A similar question was asked on another thread. To begin with, you don't have to be at your student's beck and call. Set defined times to check your email (perhaps once before lunch, once before you finish for the day, then if you must, once in the evening but only respond to things that really need it). How long does it usually take you to process your email?

As for answering, it depends on the volume and nature of your email. I liked the suggestion on the other thread about starting a forum for your students - most universities have existing forums that you could easily make use of. In my experience though the online forum for a specific course is of limited value, as people need to actually use and check it - it's no good if nobody is ever there and you aren't getting a response to your query. A better alternative might be a email e-list that all students sign up to, so that they are getting queries in their inbox, and all reading your response to general issues.

I work online and get loads of questions from nice people. I used to spend hours crafting personal replies and sometimes would be lucky to get a 'thank you' back. So now I write a short personal note with just a couple of comments about their work, and direct them to the relevant pages on my website.

Perhaps a similar approach would be useful if you get a lot of student questions of a similar nature.

As for when you process and reply - I'd have thought the best time would be at the commencement of any suitable empty block of time in your schedule, and work till it's done. Use any remaining time for working through @computer tasks.

Helen