Prosody has to do with where stress falls in a poetic line. But teaching students how to unlock the rhythms of a poem had Hugh Roberts stressed out.

So last year, the assistant professor of English at the University of California at Irvine created an elaborate Web site for his course, "Poetic Rhythm," including audio clips of him reading poems, and interactive exercises that allow students to click on words to reveal which syllables should be emphasized. (It was no easy task: "The Web site was a time sink; I poured every free moment into it," he says.)

The class did not, however, turn into a distance-education course. The students met each Friday and worked on exercises via the Web during the rest of the week. The dual approach was a success, so much so that other professors teaching prosody at other universities have asked for the site's password, so their students can gain access, too. Mr. Roberts politely encourages them to create their own: "You wouldn't just ask if your students could troop into my classroom, would you?"

He's teaching the class again this spring, using much of the same online content for the new students. "What's great and surprising is how well they absorb the material and how they can apply it to a range of poetry," he says. "They really learn how to inhabit the soundscapes of the poem."

Students Say:

Marianne N. Stewart, a senior English major, counts the course among her favorites. Working through the exercises at her own pace made all the difference, she says. "If you don't hear it the first time, you can listen to it again, 20,000 times if you want, until you get it."

Even though the class meets only once a week, she says, she got to know her classmates and didn't feel isolated. That's because face-to-face meetings were devoted to small group discussions. "There was more of a sense of community than you get in a regular lecture class," she says.

Last year's student evaluations were full of praise. "The professor made a ho-hum subject exciting and made me remember why I am an English major," wrote one student.

Required Reading:

Along with online content, students read Poetic Rhythm: An Introduction, by Derek Attridge, and The Broadview Anthology of Poetry, edited by Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones.

Assignments:

Students write four two-page prosodic analyses, complete Web-based exercises, and take a final exam. When they finish an exercise, an e-mail message is automatically sent to Mr. Roberts, who responds, via e-mail, with any corrections.