Plans to integrate class and the Web

“We hope to have all our teachers online by Fall 2004, possibly October or November,” said Dan Sherrell, marketing professor and associate dean of Facility and Research at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics.

The University of Memphis’s faculty members have sought the help of a professional software consultant to help create and maintain personal Web sites for each professor.

The update would allow students to access the bulk of assignments, lecture notes and syllabi by visiting the professor’s online site.

Some students said the change could prove to be a valuable tool in the learning process.

“It would make learning a lot easier to have notes prior to class that coincide with the lecture for that day,” said James Mayberry, senior management information systems major. “ “Also, a lot of teachers aren’t very detail-oriented and the sites would have everything you need to know for the semester posted.”

Laura Alderson, an instructor in management, is currently teaching an online course and said she also believes the update will be beneficial.

Despite the student body’s willingness to get online, some students still have reservations about relying heavily on the Internet.

“The downside would be that teachers may stop reminding their students when assignments are due,” Mayberry said.

Some are concerned with the possibility of low attendance in classes that have posted lecture notes.

“It would be really convenient, but there may be a lot less classroom interaction,” Leslie Ray, a senior accounting major, said, adding that communication between students and teachers also plays an important role in learning.

“Some students will take advantage of the situation, but the published notes are meant to work in conjunction with the classroom lectures,” Sherrell said. “I think that publishing course information online with provide for richer and more diverse learning.”