Anxious Student?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

So, I have a student, who has sent me 31 emails since the semester started on 06/08, which is almost 2 emails a day on average. This student usually sends massive email bursts. For example, I got 6 emails today AFTER I told the student to try to condense hu's thoughts into one email so that I could respond in a timely manner.

I suspect the student is anxious, oblivious (doesn't know that I have three classes right now, meetings... life....) or entitled. Or, maybe it's something else, or a combination? Either way, I need to find a better way to deal with this other than putting it off until later. I prefer to answer email A.S.A.P. so that my inbox doesn't get clogged and this is cutting into my ability to get things done.

Suggestions?

[the_geneticist]

I put firm "emails between X:00-Y:00 will be answered the same day.  I do not answer emails on weekends" in the syllabus.  Make your available hours known.  We are not "on call 24/7".
Just because the student is emailing right away, doesn't mean you have to respond right away.  You are allowed to sit on it for a few hours, especially if it's not a time-sensitive question.  Do the other thing first, and then write back.  You can star the email/slap it into a folder/mark it as unread/etc.
If the answer to their questions is found elsewhere (the syllabus, the assignment instructions, etc.) just redirect them to that resource.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I put firm "emails between X:00-Y:00 will be answered the same day.  I do not answer emails on weekends" in the syllabus.  Make your available hours known.  We are not "on call 24/7".
Just because the student is emailing right away, doesn't mean you have to respond right away.  You are allowed to sit on it for a few hours, especially if it's not a time-sensitive question.  Do the other thing first, and then write back.  You can star the email/slap it into a folder/mark it as unread/etc.
If the answer to their questions is found elsewhere (the syllabus, the assignment instructions, etc.) just redirect them to that resource.

I did point out pages in the syllabus which referred to the student's question. And I have the 'won't answer email on weekends' statement. An 'unread student email' folder sounds like a good idea.

[Puget]

I had an honors thesis student in my lab once who would do this -- bursts of emails, frequently followed a "never mind" email saying she had found the information or thought about it and figured it out. She was a smart student, but it was driving me crazy. It seemed like writing the question helped her think through it, so I finally asked her to write down all the things she wanted to ask me as she thought of them, but then wait at least 15 min. to send it, and use that time to try to figure it out on her own-- volume of emails went WAY down.

I've also had anxious students who just want repeated reassurance that the information they already have is correct-- sometimes it helps to explicitly tell them that they can trust the information in the syllabus, CMS and course announcements, and that if anything changes there will be a clear course announcement to that effect, so they don't have to email me just to double check.

[fishbrains]

I put firm "emails between X:00-Y:00 will be answered the same day.  I do not answer emails on weekends" in the syllabus.  Make your available hours known.  We are not "on call 24/7".
Just because the student is emailing right away, doesn't mean you have to respond right away.  You are allowed to sit on it for a few hours, especially if it's not a time-sensitive question.  Do the other thing first, and then write back.  You can star the email/slap it into a folder/mark it as unread/etc.
If the answer to their questions is found elsewhere (the syllabus, the assignment instructions, etc.) just redirect them to that resource.

I'll add that your response does NOT have to be the same length as the email that is sent to you. This fact took me longer to figure out than I'd like to admit. Some students just send long emails, even for what, at its core, is a yes-or-no question or a concern that only requires a response that refers them to the answer you have already provided somewhere else.

[clean]

I suspect the student is anxious, oblivious (doesn't know that I have three classes right now, meetings... life....) or entitled. Or, maybe it's something else, or a combination? Either way, I need to find a better way to deal with this other than putting it off until later. I prefer to answer email A.S.A.P. so that my inbox doesn't get clogged and this is cutting into my ability to get things done.

Stop being so available.  If you are sent and email and answer, then you invite another opportunity to 'have a conversation'.  Cut out the opportunities.  Answer this person's emails first thing in the day and then not again until tomorrow.  Bundle the emails and send one reply. 

If you reply all the time, you invite more emails!

Tangently:
I had a student send me a 'question' that was really just a bitchy email at 8 pm on Friday.  I ignored it.  He sent another email at 10 am on Saturday with a verbatim repeat of the first.  Then a third email was sent at 630 on Saturday threatening to email the dean that I had not replied to his IMPORTANT emails.  In part, I invited him to send the note to the dean as I was replying to his original email on a Saturday within 24 hours of his original email.  I apologized to him that he was somehow deluded into thinking that faculty were required to respond to his emails within 24 hours on a weekend!  (I ccd my chair). 

(His bitch was about why I had a penalty to submit work after a deadline that did not take place until the following Monday!  I told him that I did not think that a question about a penalty for work that was not due for 60 hours was "important".)

The Bottom Line:
You have spoiled this student (someone has anyway!).  You are NOT required to reply instantly.  IF you reply within the next BUSINESS DAY! that is more than sufficient!.    This student is taking advantage of your good nature.  If you allow yourself to continue to take liberties with your time by instantly replying to his emails, that is on you!  It is no longer the fault of the student!  YOU are in Control of how often and when YOU reply!!

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I suspect the student is anxious, oblivious (doesn't know that I have three classes right now, meetings... life....) or entitled. Or, maybe it's something else, or a combination? Either way, I need to find a better way to deal with this other than putting it off until later. I prefer to answer email A.S.A.P. so that my inbox doesn't get clogged and this is cutting into my ability to get things done.

Stop being so available.  If you are sent and email and answer, then you invite another opportunity to 'have a conversation'.  Cut out the opportunities.  Answer this person's emails first thing in the day and then not again until tomorrow.  Bundle the emails and send one reply. 

If you reply all the time, you invite more emails!

Tangently:
I had a student send me a 'question' that was really just a bitchy email at 8 pm on Friday.  I ignored it.  He sent another email at 10 am on Saturday with a verbatim repeat of the first.  Then a third email was sent at 630 on Saturday threatening to email the dean that I had not replied to his IMPORTANT emails.  In part, I invited him to send the note to the dean as I was replying to his original email on a Saturday within 24 hours of his original email.  I apologized to him that he was somehow deluded into thinking that faculty were required to respond to his emails within 24 hours on a weekend!  (I ccd my chair). 

(His bitch was about why I had a penalty to submit work after a deadline that did not take place until the following Monday!  I told him that I did not think that a question about a penalty for work that was not due for 60 hours was "important".)

The Bottom Line:
You have spoiled this student (someone has anyway!).  You are NOT required to reply instantly.  IF you reply within the next BUSINESS DAY! that is more than sufficient!.    This student is taking advantage of your good nature.  If you allow yourself to continue to take liberties with your time by instantly replying to his emails, that is on you!  It is no longer the fault of the student!  YOU are in Control of how often and when YOU reply!!

I think this is one of my problems. Also, I'm very receptive to student anxiety and it just resonates with me (or maybe I'm just looking for it?).

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Baldwinschild]

You are a saint.  I would have lost it around day 3.  Seriously, you must be a patient person. 

[Hegemony]

Time to teach this student the norms, so future instructors do not suffer. Be clear, be explicit, and do not answer more than one email a day, or X number of emails a week — I'd suggest a maximum of three.

[Caracal]

Time to teach this student the norms, so future instructors do not suffer. Be clear, be explicit, and do not answer more than one email a day, or X number of emails a week — I'd suggest a maximum of three.

Yes. And tell them exactly how many emails you are going to answer a week. I suppose I would put in the caveat, that if the email is actually asking a time sensitive question, and you think the answer is not clearly findable, you'll answer no matter what.

I actually doubt this is entitlement, just because it seems so over the top. So, the tone I would try to go for is friendly, helpful, but just slightly stern. Of course you're happy to answer emails, of course you want to help the student out, but too many of these emails aren't necessary. Talk about the importance as they learn to be more independent in college of looking for answers themselves before just emailing their professors. And definitely emphasize that it just will look bad. The message that  worked well on me as a grad student was "Look, if you do x (don't adequately proofread, inform reference writers at the last minute about applications, etc) people will think you're unprofessional and incompetent. I don't think that's true, but that's the impression it gives." I suspect that this kind of anxious student very much does not want professors and future bosses to think they are needy and incompetent so this might work well.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

You are a saint.  I would have lost it around day 3.  Seriously, you must be a patient person.

The patience is wearing thin...

[secundem_artem]

OP - Student could be in the manic phase of bipolar disorder or on the autism spectrum.  Reply at your convenience and try not to stress.

[downer]

In 30+ years of teaching I've never experienced a student do this, so it must be very rare behavior. I've had plenty of bipolar and spectrum students.

I tend to reply to student email swiftly the first time if the email is reasonable. My response rate slows down quickly as soon as emails get less reasonable, and I don't generally reply to unreasonable emails.

The alarming part of the behavior is not so much the frequency of posting but the fact that the student does not respond to OP's requests to not send so many emails. That is the especially unreasonable part of the behavior.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

OP - Student could be in the manic phase of bipolar disorder or on the autism spectrum.  Reply at your convenience and try not to stress.

I have been wondering about this, which is why I have been very responsive to the student. Problems came up when I was getting multiple emails before I could answer the first one the student sent that day.

Edit: I think my main problem is that this sort of emailing sets off and amplifies my own anxiety issues. So, I just need to be mindful and set aside time to answer them, perhaps the next day.

[mamselle]

Have you conferred in general terms with student services? (I.e., not naming names unless they do, or getting a referral ready).

Have you called the student directly and asked about this?

It might offer another dimension for the issue's resolution.

If their ability to imagine in the virtual sphere is limited, they may be "forgetting" momentarily your existence, theirs, or the location of the needed resources for answering their own questions.

They may even have a whole slew of coping structures in place for live classwork, like a bulletin board with reminder notes, etc., that work for f2f classes but they just haven't yet figured out what to do in a virtual setting.

It might be worth a phone call or two.

M.