Noteswap.com might add MU

The peer-to-peer Web site will expand to more than 60 schools.

By Jaryd Wilson

Published Sept. 15, 2006

Just last spring, www.noteswap.com, a peer-to-peer Web site for sharing class notes, had only one university on its network.

In the time since, Louisiana State University junior Ryan Grush, the founder of the site, has expanded to 26 universities across the nation, including Big 12 schools Texas A&M, the University of Kansas and the University of Colorado.

Grush said MU might soon be part of the network.

"We're hoping to expand to over 60 schools soon," Grush said. "We don't have a timetable set yet, but we want to include Missouri in there."

Noteswap.com was designed as a helpful tool for Hurricane Katrina victims.

"I got the idea after Katrina came through here and chased everyone away," Grush said. "People had to miss a lot of class time because of it, and as a result, they were posting mass e-mail messages on Blackboard asking people for notes."

Grush said he got the idea after about a month of the Blackboard messages.

"I went out and researched to see if there was a Web site designed to exchange notes, and to my surprise there wasn't," he said.

Noteswap.com is a Web site where students from select universities can register, post their notes in multiple formats and download other students' notes. The Web site is organized so that students can search by departments, courses and even professors.

"Students can upload Word files, Power Point files and scan their handwritten notes for others," Grush said.

Grush said that all students who post notes are rated, and they can only download notes if they share.

"This way we can block out students who are only in it to get the notes for classes they missed," Grush said.

Grush advertised and promoted the Web site, which was strictly for LSU students from November 2005 until spring 2006.

"Once we saw success here at LSU, we decided to expand to four or five other schools as a test," Grush said. "We were very pleased with the results."

Sophomore Nate Edwards said he'd be willing to check out the site if it came to MU.

"I trust my own notes, but I would probably check it out," Edwards said. "Right now I don't have a lot of professors who post notes or lecture guides."

Grush said students at LSU are very receptive to the site.

"We have about 9,000 notes on the site, and our students really like it," Grush said. "It definitely reached a lot of students."

As far as how professors feel about it, Grush said it is something he is going to have to deal with as he develops the site.

"The site is going to be open to abuse, which is unfortunate," Grush said. "The professors actually had a meeting a while ago to decide what to do if it takes off, but hopefully, they will learn to work with the students and the site."

Despite the Web site being a tempting alternative to going to class, Grush said that he doesn't think there will be a huge problem.

"The Web site isn't catered towards slackers," Grush said. "We want it to be for the students who show up regularly but have to miss class for some reason. It's inevitable that students are going to take advantage of it and not go, but that's not what we are catering towards."

Edwards also thinks the site will discourage students from coming to class if it comes to MU.

"Personally, I would still go, but in general it makes it a lot easier to miss class," Edwards said. "I think you would see a lot more kids missing classes if that Web site was available."

Grush said additions to the site in the near future would include message boards that are class specific and professor specific.