How Some U.S. Universities Operate in the Information Age

Four out of five of the nation’s colleges and universities are connected to the Internet, allowing students, faculty and administrators to talk to each other and share resources worldwide.

Many schools now automatically give students an electronic mail account when they register.

Some go much further by providing computers, accepting applications and class registration electronically or even holding “paperless” classes.

Some examples, gathered chiefly through e-mail conversations with students, faculty and administrators across the country:

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Cedarville College, Cedarville, Ohio: Wes Baker, a communications professor at this private 2,300-student school, teaches a class in person for a few weeks, then over the campus e-mail network and then by video conferencing. His discovery: “Students who don’t feel comfortable particularly in class are much more likely to make comments during the e-mail sessions.” But those who are most outgoing in person don’t like the e-mail and video conferencing as much. That could be a sign of how people will choose their favorite communication method in the future. “You go with whatever fits your personality,” Baker said.

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Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.: Widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the move by colleges toward pervasive use of electronic communication. Student organizations paid to put computers in dining halls and other public locations so messages can be accessed nearly everywhere. “It’s part of the culture here,” said Larry Levine, director of computing. For three years, Dartmouth has required first-year students to own a personal computer. The machine of choice: the Apple Macintosh.

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Drew University, Madison, N.J.: In 1984, Drew began issuing personal computers, printers and software to incoming students. The school prorates the cost into its tuition so students can take the machines with them at graduation.

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Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.: More than 750 of the school’s residence hall rooms have computer network connections and the remaining 1,000 will be wired during the next year. The campus network has become a key tool for 2,700 students in 120 “distance learning” courses. A popular feature of the system is a discussion area where students and faculty debate topics such as media coverage of O.J. Simpson or the U.S. role in Haiti.

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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Home to a key computer on the Internet, Michigan also has one of the largest networks for students and faculty, used by about 50,000 people. About one-third of school’s residence hall rooms and apartments have networking connections. Its system also supports video signals that are compressed to fit through normal phone lines. Officials believe phone calls to the university’s main information number are declining because more of the information that people seek, including how to reach students and faculty, is available on-line.

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University of Minnesota-Crookston, Crookston, Minn.: The 850-student school got the nickname “ThinkPad U” after it began providing each student with an IBM laptop computer last year. The school bought more advanced models for this year’s students and, in 12 of its classrooms, has equipped each desk with a network connection.