From answer garden to answer jungle

This paper describes an experiment making use of a Usenet Newsgroup to accelerate the evolution of a learning resource artificially within a group of level one students of computing and information systems at the University of Brighton. The author discusses how evolutionary processes may be perceived in most learning environments, and how Internet-based learning (IBL) systems can provide an effective “jungle” to encourage rapid evolution so that resources adapt to the needs of learners. The experiment draws on the students’ own comments and reflections on the process. The conclusion drawn is that the newsgroup is an effective aid to learning and a useful but imperfect tool for accelerating evolution.