LRNASST-L
Subscription is free; directions appear below.

This document was written by Frank L Christ: flchris@mindspring.com and Guillermo Uribe, University of Arizona in Tucson, and and edited by Winifred B. Cooke: wcooke@ufl.edu the Teaching Center, the University of Florida in Gainesville. Any questions on the LRNASST Listserv should be directed to Winifred B. Cooke: wcooke@ufl.edu.

WINTER INSTITUTE TECHNOLOGY REPORT # 1*
What is a listserve?
As one of many Internet services available to postsecondary educators, a listserve is an automated system for maintaining academic discussions among people who have subscribed and want to network through email with other who share a common interest. Almost 3000 listserves are available on academic topics, most research oriented. Listserves promote collaboration with distant colleagues and distribute news quickly through the academic community. Listserves are alternatives to expensive, sometimes time-consuming telephone conversations, and letter writing.

Is there a specific listserve for developmental educators and learning assistance practitioners and directors?

YES, a listserve, "LRNASST," was started in 1994 at the University of Arizona's Winter Institute for Learning Assistance Professionals. It began to provide learning assistance and developmental educators a way to share information via email. In 1997, more than 700 subscribers networked electronically with questions, answers, problems, solutions and even position available notices posted on LRNASST. The contact person was Guillermo Uribe, University of Arizona.

In 2003, the listserv was moved to the University of Florida and its name changed to LRNASST-L. Hopefully, all professional organizations like CRLA, NADE, CRA, NYCLSA, MCLCA, and NCEOA will use LRNASST-L to internetwork for the benefit of all who work in learning assistance and developmental education programs and services. The new contact person is Winifred B. Cooke: wcooke@ufl.edu, the Teaching Center, University of Florida in Gainesville.

How do I get connected to email and the Internet listserves?
At your institution, find out what office or person is responsible for electronic mail and Internet services. Meet with that person and request email capability. This will get you an email address. Also, request an orientation and specific training on email and the Internet as provided by your institution. When you know how to send and receive email on your campus computer, you are ready to become a subscriber to the LRNASST-L listserve.

If your campus does not have email and/or Internet capability and you want to be able to participate in LRNASST-L as well as other email and Internet services, you need to find out if there is a commercial provider that can give you that capability. In addition to thousands of companies that provide Internet connection for a monthly fee, there are services like Compuserve, America OnLine, Prodigy, Delphi, and Genie that can get you connected to Internet services like the LRNASST-L listserve. Find out what is available by visiting local computer clubs and computer supply stores.

How do I subscribe to LRNASST-L?
Follow these steps:

1. Send an email to LISTSERV@LISTS.UFL.EDU
2. Leave the subject header blank.
3. Put this request in the body of the message:
   SUBSCRIBE LRNASST-L [your name here]

What happens next?

You should receive a welcome message in your email box from Winnie Cooke, the LRNASST-L moderator, soon after you email your request to subscribe. Thereafter, check your mailbox daily to read the LRNASST-L messages that automatically come to it. Even a message that you send to LRNASST-L for the group to read will be emailed back to you since you are a member of the LRNASST-L distribution list.

How do I participate in LRNASST-L discussions?
You can "lurk" -an Internet word for someone who reads listserve messages and does not respond- a few times to orient yourself to the group and its questions and concerns, or you can send messages immediately to initiate a discussion as well as respond to questions or concerns that you see on LRNASST-L. Be an active member by sharing your experience and knowledge with your colleagues. None of us is alone with a problem or a question. Each of us has much to contribute to LRNASST-L.

How do I send messages to LRNASST-L?
Please note that you use a different address to send email to the LRNASST-L listserve from the one you used when you subscribed. Use the following email address: LRNASST-L@LISTS.UFL.EDU to share your thoughts with your colleagues. In sending messages, be aware that Internet forbids posting of advertisements. However, discussion of the relative advantages or disadvantages of a product by users is encouraged.

Are there some tips that I can use to be a better emailer?
Quoting the original email message in your reply is needed sometimes to be sure that you and the person reading your reply know what you are referring to. Quoting saves the original sender from having to look back through previous messages to decipher your reply especially when some time has elapsed since it was written. However, quoting can be an irritation to others when too much is quoted. It's good netiquette to limit your quote to as few words as possible. Although it may take some time to delete unneeded parts of a message, doing so is easier for your reader.

Use a signature at end of your message so others on the list can identify your messages. Your signature should include your name and email address. This is necessary because some email software packages do not include address headers at the top of their messages and some subscribers will not know who sent a message unless there is a signature at the end of the message.

Are old LRNASST-L messages stored somewhere and can they be accessed by internet?
Yes. You can access the LRNASST-L archives on the Internet. The directions for finding and retrieving old LRNASST-L messages follow:

1. You can click on the appropriate link at the end of each email you receive from LRNASST-L, or
2. Point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html

After you have reached the web page for the archives, you can use the search engine to locate the email(s) in storage that interest you. You may search the archives by subject, author's email address, or topic in the body of the text.

Can I send a message only to the person who has placed a message on the LRNASST-L listserve?
Not only can you, but listserve etiquette requires that you do so when you want to say something for his/her eyes only. Otherwise, your personal response will be read by all 600+ subscribers to the LRNASST-L listserve. This can not only be embarrassing but your message can clog the listserve with a message meant for one pair of eyes only. Remember that LRNASST-L and all other listserves are public forums designed for an audience of your peers and other interested professionals. LRNASST-L, like most academic listserves, is a forum for discussion of issues of professional interest, not a "chat" service. Similarly, private correspondence should remain just that: private. Personal messages do not belong in a public forum. Another way to look at it is to think of your email message as a postcard that can be read by anyone who is a subscriber.

Can I find out who else is currently subscribed to LRNASST-L?
Yes, a list of all subscribers can be obtained by following the directions below:

1. Email to listserv@lists.ufl.edu
2. Leave subject header blank
3. Put this request in the body of the message: REVIEW LRNASST-L BY NAME

Can I subscribe to, access, and receive LRNASST-L from services other than an Internet provider - services such as CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy, Delphi, or Genie?
Certainly. Check with your service for details. Directions vary for each service.

Can I have LRNASST-L send me all of the daily messages as one message instead of one by one?
Yes, follow these directions:

1. Email to LISTSERV@LISTS.UFL.EDU
2. Leave subject header blank
3. In body of message, type SET LRNASST-L DIGEST

Is there a way for LRNASST-L to temporarily hold messages if I am away from my computer for some time?
Yes, follow these directions:

1. Send email to LISTSERV@LISTS.UFL.EDU
2. Leave subject header blank
3. In body of message, type SET LRNASST-L NOMAIL

To resume message service, repeat #1 and #2 but type LRNASST-L MAIL in the body of the message.

How do I unsubscribe to LRNASST-L?
To unsubscribe to LRNASST-L, follow directions below:

1. Send an email to LISTSERV@LISTS.UFL.EDU
2. Leave the subject header blank.
3. Put this request in the body of your message: UNSUBSCRIBE LRNASST-L

Whenever you choose to reconnect, follow directions for subscribing.

What can I do to get other interested professionals connected to our listserve?

1. Put your email address on all professional correspondence.
2. Print your email address on your business card and return address labels.
3. Encourage your professional associations to use email addresses for their officers, presenters at conferences, and authors of articles whenever they appear in association publications.
4. Encourage your professional associations to disseminate their board minutes, SIG newsletters, job announcements, and other professional information through LRNASST-L.
5. Encourage your campus colleagues to subscribe to and participate in LRNASST-L.
6. As you roam the Internet, let other professionally related people know about LRNASST-L and how to subscribe to it.
7. Review the names in your professional network. Consider letting them know, by mail or telephone, about LRNASST-L.
8. At conferences, encourage colleagues to subscribe.
9. Make copies of this document and share it with colleagues.

* Permission is granted to disseminate this document as long as credit is given as listed above.