U. alum's Web site allows students to stury '24-7'

Join a study group at 3 a.m.? Get the lecture notes for a class you missed with no hassles and for no cost? And all without leaving your room? Craig Green, a 1998 Wharton graduate, and his partner Brian Maser, are hoping to turn such a dream into reality with their new World Wide Web site, http://www.Study24-7.com. The site consists of lecture notes for nearly every academic subject -- made available by students from thousands of colleges and universities across the country -- as well as chat rooms and discussion groups which students can access to get help with classes. The idea for the site evolved from Green's senior management project, which won the Frederick H. Gloeckner Award for the best business plan of the year. Green said the main goal for the site is to "provide an additional resource by which students can better their educational experience." He pointed out the convenience of the on-line discussion groups in allowing students to study with one another from the comfort of their homes. To run the Web site, Green pays student note-takers to post their work on the site for anyone who was interested. "That's the lure to get people visiting the site, not just once or twice but all the time," he explained. "But eventually we are hoping that the chat rooms and discussion groups really take off." Despite having only launched the site a week ago, Green said he is pleased with the progress, noting that he has already signed up 50 students to serve as note-takers. University of Florida student Nekeshia Negeussie signed up to be a note-taker for her developmental psychology course because "it seemed like a good way to make some money." Negeussie is hopeful about the future of the site. "Once there is a little more publicity it will be OK," she said. "I've seen other ads for it around campus." She added that while she would like to use the site for help with other classes, being a note-taker takes up too much of her time. Green and Maser said the best publicity comes from professors recommending the site to their students. "A professor is the ultimate authority when it comes to classes, so it's nice to have them approve of your work," Green explained. Penn English Professor Al Filreis praised the Web site as a "natural evolution of electronic media in education." Although he was not sure whether a nationwide Web site of this type will be effective, Filreis said he hopes Penn will follow the lead and create its own site whereby students can exchange course notes and ideas. The two founders are also hoping to spread the word about Study24-7.com by offering a reward to the fraternity or sorority chapter that does the best job promoting the site to students. Future plans for the site include adding a travel component offering spring break trips to boost student appeal, as well as a gaming section.

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