One potential advantage of teaching in an electronic era is the introduction of e-learning, which is any form of learning that is electronically supported. This can include use of computers in and out of the classroom, including instructional computer presentations, computer-based self-paced training activities and assignments using Internet resources. Internet-based class pages can be created to disseminate information about the class, including assignments, and to provide a central location for out of class discussion and questions.
The Internet era has both improved and harmed research skills. While the quantity of information at our fingertips has increased exponentially, a lot of it is not of good quality. Determining source credibility must be done for print resources, but not to the extent that it does for Internet sources. For example, students are often ill-prepared to determine the difference between a for-profit or personal website and a credible official website. However, the challenges posed by Internet sources provide opportunities for instruction on how to conduct proper research in an electronic environment. Timed research games can be created, with scores based on the credibility of sources selected.
Plagiarism is a constant battle for teachers. The electronic environment makes copying of papers considerably easier for students, whether it's intentional purchasing of papers or the less-intentional summarizing of ideas from sources without giving credit. However, the electronic environment also provides teachers with more efficient and accurate ways of determining if students have presented someone else's words as their own. Plagiarism checkers such as "Turn It In" are available online and as downloadable software. Lessons about plagiarism can be woven into instruction and students can be taught to check their work themselves.
Teaching in an electronic environment can be challenging because teachers compete with distractions in the forms of cell phones, personal game devices and laptops. Use of these electronic distractions can be banned during classroom hours, but teachers must then spend some of their valuable, limited time policing the policy. Limited attention spans are another effect of the electronic environment. These limited attention spans can hinder the student from learning. Teachers are faced with students who want information presented in faster and smaller chunks.