Email actually provides more communicative access among students and between student and teacher. Students do not have to make appointments to see each other or wait until a free time just before or just after class. Also, through software, a student can send a message to all students in a class. Such a message may be impractical if the teacher does not want to give up class time for the message. If students are geographically remote from one another, then email is the only practical and affordable way for relatively speedy communication.
Students also have more access to the teacher if the teacher is willing to respond.
Also, social pleasantries are not necessary. Students can also ask their questions when they want to and do not have to wait until the next scheduled office hours. 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.