The course Web page has links to more information about creating newsgroups and mailing lists. They are also available using the Toolkit. MOOS and MUDS facilitate real time electronic discussion. MUD stands for Multiple User Dimension and was originally used for playing interactive games such as Dungeons and Dragons . MOO stands for MUD Object Oriented .
MOOs feature various chat rooms with virtual objects that can be manipulated.
Users can move from room to room, talk to the entire group of users currently logged onto the MOO, or 'whisper' to a select person. Groups of students can be assigned to a particular room where they can hold discussions within their group. Students can also interact with logged on users from other classes and institutions. An example of a MOO here at UVa is in Matt Kirschenbaum's ENLT 248 course. As with all multimedia instruction tools, using MUDS and MOOs in class requires advance preparation.