Abstract: Four prevailing propositions in higher education are (1) that students enter college familiar with electronic resources; (2) that they are eager to use those resources for learning; (3) that those resources enhance teaching and learning; and (4) that the greater the availability of those resources the greater their use by students. An empirical study of the responsiveness of students (N=25) to electronic curricular resources supported the first premise, but it undermined the other three. The subjects in the study did not make extensive use of email and, although they did use a Web-based resource, they did not take advantage of that to the degree expected. Several reasons are advanced to explain the results. One is that students were uncomfortable with email in a curricular setting because it is personal and interactive. They more readily exploited Web-based resources because they resemble the more familiar curricular environment of textbooks.