Study and Collaborate Online

Consider these questions as you review the examples below. Try the quiz from the left menu: What Have You Learned? after you’ve spent some time with this section.

In early 2008, Chris Avenir, a first-year student at Ryerson University in Toronto got into some serious trouble for starting an online study group on Facebook. He created and administered the group for students in his Chemistry class to help one another with homework problems, but when the university found out, he was charged with academic misconduct and faced expulsion!

Check out the article from the Star to find out more.

Some people like to study alone, others in groups. You can take advantage of technology to work with others to complete assignments or study material, but there are some considerations to bear in mind.

• Websites like NoteMesh allow you to upload your notes and combine them with others’ in your classes.

• Since the Ryerson controversy, faculties have been suspicious about using online study groups, whether on Facebook or on more anonymous sites.

• Before you contribute to an online study group, make sure that doing so is not going to be a problem. In Chris Avenir’s case, the prof stated that students were not allowed to work together at all, whether online or in person, and that is why he got in trouble.

• Make sure your online group has a clear understanding of how it works and what your responsibilities are. Are you going to share solutions, discuss lectures, or complete projects together?