Social networking hits the classroom

Facebook, the popular social networking site, is joining forces with Pick-A-Prof, the website that lets students rate professors, to create a feature that allows students to see who will be in each class before they even add it to their schedule, reports the University of Wisconsin's Badger-Herald

Along with the current offerings at Pick-A-Prof, such as professor reviews, grade histories and a scheduling tool, the new feature lets students see who's enrolled in that particular class.

"Studies have shown that students who take classes and study with their friends get better grades," said Karen Bragg, director of university relations for Pick-A-Prof. "With Pick-A-Prof's partnership with Facebook, students can choose which friends to share their class schedules with."

Bragg added that students are required to obtain the consent of their friends in order to attain their schedules — this works by using the "share" option on Facebook.

Student reviews on the feature are mixed. Some feel that the new collaboration is positive because it allows people to easily find others to study with. Others, such as sophomore Kevin Weiss is less enthusiastic about the social aspect of picking his classes. He said there are more important aspects to picking a class.

"It would be nice to have friends in my classes, but that's not the most important criteria in choosing a class," Weiss said. "I would much rather have a good professor and convenient class time."