Sharing of On-line Resource Material with Students

Listserv/E-mail

Strengths

• E-mail nearly ubiquitous
• Can be restricted to list members only
• Passive on students' part, so delivery more guaranteed
• Communications can feel more personal since only class sees them
• Some mail user agents can interpret URL's in messages and make them "hot" links

Weaknesses

• Attachments may be difficult to impossible to send; multi-media material may be difficult to impossible to send
• Responsibilities of list owner can be time-consuming
• Server load can be severe, especially through frequent updates of material.

MOO

Strengths

• Material can be made into objects accessible only by certain permitted participants

Weaknesses

• Can be difficult to access given crude client and style of the environment

Netnews

Strengths

• Easy to post
• Easy to view: newsreaders widely available and widely used
• Ability for followup discussion and clarification
• No recognized resource load on servers
• Some newsreaders can interpret URL's in postings and make them "hot" links

Weaknesses

• Multi-media material may be difficult to impossible to present
• Postings inherently public, at least to the campus community
• Poster's identity can be forged with relative ease

WWW

Strengths

• Faculty member retains the most control over material
• Best support for multi-media material
• Best support for links to WWW (obviously)
• Relatively easy to author and post; good support in most schools
• Easy to make changes and corrections and have them instantaneously available
• Widespread use of WWW browsers, even moreso than netnews
• Little to no marginal server resource impact

Weaknesses

• Students must actively search out material
• Difficult to support followup and discussion