Some students at OU are using their e-mail accounts for more than chatting with friends.

A few professors around campus have been giving students the option to turn in homework assignments via e-mail.

Deborah Brown, assistant professor of English, gives students the option to send in weekly reading responses through an e-mail message in her literature class instead of handing them in typewritten.

About half of her students take advantage of this option, she said.

"I think the e-mail responses let me see more of the student's personality," Brown said. "I really like the e-mail better, not in quality, but for my own preparation."

She usually receives the e-mails before class and then knows how to better direct the class discussion or answer students' questions in class.

Josh Radcliff, a senior in Brown's class, said being able to use e-mail is more convenient for students.

It does not allow him to procrastinate because the assignments have to be done before class, he said. It also is a great option for ill students or those who cannot attend class.

Although Brown said it is not appropriate for some classes, she said it is becoming a trend in some departments.

Patricio Abinales, an assistant professor in the political science department, requires his Third World Politics students to use e-mail to hand in their weekly exams, he said.

"It's an experiment of sort," he said. "I'm trying to find ways in which I can get the most from students, especially in writing."

This method gives students a couple days to think about what they want to say, organize an essay and take their time in writing it, he said.