Frankly, I don't like to require faculty to do anything. But there are conditions under which this requirement should be made.

The July/August 1998 issue of the American Psychological Society's Observer points out that with the advent of laptop computers, E-mail, and the other new technologies, "the traditional role of faculty will be changing substantially." We might as well get ready.

Colleges and universities that have students and faculty "hooked up"---and provide proper training and support services for students and faculty alike---make it possible for faculty to put course information online and carry on group and personal conversations with their students.

E-mail provides opportunities for handing in and checking assignments, handling questions before they become problems, and encouraging the shyer student to become an active contributor. These opportunities all offer real learning advantages.

E-mail can help students interact more frequently with their professors. With E-mail messaging, instructors can be available to students both on and off-campus.

When faculty are properly trained and supported, electronic technologies can increase student success. It is reasonable for colleges and universities to require office hours in the traditional sense. Like these traditional office hours, E-mail availability can also reasonably be required of us.

I must admit that I move towards E-mail technology slowly. I see it as a way of creating distance between teacher and student, often as a choice of the latter.

This perception is based on my experience with voice mail, introduced in my college early in the '90s. Whatever the positive effect of students being able to leave recorded messages, the medium has reduced essential direct contact with students.

Students believe they have covered themselves, even though I repeatedly stress the need for good phone manners and direct contact.

I get nostalgic for a time when students saw me face-to-face with a question or a problem and when they actually wanted me to answer the phone. I believe direct contact is needed if a student wants to talk about an idea or a problem.

The issue of the effective use of our time deserves greater consideration, in its own right. But, suffice to say, a lot that is sent on E-mail is junk that would not be worth a letter, a phone call, or a two-minute walk to my office.

I do not need the additional, low-quality, low-productivity work. I would rather stay longer after class talking to students.

* Sally S. Carr, professor of psychology and department chair at Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, Ohio.

*Robert Sherry teaches in the Department of Economics at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire.