Online Notes: Help or Hindrance?

By Nicole Dales
Rotunda ReporterWith the turn of the 21st century, technology has been becoming a large part of education. Elementary school classrooms have computers, middle schools have laptop carts and high schools are using Blackboard and TurnItIn.com for students to submit papers and other assignments. Now some college professors are posting lectures and handouts on Blackboard for their students' use.

Some professors feel that posting these materials online is beneficial for students because they can read the material before class and can use them as study guides. Other professors feel that posting these materials online will only give students and incentive to skip class.

"I am against posting lectures online. Lectures are given during class time and the students need to be there for the benefit of the lectures," said Eric Laws, department chair and associate professor of psychology. "Many of my lectures are anatomical drawings, and there may be copyright restrictions in making those available to students. Before the time of PowerPoint, students had no expectation of having the lecture notes provided for them. They shouldn't have that expectation now."

Assistant Professor of Computer Science John Graham said, "I am not a big fan of printed lecture material. My lectures complement the book, not repeat it. I work hard to make them interesting, and if they are all printed out students do not pay attention."

A survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA that consisted of over 40,000 students showed that 33 percent of freshmen skipped class frequently or occasionally.

"I do not question my colleagues who choose to post their lectures, as that is a personal choice based on a numerous variables and teaching styles," Department Chair and Associate Professor of Archaeology Brian Bates said. "For my part, I chose not to do it. In my view, if lectures are posted online then what is the incentive for students to attend classes and pay attention?"

"[Students] still have to go to their classes so that they won't get a grade-level drop or get kicked out of the class for missing so many classes. Maybe at a college that doesn't take attendance that [skipping class] would be a problem, but not at Longwood" said sophomore Alyssa Carpenter.

"I put a lot of stuff on the Web one year, and attendance just plummeted," said Rick Murray, a professor of oceanography at Boston University, for an article in the New York Times. According to the school's Web site, "students are expected to participate fully and regularly" in all class meetings, but "each faculty member determines attendance policy for his/her class."

"I think the opposite," said Debra Kelley, associate professor of criminal justice and sociology.

"I think if my students have the notes before class it gives them a good basis for in class. Normally students miss three-fourths of what the professor says because they are too busy writing down notes. If they have the notes in front of them they can pay better attention and just add things on the side. It makes it easier for them to follow and keeps them more involved."

Freshman Catie Brennan agreed."I think it does help because I can print them out before hand and look at them before class and all of that so I can have an idea of what we are doing in class the next day," she said.

"I think the professors should wait to post the PowerPoints or notes on BB [Blackboard] until they are asked by a student, because that does provide incentive to skip class. It gives the students a feeling that they are not missing anything because they have access to it all on Blackboard" said freshman Lauren Munnerlyn.

Bates added, "I believe that students who feel that they can simply print a professor's lectures and understand everything that is relevant to the material taught miss the point of the professor-student relationship. The entire purpose of having lectures is to provide information in an environment where a professor engages with his or her students and the students engage with their professor. It is during this process of engaged dialogue that, in my opinion, true learning occurs. The lecture notes are one dimensional and do not capture the dynamic nature of the exchange of knowledge that occurs in the classroom."

"I am all about anything and everything that can help my students," Kelley said. "I get lots of positive feedback from my students. I know they really appreciate and I still have really good attendance. Most students never miss.