Hi 81 / Lo 61
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Hi 81 / Lo 61 |
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Volume 71, Issue 123,
Monday, April 10, 2006
News Web brings students, faculty closer Electronic communication useful for keeping up with assignments, answering questions by KATIE HAMARICH
Since it was introduced to UH in 2001, WebCT has provided students and faculty with a means to communicate outside the classroom. In addition to the e-learning service provider, e-mails containing questions and concerns from students help professors supplement in-class instruction. "If one student has a question, the others are likely to have the same or similar question," business professor Robert Blakeney said. "If they post on WebCT, other students can benefit and it saves me from having to answer the questions repeatedly." But online communication is not without its drawbacks. "Answering e-mails is much more time consuming than answering questions in class or over the phone, however that seems to be the method of preferred communication today," geosciences professor William Dupre said. Dupre also said he has received and answered more than 400 e-mails for one class since the beginning of the semester. He said sending e-mails to all his students via a listserv on WebCT eliminates redundancy. Health and human performance professor Alexander Hutchison teaches about 147 students through WebCT, and said professor-student relationships through online classes are hindered by e-learning services and e-mail. "I think that electronic mail makes things completely unapproachable. I think there's an enormous disadvantage involved with an online class like this," he said. Philosophy professor Cynthia Freeland said e-mail makes her more approachable. She said the students tell her personal information in e-mails that they may not feel comfortable discussing in class and that she has mixed feelings about that. "I want to stay professional, and I try to be appropriately empathetic without crossing any lines," she said. Distance education at a traditionally commuter university provides students with the ability to establish relationships with professors they may rarely or never see. "I think e-mail is a wonderful part of communication. Especially when lots of students commute to a university, it's better than voice mail, where you have to listen to the messages, and call back with a response," Hildegard Glass, associate professor of German said. Students use e-mail to communicate with their professors when they are unable to attend class in order to get information about what was missed or to turn in past-due assignments. "E-mail is my main tool to keep in touch with students when we are not in class. I use it in every possible way, for example for students to turn in assignments, when I need to contact all of my students or any specific student and when (students) need to contact me," Spanish professor Itzel Richarte said. Ahydee Martinez, who lectures for the Italian department said she has never had a demanding or inappropriate e-mail from a student, and that students are usually polite in their messages to her concerning class assignments. "I feel flattered when students are able to see me not only as an instructor, but as a human being as well. I am always eager to help my students in any way possible," Martinez said. Additional Reporting by: Adam Barrera, Lori Martinez, Mohammed Olokode, Sabrina Rodriguez, Melissa Seuffert, Katy Umaña, and Leah Yanez. Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu |
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