Reviewed on 18 November 1997
Review by John Kirriemuir
StudentZone is a gateway to resources deemed groovy, hip and funky enough for your average undergrad student.
The interface to the zone consists of a frame-based setup, based on the screen being either low or medium resolution. As my screen is set like many others to a high resolution, it was somewhat discomforting to be only reading/moving around half of the screen.
StudentZone Home page
So what's, like, in the Zone, man? Well, I searched for many of the things I distantly remember reading in my student days and the zone gave succesful hits on the majority of these. Most of the sections gave a list of links to a balanced set of resources which would be of some use to anybody who wants to know what makes today's students tick.
From a direct student perspective, there are lists of links to student-produced news sources, as well as sources of funding, banks, grants and loans and insurance and legal advice. In addition, there are sections for career, legal & finance, health, news and travel. However, the largest sections by far in studentzone, dominating the whole gateway, are dedicated to sport and entertainment.
Overall, therefore, this is a good effort, with a clear categorisation of links to resources for a net newcomer, as long as they are not running their browser on a high resolution screen. Although the site inclines to a tabloid view of student life, its content could still be of some use to those who need to know what the non-academic preoccupations of students might be.
Reviewed by: John Kirriemuir
Research and Training Officer
Institute for Learning and Research Technology
Bristol BS8 1TN
Email: john.kirriemuir@bristol.ac.uk
Material on this page is copyright Ariadne/original authors. This page last updated on 18-Nov-1997