Owlspace has potential as campus panacea
Last summer, Information Technology’s Educational Technologies Group set up a much needed hub for course Web sites. Owlspace was launched last semester to half-hearted responses and some confusion — some professors were still using WebCT or setting up independent course Web sites. Luckily, things are getting better the second time around. This semester, faculty use of Owlspace appears to have increased dramatically.
We are happy to embrace this particular digital revolution. Now Rice has a Facebook-easy Web site for accessing course documents and schedules, viewing presentation slides, setting up study groups and contacting instructors — if students and professors know to use it. When implemented properly, Owlspace sites make students’ and professors’ lives less expensive and more efficient. It replaces decentralized, rarely updated course Web sites with a user-friendly interface geared toward homework submission, resource posting, class announcements and discussions. Additionally, having an integrated calendar function on the Owlspace personalized homepage can help students manage their study and class time online. And Edtech staff are on hand to answer any technical questions faculty and students might have.
Keeping in line with Rice’s continually growing green-consciousness, Owlspace conserves paper for class readings. The old days of professors fretting over copy machines and wasting extra packets are gone — unfortunately for our RecycleMania numbers. And Owlspace saves cash for penny-strapped students by removing the need for Fondren’s expensive printing services. So we encourage faculty who have not yet stepped up to the Owlspace bandwagon to hop on, and faculty and students alike should keep exploring its features. While it may never have the scarily infinite information of Google or Facebook, we look forward to the day when we can “Owlspace” all of our classes.
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