Laptops in the Classroom
As more and more students bring laptops to class, some instructors are becoming concerned about what’s going on behind the open laptop lids. Are students tapping away at their keyboards diligently taking notes, or are they playing computer games? Instructors may feel disconcerted, because they aren’t sure what their students are doing. If a student is reading The Targum or doing work for another class, it’s usually obvious. When students are using laptops, instructors can’t always tell whether students are paying close attention and taking notes or are doing something else entirely. The problem is worse in wireless-enabled classrooms; while students may make good use of the Internet during class to look up material that is relevant to the topic at hand, they’re more likely to be surfing the web or instant messaging their friends. There may be advantages to letting students look up information online or access websites during class, but there is no way to limit students’ access to appropriate websites, and even well-intentioned students may be tempted by the Internet if it’s available to them during class. The improper use of laptops is not only a problem for the offending students who aren’t staying focused on the class—it can also be a distraction for students sitting nearby. In addition, students may try to hide behind their laptops when their instructor has asked the class a question or is looking for some form of participation.

Professors around the country have been grappling with the challenges posed by laptops in the classroom. Last year, the newspaper USA Today reported that a University of Memphis Law School professor banned laptops from the classroom, spurring angry students to circulate a petition against the policy and file a complaint with the American Bar Association. (The complaint was dismissed.) The professor, June Entman, said, “My main concern was they were focusing on trying to transcribe every word that I was saying, rather than thinking and analyzing.” She was also concerned that “The computers interfere with making eye contact. You’ve got this picket fence between you and the students.” Students complained that “hand-written notes are incomplete and less-organized.”¹

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education², instructors at some institutions take advantage of the ability to turn off wireless technology in their classrooms, but at many schools, it can’t be disabled. Some universities are trying to educate students on technology-related classroom etiquette, advising students not to distract their peers and to stay on-task themselves. For instance, the University of Wisconsin gives online advice to students and to faculty about the appropriate use of laptops and wireless technology in the classroom, including suggestions that laptops should always have the sound turned off, laptops should be prohibited during exams, and professors should establish consequences for inappropriate laptop use, just as they would for violations of other class policies.

Some instructors enforce a no-laptop policy, especially in very large classes. If you want to allow students to use their laptops, the best way to cope with potential problems is to communicate with your students. Tell students that you’re worried about the possibility of distraction. You may want to let students know that you’ll walk around the room sometimes to see what students have up on their screens. You can occasionally ask students to shut their laptops for a few minutes to pay attention more closely when you are trying to make a particularly important or complex point, or you can set a policy that students must close their laptops during class discussions. You can include a section in the course syllabus about the proper use of laptops in the classroom. Perhaps the best way to discourage laptop use is to develop teaching methods that rely on student involvement throughout the class period. If you spend less time lecturing and devote more class time to active learning activities like group work, discussions, case studies, and problem-solving, students can’t as easily spend the class period secretly playing computer games. If you set clear policies and talk with students about your concerns, you may be able to let students get the benefits of using laptops in the classroom without allowing them to become a distraction.

¹ “Law Professor Bans Laptops in Class, Over Student Protest.” USA Today. March 21, 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-03-21-professor-laptop-ban_x.htm. Accessed February 22, 2007.

² Bugeja, Michael J. “Distractions in the Wireless Classroom.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 26, 2007, p. C1.