thing," Putnam said.

Paul Campbell, a human biology sophomore, said this was the primary reason he used e-mail to contact his professors, even if it was impersonal.

"When you have a class that big — with 400 kids, it's hard to be personal," Campbell said.

Advertising Associate Professor Keith Adler wrote in an e-mail that e-mail is an effective form of communication, and he does not make judgments about the grammar and language use in the e-mails he receives from students. The biggest goof he has seen students make was to include him in a group list while discussing class assignments.

"Communication between students can be more colorful than communication between student and instructor," he said.