Students may like something, but the teacher has to like it, too. The assignment has to pass the pedagogical muster.

The Trails exercise works on several levels. First, it works as a way to seed discussion, which was its primary goal, without resorting to heavy-handed methods ("the discussion for the next week will be..."). It serves to give the under-participators something safe and structured to do. Often it produces not much more than "here's what I found" and "gee that's interesting", but it can also spark very lively discussions. The one on baths certainly did. I don't think it's strong enough to be the foundation for discussion, but it's a valuable and effective supplement. The Trails need to be there from the beginning. It's not an assignment, it's an invitation.

It's good for the teacher, too. It's a good way to re-visit your Net resources. You invariably learn a thing or two yourself, especially as you try to choose hooks and construct questions. I like it because it's a real exercise that I don't have to grade. I can use the Trails to bring in subjects that I can't justify lecturing about, aren't in the textbook, but are interesting (e.g., gladiators). With a report, one person learns about gladiators. With Trails, we all do.

Another advantage comes in course design. As I accumulate semesters, I find that certain topics for which I have no lecture are sure to come up: Roman gladiators, medieval medicine, Renaissance painting. I resist writing lectures on these; in part because I do not want my course to become a giant FAQ, and in part because with certain topics I don't want to tell students the "right answer", I want them to explore a topic.

Finally, Trails really is an effective way to include supplementary information into a course without having to sacrifice the "important" content. The supplemental information weaves in naturally, student-driven. Because I had to construct the exercise in the first place, I'm in a position to make corrections, add information, and so on as needed; that is, I can teach about the topics as they come up.