The Chronicle of Higher Education
Date: January 20, 1995
Section: Opinion
Page: B3
To the Editor:
One need not be confined to one's home after surgery, as Prof. Schuyler W. Huck was, to find electronic mail a great help with one's teaching ("After Surgery, a Professor Uses Electronic Mail to Continue His Teaching," December 7).
I began using e-mail to communicate with my students (mostly second-year engineering and science majors taking required math courses) about a year and a half ago. It seemed a natural thing to do, given that all undergraduate students at Stevens Institute of Technology have computers and VAX accounts, and all dormitory rooms are networked.
I use it to send out updates about assignments and exams. Last year I notified all students taking freshman and sophomore math of school closings due to inclement weather as soon as I was notified (around 6 a.m.). Commuters who log on to our VAX via modem were especially appreciative.
I quickly discovered the need for a program that allows me to send messages in batch and asked an "expert" to write one for me. This allows me to create a file and then send it without waiting for the VAX to chug through the distribution list for my class (between 50 and 80 names). This distribution list is also generated and updated for me by my expert.
This semester I had a math directory created on the VAX, where all the notes for my course can be found. I then sent my students directions on how to download these files. They were written using a scientific word processor, which they all got with their computers.
Perhaps the best aspect of using e-mail is the fact that students can ask me questions about homework or lectures whenever it is convenient. I check my mail often while at school and at home, so they get a response relatively quickly. I think that a student is more likely to send an e-mail message than to come to my office. Using e-mail is apparently less threatening than coming to see me in person. ...
L.E. Levine
Head of the Department of Pure and Applied
Mathematics, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
Copyright (c) 1995 by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc.
http://chronicle.com
Title: Using Electronic Mail as a Teaching Aid
Published: 95/01/20