Most notably, students can now use their computers to register for courses, or to drop or add them, and can plan their majors on line. A new registration system, ISIS, lets a student browse through majors, instantly seeing what classes each degree would require. The system also lets them look up their transcripts and check their financial accounts. Mr. Sandeen, the vice-president, predicts that such tools will have a greater impact on student life than will anything that happens in the classroom. Communication between students and the administration could also be improved by means of computers.
Many administrators already answer students' questions directly through e-mail.
Mr. Dilger, the English instructor, agrees that the new computer requirement holds promise for opening lines of communication. But if by some way the computer requirement could encourage that, I think it would be great. But he also worries that by automating some of that communication, tools like computerized registration could keep students from exploring all of the options that university life presents. My hunch is that after this year, this will all seem routine, and students will look at computers as their predecessors look at textbooks.