by
Benjamin Laliberte, Pharm.D., PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Resident, University of
Maryland Medical Center
Ten years ago, the Boston Globe
reported that less than 5% of colleges across the United States required
students to purchase personal computers.1 In 2014, things have changed
dramatically — 67% of students have two to four mobile devices connected to
their campus wireless network.2 In the classroom, 94% of students
are now utilizing some sort of mobile technology!
From one perspective, the push to use wireless technology in the
classroom is due, in part, to the increasing use of computers and technology in
our everyday lives, coupled with the need to provide students the skills to
succeed in a “technology-dependent” world.1,2 Moreover, teachers are
simply responding to changes in social norms. When companies like Apple, HP,
and Samsung roll out new gadgets, everyone seems to jump in line to purchase
the latest invention! The integration of classwork with technology can produce
interactive, hands-on learning that increases student engagement. And it provides opportunities for educators
to introduce innovative teaching techniques.1-3 On the other hand,
it may just be an easier way to deliver content and go (or not to go) to class.
Numerous studies have evaluated the benefits of laptop use in the
classroom. One study was conducted at the United States Military Academy in
West Point with 527 college freshmen enrolled in ten general psychology classes.3 Six classes served as a control group that
did not use laptops and four classes incorporated laptops into classroom
activities. Students used laptops to prepared
presentations and share information using a first generation Dropbox. After seven
exams, students in the laptop classes had significantly higher scores when
compared to the no laptop group (86.8% vs. 83.5%; p<0 .05)
Similarly, a recent study at the University of Michigan, involving
nearly 600 students, examined the benefits of a homegrown, web-based software
called LectureTools. Half of
the students were given access to LectureTools on their laptops and half were
not.4 This interactive program allowed students to ask questions during
lectures, take notes, draw on PowerPoint slides, quickly rate the professor’s
slides, and review the lecture again after class. At the conclusion of the
semester-long study, survey results demonstrated that students in the
LectureTools group had self-reported increases in attentiveness (37%
vs. 25%), engagement (60% vs. 39%), and learning (53% vs. 40%) when compared to
the students who did not have this tool available to them.
Despite these promising results and the increased use of
classroom-based technology, it is common for students to become distracted and
wander into cyberspace.1-4 In
the University of Michigan study, 75% of students in both groups used their
laptops for non-course-related tasks, including 35% for social networking and
email.4 A survey of law students at three institutions located at
geographical diverse areas of the country found that 96% of respondents used
their laptops for note taking, but 71% were simultaneously surfing the internet
during class.5 While many students take advantage of the available
internet access to supplement classroom material, others are abusing the
privilege, which can be distracting to those around them.4,5
A 2006 study observed 137 college students in one college general
psychology class that permitted laptop use.6 Sixty four percent of the students used their
laptop during at least one class period. During class, 81% of the students
admitted to checking their email, 43% browsed the Internet, and 25% reported playing
games on their computer. Not surprisingly,
there was a negative association between student performance in the class and
laptop use (p=0.024). Not only were the students who reported using their
laptop in class performing poorer on exams, there was a self-reported decreased
attention to lectures (p<0 .01)
Pharmacists and other health care providers often pride themselves in
being effective multitaskers. But did you know self-proclaimed multitaskers may
actually be worse at multitasking?7,8 One study found that self-proclaimed
multitaskers, such those students who actively using laptops during class,
performed worse on cognitive memory tasks than students who preferred to focus
on a single assignment.6 According
to a paper on work-memory capabilities, human ability to multitask and “juggle
facts” is limited to seven units. There appears to be a “switching time cost”
that occurs when changing your attention, say, back and forth between facebook and
a professor giving a lecture.7 Whereas it would normally take two
seconds to repeat a single task, balancing two such tasks at the same time
may actually take upwards of twenty seconds! Remember that all-nighter in
college? Fatigue, in addition to anxiety and other emotional disturbances
lessen our ability to multitask and process information efficiently.
Technology is here to stay. It has been shown that laptops can have a positive effect on attention
and learning, if used appropriately.1,3,4,9 Our job as instructors is to ensure
laptops and other mobile computing devices are not a barrier to our students’
learning.1 Successful teachers will be able to merge effective
teaching methods with technology and social media to enhance student learning
and comprehension. How? Well, here are a few tips:8
- Develop a technology use policy. This is a syllabus “must have” so students know your classroom etiquette rules. Are students with laptops and tablet devices allowed to sit in the front two rows? Or do you have a “laptop/tablet free” zone?
- Develop in-class activities for students to accomplish using their laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Small group activities, such as patient cases or database research are great ways to engage students.
- Transforming technology into “audience response systems.” This may include tools like LectureTools or social media such as Twitter for students to ask in-class questions and share articles. In doing so, you have a better shot at limiting technology use to course-related tasks.
References:
- Russell J. Laptops required at 3 state colleges. The Boston Globe. 30 Aug. 2004.
- Weldon D. BYOD now a fact of life for majority of college students. FierceMobileIT. 8 May 2014.
- Efaw J, Hampton S, Martinez S, Smith S. Miracle or Menace: Teaching and Learning with Laptop Computers in the Classroom. Educause Quarterly. 2004;3:10-18.
- Zhu E, Kaplan M, Dershimer RC, Bergom I. Use of Laptops in the Classroom: Research and Best Practices. CRLT Occasional Paper. 2011;30:1-6.
- Mazzie LA. Is a Laptop-Free Zone the Answer to the Laptop Debate? Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog. 27 Oct. 2008.
- Fried CB. In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers & education. 2008;50(3):906-914.
- Glenn, D. Divided Attention. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 28 Feb. 2010.
- Research on In-Class Use of Laptops and Other Devices: Effects on Students’ Learning and Attention. The Teaching Center Journal. 23 Apr. 2013.
- Penuel WR. Implementation and Effects Of One-to-One Computing Initiatives: A Research Synthesis. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 2006;38(3):329-348.
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