They may also be used by students to gather information for research projects. Another way to include interactive elements into Web pages is to incorporate forms. These may be used for a variety of purposes. Students can make comments or ask questions. A form may be written in HTML or it may be included as a CGI script which is executed when a button or hotword is clicked.
Bulletin boards are useful for communication between students and instructor and among students.
Bulletin boards are especially useful for students who might have to miss class because of illness or other emergencies. They may also be useful when group assignments are part of the course requirements. Members of a group may carry on at least part of their communication via the bulletin board. Talk with your system administrator about software appropriate for your campus system. Listserves are another useful resource for course management and communication.