By Tsui-Ju Chen/ 1999 spring

It has immense impact for education system in the whole world, because of the emergence of Internet. The features of Internet are diverse, abundant, and accessible for everyone. Everyone can learn what he /she wants to learn from the Internet. There are a lot of software which can serve as tutor for an individual available, so individual can learn specific knowledge or practice skills from the resource of Internet. In this case, the boundary or restriction of education is opened. The factors of regions, time, money which restrict learning can be eliminated. All individuals need to do is go to Internet.

As a result of impact of Internet, a question is raised- will the physical university exist in the feature? Since students can learn from the Internet, it seems that schools' function are replaced by computers. In my opinion, I think that the physical universities will exist. In the aspect of teachers, since teachers can provide mentoring and direction of learning, and inspire students' motivation of learning, these functions can't be replaced. In the aspects of peers, I think that peers' interaction is another key for successful learning. Resulting from peer's competition, cooperation and interaction inspires learning. Besides, peers' interaction may help individuals develop social interaction skills. This is another important purpose for education. For university itself, it provides an "environment" or" place" for both teachers and students who have similar interests to do research and create. There is another important function for universities. I think that universities symbolize a symbol of independence or grew-up, a place to be well cultivated, a period of lifetime to have pure freedom, and a typical way to be middle or upper class of the society.

I think that what will happen in the future is that the role of delivering information and practicing / computers will play developing skills. The time for going to school can be eliminated. Most of time of a week, students can learn knowledge or material at home. Spending 1 0r 2 days to go to school. It doesn't mean that we donât need a university, since a university still severs other important function of education as I mentioned above. It is no doubt that the education in the future will be more plausible, diverse and available. People have more choices to decide how to learn and what to learn.