Electronic "Newsgroups" Keep Discussions Going
by
Bruce A. Markell

Some of the best learning occurs after class. Discussions I have had immediately after class or during office hours have been my most productive. In order to try to promote these types of conversations, I recently have experimented with Internet newsgroups.

Internet newsgroups are akin to the old-style, push-pin, bulletin boards. People "post" messages of general interest, and others respond. There is an opportunity to exchange views, ask questions, or quickly disseminate general-interest information. I have used newsgroups in two classes: Contracts and Advanced Bankruptcy. The results so far have been generally favorable.

In both classes, I use the newsgroup to quickly distribute general information. In Contracts, for example, I often have the students go through a problem that highlights issues we have just studied. After going through the problem in class, I post my answer (which is often informed by class discussion) to the newsgroup.

Students can also post messages and questions. Although I could screen the postings, I choose not to.

So far, I have not had any problems with the tone of the messages or with "flame wars" (an Internet term for a no-holds-barred, in-your-face, insult-laden diatribe). In fact, the student messages have been courteous and in many cases thoughtful. They have ranged from general inquiries (how do courts decide who will write the opinion) to specific inquiries about something we discussed in class. These later posts often draw responses -- again uncensored -- from other students. I add my two cents only when useful to focus the discussion.

How many students use the group? In Contracts, I have a class of 74. During the first semester (it is a full-year course), there were 42 messages posted, 28 from students. Ten students accounted for these 28 messages. Several messages were part of a coherent "thread." We had one extended discussion on promissory estoppel and bid practices in the construction industry, which I think many students found helpful.

Advanced Bankruptcy just started, but by the third week one-third of the students in the seminar had posted something.

Although only ten Contracts students posted messages, many more read them. In my first-semester evaluations, for example, some 40 students mentioned that they liked the newsgroup concept and read the postings regularly.

How do students read or post messages? To answer that question, I first have to resort to a little technobabble. Newsgroups are technically part of something called "Usenet." Usenet, in turn, is a worldwide discussion system. It is available on many computer systems and networks, but the bulk of modern Usenet traffic is transported generally over the Internet. It consists of a set of "newsgroups" with names classified hierarchically by subject. There are over 7,000 newsgroups, ranging from the serious to the silly to the obscene.

People with the appropriate computer software post "articles" or "messages" to these newsgroups, and these articles are then broadcast to other interconnected computer systems via many networks. Some newsgroups are "moderated"; in these newsgroups, the articles are first sent to a moderator for approval before appearing in the newsgroup. (I use the unmoderated format.)

To use newsgroups, your university must have a Usenet server. The administrator controls both how the system is set up and who has access. He or she also controls what newsgroups can be read through that server.

Once the newsgroup is set up, how do students gain access? At Indiana, they can use the law school's computers, which are set up with software called "newsreaders" that enable students to reach the newsgroup postings, or they can use a modem to reach a central computer from their homes. Both methods require some instruction, although I did not spend more than ten minutes explaining the concept in either class. I did, however, prepare a fairly extensive handout giving them access instructions and leading them through a hypothetical newsgroup session.

As more students receive some form of computer-aided instruction at their undergraduate institutions, I think most present and future law students will welcome the opportunity to "chat" electronically. Indeed, many students seem almost grateful for an alternative method to ask questions which allows them to reflect and measure their responses.

Reading the messages has also given me an added opportunity to measure the temperature and temperament of the class. This feature alone makes experimentation with newsgroups attractive.