Because I now make use of email and web resources in my courses, I require that all students in my courses have active email accounts. The information on this page is divided into three main topics: email, list servers, and the web.
NOTE: I've recently returned to the UI from two years of leave. Changes during that time have made some of the information below out of date (e.g., use of "blue" and Majordomo). Other stuff is just getting a bit out of date. Even so, the general ideas contained the sections below are still useful (but I'll be updating this page later).
All students at the University of Iowa are given computer money for use with what is known as a "Blue" account. (The name more-or-less just refers to the computer system on which the account resides.) To get an account you can go to the Instructional Technology Services (ITS, a.k.a., "Weeg") Information Center, located at 15 Lindquist Center, to sign up for an account. You can also sign up for an account online via ISIS. The instructions for registering via ISIS should be available in any ITC (they are posted in the Political Science ITC). You can also find them online here. The account name will be of the form username@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu. The username portion of the address is often your first initial and last name (e.g., mine is thagle@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu). The username may be some variation of the standard if you have a longer last name or if another user already has that first initial/last name combination.
Once the account is established and activated, you can begin sending and receiving email. Many students use the Instructional Technology Centers (ITCs) to access their email. There are now three main ways of reading your email from an ITC computer. The oldest method is by using the program Pine. Pine is a UNIX-based program (which basically looks like a DOS program) that operates on the mainframe. To get to Pine you first log into your Blue account. (Start by double-clicking the Blue icon in the Applications screen of the ITC computer.) Once at the Blue prompt you enter "pine" to start the program. You can access Pine from any ITC computer (and many other terminals around campus). All your messages are stored on the mainframe, so the space these messages take up will cost you computer money, but it's unlikely that you would use up the money you are given each semester. (The space is also somewhat limited--usually to 5MB--so you have to periodically clean out your mailboxes.) The disadvantage of Pine is that it isn't as easy to use as a Windows-based program. In particular, unlike most Windows-based email programs Pine does not allow you to just click on a web address (URL) to open your browser to that page when the URL is in an email message.
The second method of reading email is via the newer Web Mail. Web Mail allows you to read your Blue email from any computer with web access. The advantages over Pine should be obvious, but there are some terminals around campus (e.g., Union, Libarary) which do not have web access. Also, like Pine, your messages remain on Blue until you delete them, so you have to keep aware of your space limitations. (This is particularly true as more people are prone to send a variety of attachments via email--some of which can be rather large.)
A third option is to use another program to read your Blue email. I use two methods under this option. One is to establish a web-based email account such as Hotmail. Hotmail, and I'm sure this is true of other programs, allows you to check your Blue account. An advantage, in addition to being a web-based program, is that you can set it to download your mail, thus freeing up space on your Blue account. You will also have a second email address that you can use to send and receive mail in case you want to keep your school email separate from your personal email.
Finally, it's also possible, of course, to have a separate program to read your email. Along these lines, in addition to using the ITCs, many students use modems (regular or cable) to access their Blue accounts. If you use this method then you could use whatever email program you happen to have on your home computer. Some students also have non-University email accounts, such as an AOL account. As long as you have a working account somewhere it will satisfy the requirements for my courses.
Everyone at the University is assigned what's known as an alias. The format of the alias is usually firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu. As with the format of the Blue account name, this may vary based on length of name and other users. The purpose of the alias is to make it easier for you and others to remember your email address. Instead of telling people to send mail to you at your specific account, you can tell them to send it to your alias. Email sent to your alias is then directed to your target ID, which is your specific account name, the Blue account for most people. In most cases if you have an active Blue account it is automatically made the target ID for your alias. Occasionally this will not occur and you will need to go to 15 Lindquist Center to sort things out. In addition, if you do have an AOL or other account, you can request that your alias point to that account rather than your Blue account. (You would still be able to use your Blue account, but email sent to your alias would be directed to your target ID, whatever it is.)
The University has an electronic directory that contains most of the information listed in the regular directory as well as each person's alias and email account. For various reasons, some people may not want their email account to be made public in this way. There are two ways that you can keep your email address a bit more secure. First, you can request that your alias not point to your account and that your account not be listed in the electronic directory. This will prevent the casual user from easily determining your account name. Of course, if one is familiar with the general method of assigning account names, it might not be too difficult to guess what yours is. Thus, the second thing you can do is to request that your Blue account name be something other than the standard format.
For my courses, at the beginning of each semester I accumulate the email addresses for each of my students and put them in a mailing list that I use with the email program on my computer. I then use this list to send out various course-related announcements and reminders. (In most cases I also post these announcements to the web page for that course.) When I send out such messages I use a "blind copy" feature. By using this method each person on the list only sees my address as the sender. The addresses of all the other recipients are repressed. Other than a course in which I have a TA, I am the only person who will see everyone's address. Even so, you should speak to me if you have a security concern about your email address so that I am aware of the need to keep your address secure.
Because the recipient list is repressed in the regular messages I send out, I have also created a separate list on a list server for discussion of course topics. The next section discusses the list server.
A list server (listserv) is basically a server that keeps track of various lists of email addresses. Each list has a name and messages sent to a particular list are then forwarded to everyone who is subscribed to that list. (I should mention here that LISTSERV refers to a particular program, but has taken on a generic meaning, much like Kleenex. Majordomo is the program used by the U, but I'll still refer to it as a listserv.)
For reasons I won't go into here, for the list to function properly I prefer to subscribe students using actual account names rather than aliases. Once you are subscribed to the list you will receive a "welcome" message from majordomo@lime.weeg.uiowa.edu. This is an automatically generated message that contains a brief description of the purpose of the list as well as an explanation of some basic commands for using the list. The only part of this message I want to repeat here is the distinction between sending messages to the list and sending commands to the listserver. To send a message to the list you use the address hagle-courses@list.uiowa.edu (or hagle-docket@list.uiowa.edu depending on the list I am using for the course). To send a command to the listserver (e.g., to subscribe, unsubscribe, get help) you send it to hagle-courses-request@list.uiowa.edu (or hagle-docket-request@list.uiowa.edu).
One problem with my subscribing Blue account names rather than aliases is that many people have set up their newer email programs to identify themselves by their alias rather than by their account. Because my lists are closed (see below), those not on the list cannot send messages to the list. Thus, if you are subscribed as jstudent@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu, but your email program identifies you as joe-student@uiowa.edu, then the listserver will bounce your message (i.e., not send it to the list). Two ways around this problem are to adjust your email program to identify you by your account name, or to only send mail to the list from a program that identifies you by your account (e.g., Pine). (Again, this problem only applies to Blue users.)
When someone sends a message to the list, the recipient will see the address of the sender, but not the addresses of the other members of the list. In fact, recipients will see the name of the sender in the "From" area, as opposed to the name of the list. Unfortunately, to avoid a problem with automatic "vacation messages," the U's listserv administrator requires that when you hit "reply" to a list message the default address is to the original sender rather than to the list. There may be times when you want to just send your reply to the original sender, but in most cases you will want your reply to go to the entire list. To do so, you will need to replace the sender's address with that for the list. Note that I said replace. The original sender will get the message twice if you just add the list address to that of the original sender. The list is also configured so that the course number (e.g., "[30:116]") or another identifier appears at the start of the subject line. This allows the recipient to know immediately that the sender sent the message to the list rather than you individually. (I should note, however, that if you receive a message that is a reply to a posted message, the "Re: [30:116]" in the subject line does not necessarily indicate that the message went to the entire list.)
Those concerned about the security of their email address could read messages sent to the list, but just not send any themselves. Even so, on many lists anyone on the list can issue a simple command to find out the email addresses of everyone on the list. The results of such a request, however, only list the email addresses and if your address is not obviously yours (i.e., it is not some variation of your name), then it might provide additional security. To increase security of the email addresses of those on the list, I have configured them to disable the command that would identify the subscribers. Thus, I am the only person who has access to the addresses on the list.
I expect the listserv list to be used for general discussion of the course material. Rather than emailing me (or my TA) a substantive question, you should send it to the listserv list. My hope is that it will then generate some "discussion." To some extent, this will be an extension of classroom discussions, which I sometimes have to cut short for time considerations. It will also supplement any study group activity (particularly if you aren't able to get together with others in an official study group). I will, of course, monitor all the messages and at some point enter the discussion to confirm or clarify some of the points.
Many listservs archive messages so that subscribers may later retrieve past messages. I did not think this would be of much value for my courses, so I did not request that messages to my list be archived. This means that if you see a message you think might be important you will need to print or save it.
Like class discussion, I expect messages sent to the listserv to maintain an appropriate level of decorum. Messages should also be well formed. This includes not only making your question or answer clear to others, but also the use of proper spelling and grammar (at least as much as possible). More specifically, here are some guidelines for using the listserv:
The common way to reply to messages is to include the old message(s) and put yours on top. It's a bit odd to read from bottom to top, so to speak, but this method is generally easier when the messages are long. If messages consist of a series of short questions, replies may be broken up to follow each particular question. If you are only replying to a specific part of the original message, feel free to only include that specific part in your reply rather than the entire original message, particularly when it is quite long.
Along similar lines, be sure the subject line accurately reflects the substance of your message. One original message may generate several threads of discussion. It's easier to keep them straight (and even decide whether to read them at all) if the subject lines are accurate.
When sending a message to the list, please be sure to identify yourself somewhere in your message. This can be done via a signature file, in the From section of the message, or at the end of the message. Because you are using the class list for somewhat more "professional" reasons, I advise against having odd or humorous nicknames as identifiers. If you want to keep such a nickname on your main account, then you should set up another account for use with more formal message traffic (e.g., Hotmail).
No flames. Those familiar with newsgroups and bulletin boards know that they can often turn into flame wars. (If you aren't familiar with the term, a "flame" is a generally nasty or insulting message.) Vigorous discussion does not have to be either nasty or insulting.
I won't be grading you on the spelling and grammar of your messages, but this is a forum for class communication, so I expect you to practice good communication skills. A few typos and such aren't a big problem, but do try to work on your communication skills. Some folks have the attitude that email isn't an important method of communicating or that extreme informality is acceptable. I don't, at least in this context. The level of formality in email communications will vary with the situation, just it does in letter-writing.
I will usually try to give other folks a chance to respond to messages sent to the list, so don't think I'm ignoring your question if I don't respond right away. I tend to jump in more quickly as we approach test dates.
Try to check your email at least once a day. In addition to sending out messages with URLs to current news items, I often mention or incorporate list questions and responses into class discussions.
In addition to using the email list and listserv, I also put course material on a set of web pages. Netscape and Internet Explorer are the browsers available in the ITCs and there is an icon for each of them in the main Novell Applications window. Of course, because my course pages are on the web, they can be accessed just like any other web page using a modem and related software.
The web pages for each of my courses will contain information about how I teach the course, the most recent syllabus, teaching evaluations, and other course materials. One part of the web pages will contain a list of the announcements that I sent out via email. This allows someone who did not save the original message or is having trouble receiving messages to still get the major announcements. The "other materials" will often consist of various short articles that are related to course topics. Some may be required reading, others may just be informational or intended to generate discussion on the listserv.
With two exceptions, all my web pages are located in the account located at http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116 (this site) and are freely accessable to anyone. The two exceptions are the links to the practice quizzes for 30:116 and 30:158. These links are to special sites that make use of the WebCT software and are restricted to current students who have a registered username and password. The server for these sites is a bit slow, particularly during peak times. More details on the WebCt sites will be given in those courses, but one item may be of interest to AOL users. Specifically, in the past AOL users have had to configure their service and browser to use AOL without difficulty. I don't know if this problem still exists with the newer versions of WebCT and AOL, but the following sites contains specific configuration information and the campus WebCT administrators asked that students using AOL followed the site's recommendations.
http://www.colorado.edu/cewww/help/aol.html
In addition to my own pages, the Resource Links page contains links to several web sites that contain news and legal information relevant to my courses.