THE ROAD AHEAD - OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROLE OF THE INTERNET

By simplifying communication, the Internet is causing significant, bro ad changes. This article describes some effects of the Internet on tea ching and research: the use of Web pages in teaching, spread of remote statistical analysis, eliminating journal page constraints, and the i mpact on activities that benefit from debate and discussion. It descri bes how congestion on the Internet fosters change in pricing and prior ities. The article ends by pointing out that although the technical im plications of an innovation are predictable, the major social implicat ions often do not become apparent for years.