Web site provides lecture class notes, links to professors’ class sites

By TRACY WILSON
Collegian Staff Writer

Squinting at overheads and scribbling to catch a professor's every word are all part of the lecture class experience.

But not according to Mario Ciabarra, founder of Yournotes, a nonprofit organization whose World Wide Web site (www.yournotes.com) provides free access to lecture class notes and links to Web sites professors design for their classes.

"We are providing a service to both professors and students in terms of bringing technology into the classroom," said Ciabarra (senior-science and master's of business of administration).

Currently, the service provides notes for eight classes, typically those with more than 300 students.

"Some may be looking for an easy way out," Doug Wilson (junior-mechanical engineering) said. "But I think it would be beneficial to get the notes (off the Web) and listen to the professor's lecture."

Ciabarra said the goal of the Web site is to promote interaction between students and professors. Allowing students to get notes off the Web allows them to focus on lectures and converse with instructors during classes, he said.

"I use (Yournotes) for Art History 100 (Introduction to Art) and it's helpful because you have to look at slides and it's nice to have a reference in case you miss any notes or spell something wrong," Manuel De La Hoz (senior-international business/marketing) said.

With almost 50,000 hits since its April 1998 debut, Yournotes has been growing steadily as its gets more financial support from sponsors. Companies can buy advertising space on the site which enables it to pay students to type up their class notes and e-mail them to the maintainers of the site for publication.

Professors are contacted and made aware that notes from their classes will appear on the site.

"We have gotten some good responses from professors," Ciabarra said, adding one professor directly provides the site with notes.

Regarding concerns that the site may discourage students from going to class, Ciabarra said, "Twenty-five percent of professors are putting notes on the Web with no reduction in class attendance."

Ciabarra said that professors use other methods to get their students to attend class.

"Professors have ways of making sure students come to class," he said, citing the use of quizzes, references on exams to in-class demonstrations and attendance-taking.

Yournotes is looking to add six or seven classes by the end of Fall Semester 1998 and possibly have notes for 30 to 40 classes by the end of Spring Semester. Expansion depends upon funding from sponsors.