Reaction to the news

Some well known literary classics have been converted into text messages to help students revise for exams.
The service condenses classic works such as Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice into a handy memory aids.
So Hamlet's famous line: "To be or not to be, that is the question" becomes "2b? Nt2b? ???"
The BBC website said that Professor John Sutherland, of University College London, who is backing the project, claims it "amply demonstrates text's ability to fillet out the important elements in a plot".
We asked members of the Ashton iJourno group, from the Information Shop to tell us their thoughts:

Stephanie Blackwell: "I think it's a bit like cheating, but it could be a good evaluation. Plus it could be a bit confusing, not everyone texts in the same way. What if you don't actually understand what the message is saying?"
John Power: "Shorthand text messaging contains none of the information that an English Literature student would require in an exam room. The only way to understand quotes, character analysis and the plot for each individual scene is to study the published text in its entirety. How any university professor could give their backing to what is an impractical and useless revision technique puzzles me."
Craig Davies: "I disagree with the professors view and don't think it offers immense educational opportunities. Some people wouldn't understand what was being said an therefore could suffer badly in an exam. People also wouldn't really understand the book fully and this would surely confuse them."

Ashton iJourno group