More students are turning to shared-information Web sites to help them study, plan their schedules and read and write reviews on OU professors.
Web sites like Koofers.com and MyEdu.com provide students with information on professors and courses offered at their university. These sites have gained popularity by allowing students to plan their schedules, buy and sell textbooks and upload and search through class notes, quizzes and exams, said Sara Groover, Koofers.com student ambassador.
“They level the playing field and help students out by helping them develop their own personal system,” Groover said.
Groover, University College freshman, has been a student ambassador for Koofers.com for almost two months. She said she started using the Web site when she heard her friends talking about it and now uses the study materials available for her classes.
“The Web site is really up and coming,” Groover said. “People will spread the word about it. We’re really trying to get the name out there.”
Groover said 11 percent of OU students have registered at Koofers.com, and from now until the end of the semester is the busy time for the Web site.
“Students are trying to study for finals and plan their schedules for next semester, so we’re getting ready for a hectic month by doing a lot of promotional things and just getting our name out there,” Groover said.
University College freshman Kael Carter said he started using the MyEdu.com after OU’s Enroll Web site was no longer available.
“oZONE doesn’t provide trial schedules anymore, so I’ve had to find other ways to figure out my schedule for next semester,” Carter said. “MyEdu also provides more information on professors than normal Web sites, and the user generated comments and grade breakdowns are useful.”
Groover said Koofers.com is unique because students can upload and access lecture notes, quizzes and tests. She said some professors are wary of the Web site because they are uninformed about it and may not like the aspect of uploading study materials.
“I think a lot of professors just feel like it’s another Web site to manage,” Groover said. “In reality, Koofers is student-to-student shared information, not teacher-to-student.”
There has been national concern about the study materials posted on Koofers.com, but the Web site states it works hard to comply with most university honor codes and encourages students to refer to their own university’s academic integrity rules.
“I don’t consider [the use of old exams] cheating,” Groover said. “It’s only a problem with teachers who use the same tests every year. I think it’s a good thing because it forces teachers to update their curriculum or at least reword their tests. If a teacher sees material that they don’t want out on Koofers, they can contact us and we’ll take care of it.”
Jeff Benners, finance sophomore, said he thinks it is fair the Web site provides study materials.
“I’ve heard that sorority and fraternity houses have many old tests and quizzes on file for anyone in the house to look at,” Benners said. “We might as well keep it all in one place so that everyone has a chance to study them, and we can regulate them.”
Academic counselor Connie Divine said she worries students will write unfair professor reviews because they hold a grudge.
“I don’t know much about those Web sites, but I always tell students the best resources are other students,” Divine said. “You can find out all the information those Web sites provide and more by talking to someone you know who has taken the class, and it’s a lot more reliable.”
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butnone 7 months, 3 weeks ago
good!