I think this question holds for any kind of class, but if it actually makes a difference, it's a graduate level class.
Today I was drafting an email asking about uncertainties in a paper I'm supposed to do a presentation on.
When posing the questions, I added what I think is the solution to the question.
However, I am not sure wether or not I should actually include the attempt of answering my question on my own.
Pros
- It shows that I actually tried to find a solution before writing them
- It could make answering the email easy because they maybe don't have to explain much if I'm correct
- Just asking the questions without any extra text (e.g the solution) makes the email itself seem blatant
- It could reveal even more misunderstandings on my part, increasing the value of their answer
Cons
- It just bloats the email, maybe making it less appealing to read and answer
- They might not care what I think because they "have to" write their own answer anyway
- (If the answer is way off, it might throw a bad light on me)
Neutral
- Might depend on the person I'm asking
If it depends on the person I'm asking, how would I actually recognize wether he/she wants me to add my thoughts or not? Therefore, I am in confusion wether or not to add my attempts to the email or not.