A Elfstrom Associate Professor, Philosophy 11. Maintaining the Human Touch in an Electronic World We live in a world that is becoming increasingly impersonal and decentralized. E-mail and voice mail are replacing personal conversations. Telecommuting is becoming commonplace through the wide availability of powerful and inexpensive telecommunication facilities. On college campuses, we see these trends affecting the very core of traditional student life.
Fewer students live on campus, making it more difficult to have a common student experience.
Some classes are now taught over the Internet or through some form of distance learning, making it more difficult to have a close bond between the student and the professor. Students meet in cyberspace instead of the student union building.