In a small university's literature department, three professors, Dr. Aarav, Dr. Bao, and Dr. Chiamaka, were known for their distinct areas of expertise--Postcolonial literature, Modernist poetry, and Russian classics, respectively. Dr. Aarav had just returned from a sabbatical in India, where he had spent the year researching contemporary Indian authors. Dr. Bao was known to have somewhat of a reclusive personality; she rarely engaged in departmental gossip and kept her office door closed most of the time. Conversely, Dr. Chiamaka was very sociable and often knew the department's happenings, but she was currently deep in preparation for an upcoming international conference on Tolstoy.

The departmental head, Dr. Ekundayo, recently announced a surprise revision in course assignments for the upcoming semester, whereas previously the professors expected to teach their areas of specialty, they must now adapt to an entirely new syllabus. Dr. Aarav was to teach Modernist poetry, Dr. Bao would handle Russian classics, and Dr. Chiamaka would cover Postcolonial literature. Dr. Ekundayo conveyed this new decision through email but also left a printed memo in the department's common room as he wanted to ensure everyone received the message before leaving for the weekend. Dr. Aarav had not yet checked his email upon returning and, given his recent sabbatical, was not accustomed to checking the common room for updates. Dr. Bao, due to her introverted nature, checked her email infrequently and had not seen the memo in the common room since she preferred to eat lunch in her office. Dr. Chiamaka, while usually well-informed, had not checked her email as she was focused on her Tolstoy research and had not ventured to the common room because of back-to-back meetings with students for most of the day.

On Monday, Dr. Ekundayo planned to hold a brief meeting to answer any questions about the new teaching assignments. Based on what is known about the professors and their recent behaviors, who is aware of the new course assignments, who is not, and what sources of information have they accessed, or failed to access, which would inform them of these changes?
Given the information provided, Dr. Bao has not yet become aware of the new teaching assignments. Her tendency to avoid departmental common areas--where she might otherwise spot the printed memo--and her infrequent email checks both contribute to her lack of knowledge regarding the course assignment updates. As she often eats lunch in her office, the chance of passively encountering this information is significantly reduced.

Dr. Chiamaka likely also remains uninformed about the syllabus changes. She is typically well-connected within the department but her current preoccupation with the international conference on Tolstoy suggests she has not been checking her email or frequenting the common room due to back-to-back student meetings. Her social proclivities would normally position her to be among the first to know, but her exceptional focus on her upcoming conference, an outliers in her normal routine, has interfered with her usual information-gathering habits.

Dr. Aarav, however, presents something of a conundrum. While he has returned from a sabbatical and may not yet be in the habit of checking the common room for departmental memos, it is not clear whether he checks his email regularly upon his return. If he has resumed his academic routine, which typically entails checking emails especially after being away, there is a chance he has seen Dr. Ekundayo's announcement regarding the new teaching duties. If, however, he still hasn't gotten back into the typical flow of departmental communication post-sabbatical, it's probable that he too remains unaware of the changes.

None of the three professors have learned of the updates through informal, inter-office communication--Dr. Bao's reclusive nature, Dr. Chiamaka's focus and subsequent meetings, and Dr. Aarav's recent sabbatical all inhibit such interactions. Dr. Ekundayo's printed memos in the common room and email notices therefore stand as the sole sources of information about the reassignments. Based on what is described, it's unclear if any of the professors have accessed these notifications, and there is a reasonable likelihood that all three remain uninformed, with the resolution of their awareness relying upon their engagement in standard communication practices within the university department, which have been disrupted by unique circumstances for each professor.