AGGTRT.TFF,
THE BATTALION
Page 3
Students turn to Websites for assistance
BY JULIA RECINDUS
'Hie ^atuUipn
E very college student sutlers from the occasional had
morning, hectic test schedule or overloaded brain jfr.
die result of.leading a sleep-deprived lifestyle.
For any one of these reasons, a student might miss a class,
or may not be give his or her full attention to the day’s lecture.
Fortunately for that student, tools that can be used to improve
('lie's education and ease studv ing are becoming available.
1 By^uhply typing in a specihc iiass gt an online note takr
ing company’s Website, students can obtain notes from that
parfictihir class and use them to his^r her benefit.
John Boreherding, a campus operations manager for-Vei
srtycbm onTexas A&M's campus and a sophomore busi
ness major* said he became a note taker for two of his class
es after noticing an ad in the newspaper last semester. I le said
it seemed like a great opportunity To make money and help
others at the same lime.
Boreherding said professors are encouraged to look at die
notes and let them know of any mistakes.
“The majority of the professors like pur notes,” he said.
“We see it as a resource',' like any other eleetromc library. The
idea is to make quality notes'. These notesare not a sqbst jtute
forgoing to class. In no way doe- the coiVipahy ehtoui
students not to go. to class," Boreherding said
I>r. Marleite Bradford, a history professor, said her. biggest
, concern is that die availability Of online notes will eadse class
attendance to decrease.
“Students'in classes where attendance is not required
might quit going tofelass and rely on the ^student who is iak-
ing the notes to nntke judgments about what hi the-profes-
sor’s lecture is significant^’ she said. “Someone may-say that
Hie direction bf education is online learning. Tliat may be
true,:but there, is, a bjg difference between a course that may
be put online and the notes someone else may put online. My
.w ords arc first-hand knowledge of what is required for the
class, while the note taker’s knowledge at best is second hand
or even an assumption,” she said.
Mary Maloney,ja freshman international studies major,
said she almost always attends class but oeeasionady turns
to online services.
“I don’t rejy on them too much. When 1 don't go to class
because 1 have another lest to study for i look at them, dbfl/on
lookJ to see if it has anything different irom what iVe taken.-
Sometimes it's easier because it’s very organi/ed, sometimes
more so than my notes,” she said. 1 • f ,
The online companies say their notes are there for just that ^ -
reason —to Itll in gapshnd clarify points. Some major com
panies include Study24-7.com, StudcntU.com and Versity.com.
Versity.com employs students from over 150 cafnpusbs d,
across America. The students who are hired go through ex
tensive screening and training procedures and are paid be
tween $8 and $12 per lecture.
The employees are students who take notes for classes
-in . which they are enrolled. The purpose of the employing , ...
students already enrolled in the Course is to help other stu-
dents understand the information through the perspective of
fellow students. — V-k .: ^
Within 24 hours alter the notes arc posted on the Web, the
note taker will by notified of any inaccuracies and is required
t6 correct ilicm. qnd the sites encourage student input.
Visitors to the site can comment oil the information and
services provided of point out any cbnffietingTnterpreUUibfTi : ’
Oftlacrnateriaf Students enrolled in the class can mteractnot / £
only With each other but also w ith students enrolled at otheFT'
., miivefeities.the.naiicmjJirpHgli tj^e site.
Some professors, how c\ er, feel the pw.mng of notes tak- ’
’en fronTtheirlecture by stiidehfs is a violatian/Of their intel- i
lectual property, rights. A policy enforced by Versity.cbm !4
states tliat'the use of video dr tape recorders by the student
employee is pmliibiled.
All notes taken from the class lecture are from the student’s -~f
perspective and can only statetbul which ispublic knowledge,.—.
Online note-ftakinl sites also offer students other re 4 -
sources than jusf notes. Some allow students to ask experts
'questions and provide links to sites relevant to the student’s *
topic of research. OtKers offer diagnostic tests designed - 10"~~4
con espond w ith popular textbooks used at col leges ahcTStudy-
guides that target a student’s particular area of difficulty..
Some Websites also offer discussion boards and chat
rooms feat allow students to post questions, ask advice and
■fshare'infqimStfcff'
“During Bonfire time, [the Versity.com Website] helped
out a lot of people. It’s a big help in circumstances like that,”
Boreherding saifejj£P?er