Comments from Students in the Class of 97/98,
the results of a questionnaire given at the end of the course

"Of all the assignments I completed this year, not only for this course but also for all of my courses, this is the one [the website] I am most pleased with. Of all my leaning experiences, this was the most practical for my future."

"I enjoyed the opportunity to learn HTML and website design, especially the opportunity to arrange research in a way that could be non-linear. BUT, it was unfortunate that such a useful exercise should take so much time."

"The website was useful for my own information and knowledge, but not useful to this course. I estimate spending 50-60 hours on web site stuff that could have been used for research."

"useful skill to have for job market"

"it allows the students to learn very marketable skills that are becoming more and more necessary in today's world. Interesting and very rewarding, I highly recommend the inclusion of the website."

"I struggled through this project but in the end am glad that we had the chance to make the site."

"Although it is useful [it allows for another way in which to approach a research topic, and provides the necessary knowledge of html], I also felt that it was very time consuming, having already spent up to 50 hours on it , with more revisions to take place."

"This was useful but very demanding. It was hard to balance the paper and the site but I don't want to see this aspect abandoned."

"Thinking about the virtual presentation of my work allowed me to re-evaluate many of my preconceptions of the limits of the research paper format. The presentation and design are the critical issues, not the programming language, and too much time was taken up dealing with the basics of HTML."

"The specifics of the web previously frightened me. Now, I feel much more comfortable with it, and also more appreciative and respectful of it. I actually may have a paying job creating a webpage. This exercise forced us to analyze, research and present it in a manner that is accessible and understandable to a larger audience."

"Creating a website forced a different approach to the material that had its own benefits and drawbacks. Altogether, it's a very valuable exercise, but it's very difficult to shift between modes of presentation - and thinking- so it does conflict with essay writing."  

~ End ~

1997-98 Student Evaluations for
Student-Constructed Web Sites For Research Projects: Is It Worth It?
Copyright © 1998 by the Journal for MultiMedia History

Back to: Student-Constructed Web Sites