‘You’ve Got Mail’: Addressing E-mail Communication in New Graduate Teaching Assistant Training

Abstract

A primary goal of graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training is to prepare new instructors to handle their teaching roles with confidence. One important element of that role is instructional communication. This article describes an exercise called “You’ve Got Mail,” which gives GTAs the opportunity to practice responding to student e-mail messages that they are likely to encounter during the course of a semester, thereby preparing them to communicate confidently and effectively with students in their own classes.