We love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we may publish your letter in the Voice.

Dear Editor (The Voice):

Thanks very much for the informative article in Volume 12 Issue 39 2004-10-06 “Making the most of the AU experience: Writing exams outside Alberta.” This is the kind of info that can save AU students money. Although I reside in Alberta, it helps to be aware of the outside-province examination procedures just in case the need arises. On another note, Bill Pollett and Busby LeClair are very entertaining and thoughtful writers. I hope to see more of their features.

Sincerely,
Nimra Ahmed
AU student

Here are a few memorable letters sent to The Voice this past year. We’d love to hear from you. Send your letters to voice@ausu.org.

Dear Editor,

Re: Tutors – Emails

I sympathize with the students that feel ignored by their tutors! So I want to offer some unasked for advice!

A tutor once told me she received 100 emails in a single day and it was hard to go through them because many of them did not have coherent subject lines. With the fear of viruses and spams, she had to be careful about what she was opening, especially if she didn’t know who it was from. I could not find any official university policy on email communication, but maybe it would make work easier and faster for the tutors if concise subject lines were used, for example:

Subject: AU_COMP123_StudyGuide qs
or Subject: AU_PSYC231_TME 7_Attached

As well, the body of the message could be in bulleted or numbered form rather than paragraph form, so that the tutor could type a response directly below each question, for example:

1. What are Pavlovian dogs? (Ch.10, pg.88, Psych213 Textbook)
(Tutor’s Response) >> Pavlovian dogs are…

Also, use plain text instead of Rich Text as this uses up less memory on the tutor’s hard drive (and yours as well). I use this format and I usually get a response within 2 business days.

Sincerely,

Nimra Ahmed – Athabasca University Student

Excellent advice! I’d add that coloured stationery, emoticons and signature files with poems won’t impress your tutor. Compose your email just as you would a handwritten letter and use an email address that includes your name, not a nickname.

For a good primer on basic email etiquette, see this link: http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm

Dear Editor – The Voice.

Re: Cold Prevention

With the cold season quickly approaching, there is a simple health tip I’d like to share with the readers. Load up on lemons, blueberries or cranberries. They have been quite effective in saving me from the curse of the runny nose.

I’m not a health professional, but I noticed that since I started regularly taking these fruits a few years ago, I haven’t had a cold.

The oldest generations (70+) in my family grow blue/cranberries in Nova Scotia, and they have never had cold or flu-related illnesses. Fit as fiddles they are!

Sincerely,
Nimra Ahmed
Alberta AU student

Thanks Nimra. As someone who has not had a full-blown cold in 8 years, I agree! Good health to all AU students over the holiday season.

Athabasca University.
The Voice.
Dear Editor,

Re: Assignment Manuals on the Internet

I’d like to see the “Assignment Manuals” for all the AU courses on the
Internet. A student can check out the specific assignment requirements, loan materials, and any other information relevant to the student’s needs. Most AU Assignment Manuals do arrive in the mail after the student registers, but knowing this information before I register would help me be better organized and prepared. For instance, if I know that an ANTH course requires 12 videos, 6 books, 4000-word research papers and requires 12 hours a week, I can schedule my study and library items accordingly for that period.

Sometimes, all the loan materials are out and the student ends up waiting for months. An approach similar to the informative Center for Psychology website would suffice.

Sincerely
Nimra Ahmed
AU Student

Good point, Nimra. If other students agree, contact me at trosslow@ausu.org and I’ll put this on the agenda of the academic committee. The current syllabi online do list the number of assignments in a course, but they do not list the assignment length or any other details.

We love hearing from you! Please continue sending your opinions, comments and ideas to voice@ausu.org.

Dear Editor,

Re: Tutors – Emails

I sympathize with the students that feel ignored by their tutors! So I want to offer some unasked for advice!

A tutor once told me she received 100 emails in a single day and it was hard to go through them because many of them did not have coherent subject lines. With the fear of viruses and spams, she had to be careful about what she was opening, especially if she didn’t know who it was from. I could not find any official university policy on email communication, but maybe it would make work easier and faster for the tutors if concise subject lines were used, for example:

Subject: AU_COMP123_StudyGuide qs
or Subject: AU_PSYC231_TME 7_Attached

As well, the body of the message could be in bulleted or numbered form rather than paragraph form, so that the tutor could type a response directly below each question, for example:

1. What are Pavlovian dogs? (Ch.10, pg.88, Psych213 Textbook)
(Tutor’s Response) >> Pavlovian dogs are…

Also, use plain text instead of Rich Text as this uses up less memory on the tutor’s hard drive (and yours as well). I use this format and I usually get a response within 2 business days.

Sincerely,

Nimra Ahmed – Athabasca University Student

Excellent advice! I’d add that coloured stationery, emoticons and signature files with poems won’t impress your tutor. Compose your email just as you would a handwritten letter and use an email address that includes your name, not a nickname.

For a good primer on basic email etiquette, see this link: http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm

We love hearing from you! Please continue sending your opinions, comments and ideas to voice@ausu.org.

Dear Editor,

Re: Tutors – Emails

I sympathize with the students that feel ignored by their tutors! So I want to offer some unasked for advice!

A tutor once told me she received 100 emails in a single day and it was hard to go through them because many of them did not have coherent subject lines. With the fear of viruses and spams, she had to be careful about what she was opening, especially if she didn’t know who it was from. I could not find any official university policy on email communication, but maybe it would make work easier and faster for the tutors if concise subject lines were used, for example:

Subject: AU_COMP123_StudyGuide qs
or Subject: AU_PSYC231_TME 7_Attached

As well, the body of the message could be in bulleted or numbered form rather than paragraph form, so that the tutor could type a response directly below each question, for example:

1. What are Pavlovian dogs? (Ch.10, pg.88, Psych213 Textbook)
(Tutor’s Response) >> Pavlovian dogs are…

Also, use plain text instead of Rich Text as this uses up less memory on the tutor’s hard drive (and yours as well). I use this format and I usually get a response within 2 business days.

Sincerely,

Nimra Ahmed – Athabasca University Student

Excellent advice! I’d add that coloured stationery, emoticons and signature files with poems won’t impress your tutor. Compose your email just as you would a handwritten letter and use an email address that includes your name, not a nickname.

For a good primer on basic email etiquette, see this link: http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm