Email address for Dr. Tanya Schmah:
tschmah@uottawa.ca
Subject line:
Should be short but informative.
Include the course code "MAT 2384" (to support automatic mail filtering).
Salutation:
Dear Dr. Schmah,
[or Dear Prof. Schmah,]
[or Hi Dr./Prof. Schmah,]
Content:
This part’s up to you, but please:
i) do your “homework” first, e.g. don’t ask a question that could be easily answered by reading the syllabus or recent Brightspace announcements; and
ii) if you’re asking for a mathematical explanation, you should probably ask your question in person during office hours.
Style:
Use complete sentences, with capitalisation. No need to be formal, but excessive informality (“hey prof, can u help me …”) sets the wrong tone.
Closing:
“Best wishes” or “Regards” or “Thank you” or “Sincerely” (more formal)
Finally, sign with your full name and student number
When to expect a response:
Usually within 2 working days (i.e. not counting weekends). If you haven’t had a response after 2 days, feel free to send a follow-up message, or ask in person. Sometimes I will not answer by email but will address the issue raised in class or on Brightspace. Sometimes I just get swamped with too many emails. If it’s urgent, please ask in person, either in class or afterwards, or in office hours.