Note-sharing Web site draws fire from critics

[IndianaGreen]

Note-sharing Web site draws fire from critics

April 10, 2009 10:47 PM EDT

Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - An award-winning website is attracting thousands of Indiana college students.

They're earning quick cash by sharing notes taken in class. But critics contend the website - isleptthroughclass.com - promotes skipping school.

The name conjures up images of lazy college students: sleep through class or miss a class and get the lecture notes anyway, online. But Ryan Sapp, the founder of the web site, says it is a supplement - not a substitute - for school.

"We're not promoting laziness. We are promoting an educational, a free educational resource for students," Sapp said.

Sapp, a Cathedral High School graduate, created and launched the website at the University of Dayton in 2007. He's now a junior in college and his web site has grown to more than 900 schools and has more than 15,000 members. It promises free notes, easy money and better grades.

"It's a win-win for students. They're getting quality material and they're not paying anything for it and we're actually giving them incentives to put the material on there," Sapp said.

http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=10166737

:applause:

[panader0]

1. I think maybe the title of the web site got to the critics

What if it was named studygroup.com ? My kids are in high school and get together often to study (I think)

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Oh, please

When I was in law school we were encouraged to voluntarily form groups and to share notes and outlines. You could, of course, purchase casenotes and subject outlines.

When I was working on my MBA we were required to work in assigned groups. Class notes (powerpoint slides) were often provided by our instructors.

Every school I have ever attended had unofficial sources where students could obtain class notes, outlines, and either copies of or notes regarding prior year exams.

I guess the crime here is that somebody actually gets paid for supplying the material which levels the playing field for all students since that access is no longer on a limited who knows who basis.

[Canuckistanian]

3. I'd hate to depend on someone else's notes

They might get a subtle meaning wrong or concentrate on an irrelevant side discussion.

I tend to use notes to summarize what I think the major points of a lesson are or to remind myself what I need to study.

Someone else might have a totally different level of familiarity with the subject.

This is a LOUSY way to substitute for the real experience of a good lesson or lecture.