Course web pages make it possible for faculty to communicate with students independent of time or place, provide easy access to class materials, offer links to supplemental resources and reduce time spent on class administration. While some faculty are willing to create web pages using HTML and learn strategies for transferring files between personal computers and web servers, many do not wish to spend the time needed to master these strategies. As an alternative, some faculty have hired student workers or contracted with outside web developers to create web pages for them. While this strategy initially saves faculty time, it can create problems.
External developers charge high fees.
Students may not be available to update materials in a timely way, and ultimately, they leave. Faculty lose control of their course materials and course planning when they are dependent on someone else to create them and publish them to the web. The numerous course pages with broken links and outdated information are a testament to the shortcomings of this approach. These schools have a substantial number of course web pages and a rich collection of course materials on the web. However, not all faculty have these kinds of software tools available.