undergrad tech writing students

[Ken Schumacher <ken -at- VENUS -dot- ODETICS -dot- COM>]

Gary Beason <bubba -at- EXPERT -dot- CC -dot- PURDUE -dot- EDU> writes:

>Would y'all mind if the students submit some questions to this group?
>I don't know that the students necessarily will, but I wanted to check
>first with the group.

Yes, as a matter of fact I DO mind you asking students to post
questions to this group.  I already spend lots of my (and my company's)
time sorting though the postings, searching for significant content.

As an alternative, how about having your students post their questions
to you (via local e-mail on your university system, of course, so they
can gain experience with this new medium)?  You can act as moderator,
weed out redundant or inappropriate questions, and post the selected
questions yourself.  If you really want your students directly in the
loop, how about requesting your approval of the specific questions
before students post to this group?

IMPORTANT NOTE
I am NOT saying students should be prevented from posting
to news groups (including this one), or restrict their access
to the internet in any way.  What I AM saying is I do not think
it appropriate for professors to give students assignments
that could increase the "noise" level of a listserver which I
believe was created as a resource for technical communicators.
There are plenty of other areas of the internet available
for student learning.  (As a matter of fact, I learned my way
around using the Grateful Dead Music group.  A nice place to
see the highs and lows of the internet.)

|---------------------|                                    |
|   ken -at- odetics -dot- com   |    "...let the words be yours,     |
|   (Ken Schumacher)  |         I'm done with mine."       |
|---------------------|                                    |