Many instructors have assignments and tests that can only be accessed or completed by using the Internet or the World Wide Web.

Students unfamiliar with computers flock to computer labs unsure of how to do the assignment correctly or have trouble accessing the information they need.

Certain assignments require a student to make programs and compile them into executable programs at a Project Vincent workstation. For some students with computer science classes, they must take their written programs to a terminal for compilation into executable programs.

Either the student must type the whole program at the work station or find a way to send the written program from a disk to Project Vincent, which can be complicated for inexperienced computer-users. And some programs are not short, but long and extensive.

It is possible to send files to an individual home directory, but the process is a complex one if the user does not have the correct software or is not aware of the commands used to do it. MS-Kermit will for example support file transfer from the computer to the home directory on Vincent.

The problem may not be getting the file in or typing the program into an editor such as Pico. The problem could be with the process of the compiler at the workstation. The compilers do come with instructions but first time users are not completely sure what will happen or how to go about using them.

To access manuals users can type in man, then the name of the compiler. For example the man for the C language compiler can be accessed by typing “man cc.” Or for the FORTRAN 77 compiler “man f77.”

Command-line compilers are harder to use than visual compilers such as Visual C++ for Windows. Students are baffled concerning where to start at times. Professors often do not provide enough information on how to complete the assignment.

For other courses students must download files or pictures from the World Wide Web. This can be frustrating for students who have never used the Netscape or Mosaic browsers.

Melinda Osborn, a freshman in general undergraduate studies, uses the WWW to do homework for her Meteorology 206 class. Osborn said she has had some problems, but usually she finally gets to the web page with the weather maps she needs for the worksheets. If a student has problems accessing the maps they can find them posted in the instructor’s office.

In Economics 101, some students must take their tests from the WWW. A deadline is set to when the quiz will no longer be accessible. If students do not retrieve and do the quiz before the deadline they will not receive a grade for the quiz.

For example, the chapter six quiz will be available from Sept. 30 at midnight to Oct. 14 at 11:59 p.m. Anyone can access the tests, but only Economics 101 students with a password can turn in the tests.

Cassidy Murphy, a freshman in pre-advertising, and Tony Salmon, a freshman in sociology, have had problems with the Economics 101 tests.

“At first I thought it was a good idea, but it is a problem when you can’t get in,” Salmon said.

Murphy said last week she tried to take the chapter five test. The computer told her that the server had a broken pipe. Murphy said she noticed everyday the teacher would put up a sign in class saying that people have e-mailed him about the problem. She said he informed everyone to contact the student who made the page to solve the problem.

The people who do maintain the pages are aware of the problems. Brent Moore, the computer support coordinator, said the server had been changed recently.

“We recognized that there was a computer problem because it crashed a couple of weeks ago,” Moore said.

He added that the main problem, that might get bigger, is the amount of users accessing the page. In April, the economics server received only 4,479 requests for a page to be displayed from 266 computers around campus. In September, the amount of page requests jumped to 20,437 compared to 1,395 in August. The amount of computers on campus accessing the server went up to 653.

Moore also pointed out that most people do their homework on the weekends. During the weekday an attendant can fix a server that is malfunctioning, but during the weekend the server will remain down until someone fixes it.

Even with the problems the Ike Vandewetering Econ 101 page has, it’s an advantage for both the students and the faculty.

Ike Vandewetering, a professor in economics, said, “The idea is to make it [tests] hassle free and to centralize it.”

Moore and Vandewetering said the tests provide instant feedback about the instructors. The computer checks the tests which frees instructors and teaching assistants to concentrate on other areas.

With the data of every score and answers to individual questions, Vandewetering can determine what concepts his students understand best or are having difficulty with. Later this data can help develop other exams.