Classroom etiquette: what to call your professor/instructor/whatever

This is a topic I feel like I should review at the beginning of the year as it seems to come up at the start of every semester (maybe I'll re-post this towards the end of the summer...), but Rebecca Schuman over on Slate just wrote an article on this, so I'll cover it now...

If you are a student, how should you refer to that person who stands at the front of the class?  Or, in the era of online classrooms and MOOCs, that disembodied voice that sometimes accompanies your slideshow lectures?

If you are an undergrad, don't feel too bad - grad students have the same dilemma, a fact lambasted in the long-running, cult classic PhD comic strip:

You can find the original image (and much more grad student humor) at
 http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1153

I'll admit, I'm a bit touchy on this issue myself - I cringe every time a student calls me "Ms."  And, ironically enough, the same day I read Schuman's original post, I had my own run-in with one of the issues that she brings up: the role of gender in proper title use.  Now, I'm sure the nice gentleman who was randomly wandering our halls last Friday did not mean to offend when he referred to one of my male colleagues as "Dr." before going right next door and calling me "Mizzz," but he should be prepared for me to roll my eyes when he does it.  I'd be a little more sympathetic if said colleague was one of the more senior members of the department (respect the elders and all that), but this "Dr." is only 4 months older than me.

Now, imagine if that same nice gentleman had been introducing himself because he was interested in a research position or scholarship opportunity - not the best way to make a good first impression!  Etiquette-wise, it's like walking into a job interview and having pizza sauce splattered all over your nice shirt.

So, what is a poor, confused college student to do?  Schuman had a nice, simple answer:

"Err on the side of respect and let them correct you downward.  Your professors, adjuncts, instructors, and staff worked hard to get where they are, and it never hurt anyone's grade to acknowledge that."

When in doubt, call them "Dr."..."Professor" if you know they do NOT have a PhD.  If you've over-corrected, at least they'll be flattered - and they won't be sharing your story in a blog post on student etiquette missteps!