HS 171: Computer and

Productivity
Walking in My Shoes:
Topics About Acting
Professionally
Fall 2013

Resources
The following resources are used to prepare this lecture:
E Mail Ethics and Etiquettes by Raghunath (Gautam) Soman
http://www.slideshare.net/gautamsoman/e-mail-ethics-etiquettes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubB6mZz7Ctk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSetOU4kvxM

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Outline

Email Etiquette
Plagiarism
Conversing with Professors
Social Media Profiles

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Email Etiquette: Why?

Emails as a mean of communication reflects your
personality, professionalism, cleverness, and
smartness.
We will discuss the following topics:

Fall 2013

Email address.
Subject of the email.
Email Recipient(s).
Salutation.
Signature.
Email body.
Computer & Productivity

Email Address
a7med_hacker
flowergirl
imanelghandour
ielghandour

Email address reflects the level of maturity and

professionalism of their owner.
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Fall 2013

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Subject of the Email

Class stuff
Empty subject
Hi
HS 171: Absence from class
CS 121: Question about homework
EE 131: Mark Appeal
Summarize your email.
If the email is addressed to your instructor, include your class
(e.g. HS 171, CS 121).
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Email Recipient(s)
To:
Individuals who can take an action in response to the issue
stated in your subject line.

CC:
No action is expected from those recipients.
They might be indirectly affected.
Need to know about it just for your knowledge.

BCC:
Try to avoid it. It can cause misunderstandings.

Avoid duplicating the same email to multiple recipients.

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Hello Dr. Smith,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best regards,
..
..

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Salutations
Hey
No Salutation
Hi
Miss, Mrs. (use Ms.)
Sir (when addressing a female)
Dr. Said,
Prof. Said,
Hello, Dear
Dear Sir or Madame
Use salutation, appropriate title.
Addressing a group: Dear Team Members, Dear All (less formal).
Take the time to spell the recipient name correctly.
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Salutations: Formality
Do not use the first name unless you have a
permission to do so.
Do not use a nickname unless you have a permission
to do so.
Avoid Good Morning, Good Afternoon: the
recipient of the email might read it at a different
time of the day.

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Hello Dr. Smith,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best regards,
..
..

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Signature
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Regards,
Best,
Respectfully,
Yours,
(Your Name)
Make sure you sign your name.
It is nice to use one of the sign off terms.
Better use your full name if you are emailing an instructor.
Avoid jokes and weird quotations in your signature.
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Hello Dr. Smith,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best regards,
..
..

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Identification
If you are emailing someone who does not know you
(or an instructor who has many students in class),
identify yourself by including the following
information:
Your first and last email.
Your affiliation (e.g. the class you are attending with the
instructor).
Any useful background information.

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Email Content
A clear purpose of the email.
If you have a question, ask it clearly.
If you are expecting an action from the recipient, request it
politely and clearly.
If you are asking too many questions, you better set an
appointment with the professor.
Avoid using pronouns (example: them) and use any necessary
information.
Do not write in CAPITAL.
Do not write in colors (red).
When replying to an email, include the message that you have
received (or thread if it was more than one message).

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Sorry I was not in class today. Did I miss any thing?

The instructor has already delivered the lecture. Ask your
classmates. Contact the instructor only if you still cannot
understand something.
What is a thesis statement again?
Before asking the instructor, check lecture notes, textbook, and
other resources.
You can also google your question before asking.
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pls dr i don't know how to write a review,

thx, i, u, lol, elwageb, elma3mal,
Using text message abbreviations is not professional.
Writing Arabic in Latin Alphabet.
I think I got problem 3 wrong. Explain!
Sorry, I will come whenever I am interested in some topics.
ethics
!!
7araam 3lek .. et2y allaah fenaa et2y allaah!!!
Write respectful, thoughtful emails (even if you are angry from
the exam).
Do not send emails while you are angry.
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Be Patient
Did you get my email?
What is the deal? I emailed you this morning and it is like noon.
When the grades be posted?
reply ASAP.
could you confirm receiving the e-mail?
could you reply faster as the deadline is looming

Do not expect immediate response.

Instructors (or other people receiving your email) might be busy
and cannot promptly answer your email.
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Your Response
Try to respond within a good time.
Do not wait for days/weeks before responding to
your professors email.
If you are asked by your professor (supervisor, boss)
to do a task, reply to give a time frame to finish this
task.
If you will be away for a long time and you will not
have access to your email, and you know you receive
requests from people, use the email auto reply
service.
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Hello Dr. Smith,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best regards,
..
..

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Check the Email Before Sending

Use a spell check.

Proofread the email.
Divide long email to smaller paragraphs.
Use complete sentences.
Use proper punctuation.
Do not send emails while you are angry.
Cool off and then rewrite it.
Resolve any disagreement face to face.

Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient of your

email.
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Practicing Example
Hey!
pls dr i don't know how to write a review , i have seen many pages about it
but it still conflict with me,
could you send me an example of reviewing papers like what sumitted from alex
students
also , i want the slides of the last Monday papers where can i find it
waiting ,
thx.

Eng. ,
PhD Student, CSE Program,
University of ..
.., ., Egypt
Mobile : (xxx) xxxxxxxxxxxx

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Outline

Email Etiquette
Plagiarism
Conversing with Professors
Social Media Profiles

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What is Plagiarism
"the presentation of the work of another person as one's own
or without proper acknowledgement" (Concordia).
" to represent as one's own any idea or expression of an idea
or work of another in any academic examination or term test
or in connection with any other form of academic work, i.e. to
commit plagiarism. " (UoT)
" Plagiarism means using the words or ideas of another
person as if they were your own, and without giving proper
credit to the sources you have used. " (SFU)
CS122:
Includes using someone elses code or text in your deliverables.
It also includes sharing your code or text with.
Discussing the assignments and projects (verbally) with your
classmates is OK.
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Types of Plagiarism
As Listed by SFU:
using someone elses idea (even if you express it your own
words) and not citing the original source.
forgetting quotation marks.
taking a short passage from another source and not rewriting it completely in your own words.

SFU: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
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Examples
You find a neat idea in an article, so you use it in your paper.
You dont bother to cite the source of the idea because youve
expressed it in your own words. Is this plagiarism?

You copy a paragraph directly from an article you found. You

cite the source, but you forget to put quotation marks. Is this
plagiarism?

You need an image for your essay. You go online and find one.
You dont cite the source of your image, because images on
the web arent protected by copyright. Is this plagiarism?

SFU: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
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Examples
You pay a tutor for editing assistance, and he drastically
re-writes your original paper. You hand in this new edited
version to your professor. Is this plagiarism?

Its the night before your paper is due, and you havent done
any work. You buy a paper from an online essay-mill. Is this
plagiarism?

Your friend did the course last year, and she gives you her
paper. You change the wording here and there and insert a
few of your own ideas. Is this plagiarism?

SFU: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
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Examples
You copy a short passage from an article you found. You
change a couple of words, so that its different from the
original this way you dont need quotation marks. You
carefully cite the source. Is this plagiarism?

SFU: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
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What to Cite?
Note: You do not need to cite
common knowledge.
Cairo is the capital of Egypt.
The revolution in 2011 started
on January 25th.

SFU: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial
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Code Plagiarism
Note: there are online tools that instructors/TAs usually
use to detect code plagiarising.
The student borrows the structure of an original program
exactly while changing only a few details that do not
affect the meaning of the program.
Examples:
Changed the names of variables.
Replaced the construct for (;;) with the equivalent construct while
(1).
Changed the name of the function.
Changed the indentation and the division of program elements
between lines.
The students program is clearly derived from the program with some
improvement (optimizations, divide the code into multiple functions).
UPenn: http://www.upenn.edu/academicintegrity/ai_computercode.html
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Outline

Email Etiquette
Plagiarism
Conversing with Professors
Social Media Profiles

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Conversing with Your Professors

How?

Ask questions.
Find the best time to talk.
Use office hours.
Be prepared.
Show respect.
Deal with conflict appropriately (objecting conflict resolution).

References:
University of Toronto:
http://life.utoronto.ca/get-smarter/your-professors/
Portland State University:
http://uconnect.unst.pdx.edu/content/communication-professors-0
University of Michigan:
http://oscr.umich.edu/tips-and-tools
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Conflict Resolution
Respect
Reference:
http://oscr.umich.edu/article/tips-and-tools-constructiveconflict-resolution
http://straitspeace.org/Events/CLARA.pdf

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CLARA Action Steps

Calm
Many of us, when we feel threatened, attacked, or "put on the spot"- need to internally
calm and center ourselves before we can honestly be engaged in listening.

Listen
Listen with an intent to understand. Listen for underlying principles, cultural values,
emotions, and issues behind what is being said. Listen for commonalities. Observe
body language and tone of voice which may provide additional meaning. Listen for
inherent needs and interests, not just what is said.

Affirm
Affirm the principles or issues in what was said, or simply the feelings or emotions that
were expressed (you care strong about this). Affirming is not agreeing, its
acknowledging or recognizing what is shared. This can be done by simply repeating or
rephrasing what was said.

Respond
Respond to the issues that were raised and the underlying needs behind them. Ask
questions about what was said.

Add
Add information to the conversation. After seeking to understand, seek to be
understood.
UMICH: http://oscr.umich.edu/article/tips-and-tools-constructive-conflict-resolution
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Resolving Disagreements
Respect
Both you and the other person should be respectful and
feel respected at all times during an argument. If you can
feel the tension rising in the room (e.g. escalated voices,
inappropriate language) use your words to bring attention
to this. It might be more constructive to walk away and
return to the issue at a later time.

UMICH: http://oscr.umich.edu/article/four-things-keep-mind-during-disagreement
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Resolving Disagreements
Uncover the Real Issue
Instead of focusing on the surface-level issues, try to
acknowledge and understand the underlying issues
present. This might help avoid repetitive arguments. For
example, if your group members constantly mention your
tardiness to every meeting, it might not be just because
they cant start without everyone present, but more so
that they feel their time is being disrespected and that you
feel other things are more important than your group
project. By understanding this, you can explain why you
were late and how you plan to demonstrate respect and
commitment to the group.
UMICH: http://oscr.umich.edu/article/four-things-keep-mind-during-disagreement
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Resolving Disagreements
Collaborate
Many people stress the importance of compromising, yet
in a compromise, no one seems to walk away happy. A
compromise usually involves finding some middle ground
between conflicting ideas, so that everyone gets some of
what they want but no one is fully satisfied. Collaboration,
on the other hand, is working with each other to
understand the underlying reasons for why we want what
we say we want. Taking the time to explore the full range
of possible outcomes that will meet peoples underlying
interests (but not necessarily their originally-stated
positions) will bring you closer to resolving the problem.
UMICH: http://oscr.umich.edu/article/four-things-keep-mind-during-disagreement
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Resolving Disagreements
Choose Your Battles
You cant agree on everything. Focus on what matters, and
let the small things go. Ask yourself how important the
issue really is. Are you compromising your beliefs or
morals? If yes, it's important that you effectively and
respectfully explain why you think your values are
impacted and how this makes you feel. If not, maybe this is
a time for a tradeoff. Also, consider why the other person
has a different view of the situation and outcome. Why are
they upset? What does the issue look like from their point
of view? Is there a way your behavior can change to
positively impact them?
UMICH: http://oscr.umich.edu/article/four-things-keep-mind-during-disagreement
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Outline

Email Etiquette
Plagiarism
Conversing with Professors
Social Media Profiles

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Your Social Media Profiles

An advice from a career workshop:
If you cannot show a post /picture to your grandmother,
then do not share it on social media.

A secret:
Employers look you up on the internet. Your professional
profile better appears before your social one.

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Linkedin Profile
Linkedin is mainly used to network with potential
employers, acquaintances who can write
recommendation letters for you, and potential work
partners.
Professional Professional Professional
Treat it as your resume.
Proofread.
Detailed.
Do not add inaccurate information (e.g. expert in java
when you have not written a single program in java).
A picture that you can use on your resume.
No jokes.
Personalized add invitations.
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Facebook Profile
Facebook is mainly for social use, and sometimes
business.
Decide the purpose of your account and create two
accounts if you have two separate purpose (socialize
with friends, promote your business).
Select your friends.
Choose the posts and pictures you share with your
friends carefully.
Be extra careful about the language that you use.
Arabic audience, North American audience.

Use privacy settings.

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Thank You

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