Students today have an increasingly complex array of educational media that they can use to access educational material. While universities are under pressure to find cheaper, faster and hopefully better ways to interact with students, it is the responsibility of teachers to ensure that these media meet the educational and learning needs of students. The Internet is being increasingly used by universities to deliver learning materials. This research examines university students' perceptions of the usefulness of a web-based discussion list as a learning tool. The study examines different student characteristics and seeks to establish linkages between students' characteristics and their perceptions of a WebCT discussion list. (Contains 6 figures.)