As a student, I can confidently say that the internet has drastically altered the way in which research and school work are accomplished. Even for this class, for example, we complete and hand in our homework via an online blog, which never would have been possible prior to the internet. Online blogs and discussion boards allow for further class discussion that would not be able to take place once the class period ends. Obviously class meeting times are limited, but by having the internet available 24/7, the class can always be “meeting” and conversing online.
Further, online libraries and engines like Google Scholar greatly enhance research possibilities. The FDU online library not only searches the library on the Metropolitan campuses, but all FDU campus sites to enhance your chances of finding the information you need. It also searches for online journals that might not be physically available in the library. Using digital libraries and journals also saves time and energy by saving a physical trip to the building. Also, as Logan mentions, online articles and books (which he calls SmartBooks), may include hypertext and simple search tools. The addition of hypertext allows for the possibility of further research to be done as the text links you to additional information. It can also aid in further expanding your knowledge on the topic by clicking on certain words or concepts you did not understand. Most of these also have an easy-to-use search feature in which you can easily navigate the section of the reading you are looking for. For example, if you know the quote you want to use but cannot remember what page it is on, you can just simply type it in the search feature and it will bring you to that page. With a regular print book or article, you would have to continuously flip through pages until you came across the page you were looking for.
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