Anne writes: "I often do things just because I want to learn how something works and share my enthusiasm with others. My friend Oren steered me to VU shortly after I got online in 1995, in time to register for classes offered in 1996. The combination of lessons and interaction with others is a wonderful way to learn.

"I started my web page to keep track of all the resources in the Fall '96 HTML class and never stopped. Little did I realize that I would become the "keeper" of lessons for future classes when I sent Ghatten the new locations for resources and added others. We inherited the lessons and over the years they've become a true Team effort as we revise and update. Someone will add a tutorial or steps to explain a problem area. Team and student interaction on the discussion board is one of the main things that make the HTML classes so special. Better solutions are achieved with different perspectives."

The new location for the class pages now mirrored at VU, allows us to easily update links on the pages for each year and term

Michele Wills aka Eagle, has been flying through the cyberhalls of VU/Webversity since she went online in 1997. She began her computing career at Atari Computer Camp in 1982, where she oversaw thirty versions of the game Tron being developed and tennis rackets gathering dust in the closets. "Foreign languages" were also taught at that camp: DOS, Basic, COBOL. Computer code was saved on rolls of paper and the best monitor was the biggest TV you could find.

Today, Michele can be found playing modern-day Tron games and conversing in new foreign languages: HTML, JavaScript and CGI/Perl. She has written a dozen classes for Webversity over the years and as technology changes, so does she and the curriculum she writes.

Glo confides: "I left the world of magazine publishing to raise a family in 1990. The World Wide Web soon sucked me in as a means to continue publishing. As graphics began to flourish on the web, I wanted to create my own. VU provided that opportunity with its PSP course.

"Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets provides instruction for all of CSS Level One. I love watching the students progress through the lessons. I know they are working hard by what I see them produce.

"Beyond HTML is for the webmaster who wants to try all that other technical stuff: CGI, DHTML, PHP, SSI, and more. While we are not writing code, together we work with existing scripts and techniques to determine which will work on each webmaster's server."

"I've been HTMLing and PSPing since 1997 and grow ever more addicted to both as the months go by. I have found that online classes are the best way to learn because of the sharing of ideas. Another reason I have a fondness for online classes is because it was in one of my first classes that I met my husband and we later migrated from the United States to Holland.

"I feel that I have the best of all worlds since I'm able to teach PSP at VU/Webversity and help with the HTML classes. It gives me tremendous pleasure to see others grow in their knowledge and feel that I have a small part in it.

"In my spare time I do a little outside web design and have also started a busy message board called thePlace for ongoing discussion on graphics, HTML and everything that goes along with them."

Debbie recalls, "I started taking classes at VU/Webversity in 1997. I began with the HTML1 class and kept going from there. I was asked to join the HTML Team and I am so glad to be able to help other students learn as I did. It is wonderful to be able to payback VU for all that was given to me.

"I work at a small Elementary School in South Carolina. I teach Computer Lab to students in Grades K-5. Our fourth and fifth grade students also design and manage their classroom websites. I have two wonderful grandchildren that I spend lots of time with. In my spare time I run a web design business which caters to many of the local businesses in the area. I love working with the children as well as designing for my clients."

Alan Flower (aka Bloss45) is 50++ year-old retired military helicopter examiner/ instructor. He lives in Bournemouth, England, about midpoint on the south coast. He has been studying PSP, HTML and related subjects at VU on and off since the 1990s. He tends to be around when many are sleeping since his time zone is about nine hours ahead of Webversity time.

"I am so grateful to VU and all the staff for all the assistance they have given me over the years. I have been taken from being completely ignorant regarding web design to being fairly proficient in many aspects. I'm pleased to be able to return some of what I have learned by assisting new students in my own limited way."

Words of wisdom — "Problems are like Christmas trees...first take off the lights and tinsel which you have placed there, then take a fresh look at the problem."

Gillie2tat writes, "I joined VU/Webversity at the end of 2001 having found it via Google. I had started HTML coding a few months earlier and learned so much in the class of February 2002 that by week three I was helping other classmates and I was invited to join the Help Team. I enjoy helping people to get their first pages online and the reward for me is greatest when they suddenly understand something for the first time in class.

"For me, the Internet is all about helping people with its tremendous resources and for that reason I became a VU instructor. I also became the BellaOnline tatting editor. I wouldn't be without VU and the tremendous friendship offered by the instructors and classmates there and at thePlace."

"I started at VU in 1998 taking JASC Paint Shop Pro 5 and HTML classes. I got hooked right away and I have been taking classes here ever since to improve my PSP and Web Page skills. I have been part of Eagle's and Rollie's PSP teams for quite awhile now. I also help out by checking new lessons and monitoring the Bulletin Boards each term.

"I have made some great friends here at VU and recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning. I love sharing with others what I have learned here at VU."

"I earned an art degree the old fashioned way (traditional classroom) in 1976, and for years thought computers were for nerds and engineers. I resisted until 2002, then bought my first computer, and now I'm trying to catch up!

"I enjoy paddling a canoe down a cold river in the hot Texas summer, doing crafts, graphics, and Web design. I read about VU in Reader's Digest, the price was right, and I decided to try online classes. I joined the VU family in 2004, so I'm still a beginner around here!

"I love the atmosphere of sharing and learning with folks from all over — VU really is a global village. I am honored to be on the HTML team, and its a real blast helping the newbies."

"I started taking classes at VU in 1999 and I treasure the knowledge I've gained and the special friendships I have made, including my husband, Buster."

I'm always looking for an excuse to create a webpage, so you'll find me on the boards snatching up students' URLs to make class pages! Like the rest of the team, I love seeing people grow in their skills and am ready to help out in any way I can."

In addition to my personal website, I maintain a site devoted to Web Tools that Webversity students are welcome to explore.

Zonie recalls, "I was drafted as an assistant to help with a couple of things! But I also believe in paying back VU for the help I got."

Zonie started taking online classes in the Fall of 1996. He can be found all over VU answering everyone's questions and helping in any way he can. He also has tutorials for mIRC and other help for newbies on his Newbie Corner website.

"I have been taking classes at VU/Webversity since January 1997, and have taken all of the HTML classes. I was drafted as an assistant, and I really enjoy helping people learn HTML. VU has opened a whole new world for me — lots of new and great friends...some of whom I've been fortunate to meet in person!

"I am a Macintosh user. Kittycat and I worked on the Mac User Web page together. I also maintain a Mac-friendly website for IRCLE users."

Blue^ is a big help for those of you that use a Mac to access the web. She also has a Christian Web site as well as a Cards and Flowers site.

"AnneH and I worked together on creating the content and design of the Redford Theatre's website. When we took the site over, it was a single page containing 2 photos. We turned it in to a comprehensive site that is now well over 100 pages. At the time, web design and HTML were new to us and we learned a lot together. I've gone on to maintain and update that site as well as one for the school where I teach and several other sites.

"I have worked mainly with Apple computers since the early days of the Apple II. I currently have a 20" G5 iMac, a G4 iBook and a beige G3 using programs that run under both Classic OS and OS-X. I sometimes cheat and use Apple's free Claris Home Page, especially for doing table work. However, I often use a text editor like TextWrangler (freeware) to create and edit HTML code on my pages."