For students out in cyberspace, email is the only effective means of communicating with a geographically remote teacher. Because an email participant usually can respond to an email message when he or she is ready, reflection is natural. In a classroom or tutorial setting, a student is expected to respond to questions within a very short period of time, usually less than five or ten seconds. If a student would learn more if given time to reflect on and think about the question, then email provides a better learning experience in such a case. Reflection is an essential ingredient in the learning process and is especially useful when learning new concepts or refining complex or sophisticated ones.
Email permits the writer to send afterthoughts relating to the initial communication.
Individualized instruction and discussion. Assuming the teacher has time or is willing to take the time, email can provide a good setting for individualized instruction. If important, any or all parties to an email discussion can keep an archive of all of the email messages. This could be most useful where two or more people are working together on a writing project. A record is also quite helpful when the discussion involves a deliberation or an effort to reach a consensus.