Perhaps it's their dedication to the core processes of learning.

If the students are in the classroom just to "get through" the course with a passing grade, or if the instructor is just there to secure some funding for his post-grad research or to get a paycheck, and nothing else, then little value will be added by this process.

Likewise, if the student simply visits 8052.COM or some other www venue for answers to his homework questions, and if the instructor simply looks for a set of answers or simply checks to see whether the homework was handed in on time, little benefit will come from the process.

That's why some of us, using myself as an example, look for, at least, a BIT of thought in the queries presented by people who appear to be, or who state they are, students. I've said many times, that the facts one learns during education in a technology-oriented discipline are changing so rapidly that they're not likely to be valid by the time a course of study is complete. Now E will still be equal to I*R, but there are many things that will change. The process of learning the important details of a problem and of deriving requirements from the statement of a problem will not change. The process of deriving relevant facts from a device datasheet will not change. The process of addressing requirements with those relevant facts will not change. Those are discipline issues, and discipline is what is required in order to be successful, no matter what the pursuit.

Instructors have different styles, some heavily emphasizing theory, while others emphasize hands-on experience. Neither, taken by itself, will suffice, but it's not necessary, or probably even possible, to compute the RC time constant of a large digital circuit, in order to use it effectively. However, it's absolutely necessary to know the worst-case power consumption in order to select/design the appropriate power source. It's also necessary to know what a factor of safety is and how to apply it.

Students need to be sufficiently disciplined that they are present at each class period and fully prepared.

Instructors need to be prepared as well, particularly in having previously asigned and turned-in homework examined and graded promptly.

Students must be absolutely quiet and attentive, without cellphones, video games, or iPods in use during class.

Instructors must be absolutely isistent that students remain awake and are permanently expelled from their class for creating a disturbance, including a tardy entry into class. They must also put heavy emphasis on student preparation, not because it helps learning, though it does, but because the single most important thing learned in college is to be present and to do the work promptly.

RE