Students with early-morning classes can rest easy when sleeping through lectures.
Ryan Sapp, a sophomore at the University of Dayton, launched www.ISleptThroughClass.com in September to allow students across the nation to post notes they took in class for others to download and review.
Sapp, a former UD football player, said he was inspired his freshman year to create the Web site to help athletes balance their hectic lives of academics and sports.
I didn't create it because I was always hung over
but for legitimate reasons Sapp said.
Downloading notes is free, and students can be rewarded with Amazon gift certificates after a certain number of posts.Patrick Cline, a junior at UD and marketing director of the site for Ohio schools, said using the Web site is completely free.
Some people think it's a scam but we don't make money off of anyone
Cline said, adding that the site brings in revenue from advertising.
Nationally, the site has been growing at a rate of 125 percent each month, Sapp said, adding that he is very pleased with the outcome.
About 226 students at Ohio University are members of the site, Sapp said.
Despite early success, not everyone at OU is so eager to try it. OU freshman Callie Saturni said she was warned by a teacher not to use the site because it is a form of cheating.
Beth Quitslund, an English professor, said she has mixed feelings about the site.
I do encourage students to get notes from classmates if they miss class
especially if they are from more than one person
Quitslund said.
On the other hand, she said it could be dangerous for students to rely too heavily on the site because the notes might not always be trustworthy.
Carly Mercer, a sophomore at OU, said she doesn't think using the site is cheating.
I think there's a difference between posting notes versus posting essays
Mercer said. It's not cheating if you can get the notes from someone else in the class anyway.
Both Cline and Sapp said the Web site aids students in bigger lecture classes who might not know anyone to contact if they miss class.
Senior Ryan Walker said he probably would have used the site if it had come along earlier in his college career.
It could affect everyone's overall learning experience
Walker said. And it could help in those instances where you can't make it to class.
Sapp said it's a tool to help all kinds of students in their studies.
Not everyone takes great notes
Sapp said. We're all different learners so this site makes it easier to succeed.
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