Classroom Distribution Lists (Listserv) Information
Introduction
Electronic mail distribution lists are created for all University of Pennsylvania classrooms. Faculty and appropriate support personnel are automatically subscribed to these lists at the start of each
term. The membership information in each list is updated and refreshed throughout the term. Only faculty and support staff are subscribed; students are not included.
These lists exist to facilitate communication among the interested parties who use and/or support the classrooms. While the most frequent use of these lists is to
allow support staff to provide information about changes or problems with facilities or instructional technology, faculty members may also use the lists to report
problems when they are not sure who the appropriate contact person is or when they believe that other faculty should be aware of the condition.
How Do the Classroom Distribution Lists Work?
At the beginning of each semester, faculty are notified via email of the listserv address for the classroom(s) in which they teach. From that point forward, faculty
may use the lists by sending an email message to the appropriate address.
The names of the lists use the following convention: [ROOM CODE]-[TERM]@lists.upenn.edu.
Room Codes used in list names are the same as those used in the Infosilem Campus Portal.
Terms are identified by the four-digit calendar year followed by one of the following suffixes:
- 10 for spring term
- 20 for either summer term
- 30 for fall term
So, for example, the list for Fisher-Bennett 138 for the
Spring Term 2024 is named BENN-138-202410@lists.upenn.edu.
Classroom distribution lists are kept private. Faculty members cannot subscribe or unsubscribe themselves. Only subscribed members can send messages to the list.
Only the list owners can see the list of faculty members who are subscribed.
Administration and Monitoring
The classroom distribution lists are automatically created by querying Penn's Data Warehouse for the names and email addresses of faculty members who are assigned to
each classroom. Information for the key support personnel are also appended to each list. Faculty who do not have an email address stored in the Penn Online Directory
will not be included in any of the classroom lists. The Office of the University Registrar will contact any faculty member who is not covered by the normal subscription process
and inform him/her of options for inclusion.
The classroom lists were created at the request of Classroom Technology Services and the Office of the University Registrar with the intent of serving Penn's Central
Pool classrooms. Jeff Douthett, Director of Classroom Technology Services (), is responsible for coordinating list
administration.
Support staff and others monitoring all lists include:
- Classroom Technology Services
- Provost Administrative Affairs Facilities
- Office of the University Registrar
- Course and Classroom Scheduling Coordinators
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