Worldware

If classware is discipline-specific, or at least content driven, "worldware" is just the opposite. It is software that can be applied to many purposes, to many ends. The most important and familiar worldware includes

• Electronic mail
• The World Wide Web
• On-line discussion groups
• File servers

Some would also add word processing, spreadsheets, and other "generic" applications to this list. Not surprisingly, these are services of value across campus, and as such they are acquired and maintained by the central support departments at the Computing Center. Let us examine how each of these might be used in class.

Worldware 1: Electronic Mail

It probably makes sense that the most revolutionary services are also the most ubiquitous ones - and hence the ones we are likely to take for granted. E-mail clearly falls into this category. There are many ways to use it in class (in fact, it's getting hard not to use e-mail in class).

• Outreach to students
  Most students would appreciate more individualized feedback and attention from faculty, attention which is in turn very motivating for students. Even faculty who wish to spend more time with students, though, can't always accommodate it in their schedules. With classes that aren't too large, e-mail can serve as a private channel of communication, but one that doesn't require office hours or appointments. In fact, one of e-mail's greatest charms is that one can send and respond to messages at times that are most convenient. As with all of these technologies, e-mail might not work well for all classes or for all faculty. But it is a useful, easy, and promising option.
• Student to student exchange
  Many faculty encourage students to study together or assign group projects. E-mail often makes sense because it lets students communicate asynchronously. It can even provide a "transcript" of sorts for either the students' or faculty member's use. In general, it lessens the perceived drawbacks of peer collaboration, especially with students who live off campus.
• Remote collaboration
  E-mail can be used to link students taking similar courses at different schools, or to establish international connections for political or cultural studies. It may be the easiest way to link a class "to the world".

Two variants on the e-mail theme are worth mentioning. First, your Academic Computing Resource Specialist can create a Blackboard site for your class, which includes an e-mail feature. E-mail can be sent to everyone in the class, or to specific students, TA's, instructors, etc. This is very useful for e-mail discussions, or to "broadcast" assignments to the class.  Second, specialized mail reflectors, called "list servers", can provide additional functionality in some classes, although most can get by with the BlackBoard options.

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