I apologize for not posting something earlier, it has taken me some time to decide more or less what to do.
OK, the Special Topics. These have presented a bit of a dilemma for me. Our objective was to produce an Agroecosystems Web Site, and we did manage to sort out the mechanics of doing that. However, with the delays due to hardware problems, and the strike, and partly to this being first time round, we did not get sufficient time to review, discuss and improve the individual papers to the point that most would be "publishable" as finally submitted - this was supposed to go on through most of March, and to be an integral part of the whole exercise. It is not your "fault" or mine, just a consequence of factors beyond our immediate control.
As finally submitted, three papers are acceptable with very little editing, two with minimal editing which I can do fairly readily, and one with a little more effort than those, but still I can do it, and that won't change the basic content much. Three pages are really not usable at all (two of those were not posted for review by you). That leaves 17 papers that would be acceptable after some substantive revision.
Revisions required are of three main types:
What I plan to do is this:
----Leave the existing site as it is, except that as papers are revised, they will be changed at this site. This site will not be "advertised" but it is there if you want to access it or direct others to it. It will remain there until May 1, 1999
----By mid-Sept, I will establish a new site, identified as ../agroecosystems.html in the URL. It will include the pages other than the special topics pages as shown now (to which the whole class contributed) but revised, plus a page "About this site" which will describe how the exercise was conducted. The Who We Are page and individual Who-I-Am pages will remain as they are (unless you send me revisions - I will accept those at any time). Under Agroecosystem Topics, I will list with active links, the 5 or 6 papers currently useable as discussed above. The other pages will be listed, with titles only, as "Forthcoming", i.e. without the authors cited. If and when they are revised (which is up to the individuals concerned) they will be added with names and active links.
The site modified in this way will be posted with links from the Biology Dept. Home page, and remain there until the next class modifies it (Spring 2000!). I would also put in the appropriate meta tags for it to be picked up by browsers, both in an Agroecosystem context, and in the context of using the Web as a classroom tool.
In the meantime and at any time over the next year, if any individuals whose topics are listed above as "forthcoming" want to work on their paper so it is acceptable, they should contact me either by e-mail (patriqui@is.dal.ca, NOT at dp address), or by writing (DP, Bio dept., Dalhouse University, Haliafx, NS B3H 4J1) or in person in the fall to discuss what is needed. If you e-mail me, expect a confirmation of receipt of the e-mail within 2 weeks (I will be away for up to 2 weeks at a time).
I think that this way, no one "looks bad" by not being included in the initial list, and we have a site that presents a good standard for future classes and "to the world" and is a credit to all of us. You could then cite your involvement as "Contributor to Agroecosystems Web Site (URL xxxx), and refer to your Published page (at the new address) or Draft page (at the old address) as you might wish.
Regards to all of you- dp