Many students and professors faced troubles using ANGEL over the past few years. Before the update, some students and professors faced troubles uploading assignments because their browsers were not supported by the system, and because of this, it no longer is utilized by many professors in their classrooms.

Many professors turn to ANGEL alternatives, such as creating a class website, making a Facebook group for the class or using Google video chat “hangouts” in order to communicate with students more quickly and effectively. Many MSU students are more familiar with social networking websites than they are with ANGEL, and a professor’s decision to use social media sites creates quicker, more effective communication with students than using ANGEL.

Facebook groups provide chat features that allow students to communicate with one another instantly. If a professor is online to chat, discussions between the professor and his or her class can continue outside of the classroom, allowing students to ask questions and receive instant answers. ANGEL does not have an instant chat feature, a downfall when compared to chat features provided by social networking websites.

Some professors have no means of communication outside of the classroom other than email or by office phone and choose not to utilize an ANGEL class page. Whether it’s due to frustration with the ANGEL system or if it’s their personal preference to not have a classroom web page, these professors essentially are breaking down the lines of communication with their students by choosing not to have a class web page. Professors should adapt to the new social networking environment in order to benefit their students and provide a better and more effective class experience. ANGEL may allow for a professor to have a class web page, but its features and navigation are not as simple or efficient as those provided by a social networking website.

Although the update to the ANGEL system helps by letting more students use the website more effectively, the decision by the university to update this system instead of utilizing a new system might be too late.

Many students and professors already have attached a negative opinion of ANGEL because of difficulties in the past and confusion in its navigation. A professor’s decision to utilize alternatives to an ANGEL class page, such as creating a Facebook group page, can be beneficial to students, as most are more familiar with social networking websites than ANGEL. If systems like ANGEL choose not to incorporate social networking features, it is possible that in the future they could become obsolete.