We have since learned that computers had more potential than substance, despite the miracle status given to them. Even so, our society has been quick to adopt and recast the new technology to academia, capitalism and play. Technology at the University of Utah is no longer strictly a component of the Computer Science and Engineering Departments. Professors have adopted technology into traditionally low-tech subjects such as economics, music, chemistry, sociology, anthropology and communication. With the advent of the Internet, professors are using Web-based resources to supplement and replace texts.
Students even take Internet tests.
The results are diverse in their complexities. Some professors establish websites simply to post the class syllabus, while others do much more. James Anderson, professor of communication, has used technology to radically change the classroom environment. All the knowledge is presumably located in what is called 'the sage on the stage,' the instructor at the head of the class. Last spring, Anderson taught a freshman-level communication class in which he completely dissolved the use of traditional textbooks and replaced it with a text written by students.