They don't have the opportunity to take primary information from the field and make it their own. Technology changes all that. Students search out primary data and process large amounts. In one class she teaches, students use visualization software to view rotating, three-dimensional models of molecules. This technique allows a more authentic education based on experience.
Students take information and process and draw inferences from it.
The ability to do that is the hallmark of a truly educated person. A networked campus improves communication between faculty and students, too. At WPI, even the stage wouldn't be the same without the e-mail connection. We use it as a communication device to remind actors, designers and technicians of our artistic visions. We save rehearsal time for rehearsing.