The Airplane Mode Classroom

by E. Ashton Smith, PharmD, PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident, Mississippi State Department of Health 

With today’s technology, people spend hours upon hours consumed with a screen every day. Whether it is scrolling on social media, shopping online, texting with friends, playing games, or watching the next episode of a favorite Netflix series, we are rarely disconnected from the internet. We can enjoy this media from our phones, laptops, tablets, televisions, and now even smartwatches. It can be a pleasant distraction.

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But let’s talk about distractions. Media available on the Internet and through our devices can be a good thing; for example, to pass the time during periods of boredom or to partake in a few enjoyable laughs from a friend’s text message. However, the distraction of constant notifications and the temptation to while away hours of time online can be harmful when there are other things at hand that are currently more important.

Devices in the classroom have become second nature to today’s college students. Laptops, cell phones, and tablets are brought into the classroom each day and can be beneficial for things such as note-taking and other class-related activities. These devices, however, can be a major distraction from learning and participation. In a recent study, the investigators surveyed college students in 26 states in the United States.¹ Their sample included college freshmen all the way up to graduate students. The survey focused on the use of digital devices for non-class purposes in the classroom and the effects that usage may have on learning. Almost 97 percent of the participants admitted to using a digital device on a typical school day in the classroom for non-class related activities. The top two reasons (which were both reported by more than 50% of students) for using a device in the classroom were to stay connected and fight boredom. Although the students were choosing to use those devices during class time, it was not without realizing that it could hinder their learning. Nearly 90% of students admitted that the biggest disadvantage of using devices in the classroom was that it causes them to not pay attention.¹ These results are from a survey conducted in 2016.  It seems likely device use would be even greater now in 2020, as the availability of social and video media online continues to skyrocket.

A study published in 2012 found that students who used their laptops during class scored an average of 11 percentage points lower in the course than the students who did not use their laptops.² That is a whole letter grade! Not only does the laptop user become affected by non-class related internet usage during class, but the surrounding peers are also hindered by this distraction. In an experiment conducted in an undergraduate psychology class at McMaster University, half of the participants were instructed to use paper and pencil only to take notes during a lecture.³ The other participants were asked to use a laptop during the class session and were given tasks to complete on their computers during the lecture that was not related to the instruction. The students were given assigned seats and placed strategically around the room such that some students would have a view of other students using laptops, and others would have a distraction-free view. At the conclusion of the lecture, all participants completed a multiple-choice comprehension test with questions evaluating simple knowledge and application of the information presented during the lecture. Not only did the participants using the laptops perform significantly worse on the comprehension test but also the participants who had a view of a student with a laptop scored significantly lower than participants in the distraction-free zones.³ 

Students know the negative consequence and yet still continue to use their devices during class. So, what is the solution? Some schools have explored the idea of disabling WiFi access in classrooms. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has implemented the use of software to block access to WiFi while inside classrooms. This doesn’t, however, stop cellular signals, but it likely reduces media usage during class. Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana has restricted WiFi access throughout campus during class time hours. Streaming sites were completely banned in March 2019. Feedback from faculty has been positive, with one professor saying it has helped students who were previously distracted by other students streaming during class. The ban also challenged teachers at the university to develop class activities that engage students since more were actually paying attention in class!⁴ 

Some classrooms have gone “tech-free.” Teachers in schools throughout the country have experimented with policies that prohibit students from bringing laptops, phones, and tablets into the classroom. A professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University tested this policy. She stated that the results were positive and students really loved it. Indeed, students in the tech-free class scored five percent higher on exams than previous semesters.⁵ 

Another way to ease the students into using devices less frequently is to include “tech breaks” during class time. These five-minute breaks are sandwich between lecture segments during which students are allowed to pull out their phones and check social media, text messages, and emails. Students must pay close attention during lecture time to receive this privilege, however. For example, an hour-long class might have 30 minutes of lecturing, then five minutes for a tech break, before the second half of the class begins. This is a good way to not look like the bad guy, eliminating technology completely, and acknowledging how important students’ devices are to them.

Strategies to limit electronic device use in classrooms will continue to rise as the next generation of learners who are even more addicted to their devices enter college. While eliminating WiFI access and banding electronic devices continue to gain traction in schools, more pressure will be placed on teachers to use more engaging instructional strategies during class. Teachers need to explore ways to restructure class time. Ideas include more in-class small group activities, pop quizzes at the end of presentations, and inviting and interacting with guest experts. One of the most useful techniques is to chunk class time into brief activities, each focused on different learning objectives. These brief activities keep the students engaged and involved. Clearly, we need more research about the harms of technology addiction, how it hinders learning, and strategies to address it. 

References

1. McCoy B. Digital distractions in the classroom phase II: student classroom use of digital devices for non-class related purposes. Journal of Media Education [Internet]. 2016; 7: 5-32. [cited 2020 February 10].
2. Duncan D, Hoekstra A, Wilcox B. Digital devices, distraction, and student performance: does in-class cell phone use reduce learning? Astronomy Education Review [Internet] 2012; 11: DOI: 10.3847/AER2012011 [cited 2020 February 10].
3. Sana F, Weston T, Cepeda NJ. Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Computers & Education [Internet]. 2013; 62: 24-31. [cited 2020 February 18].
4. Smith M. Purdue University bans Netflix, other streaming services for students in academic buildings. The Washington Post [Internet]. 2019 March 15. [cited 2020 February 18].
5. Gaither S. Why you should consider a tech-free classroom. Psychology Today [Internet]. 2019 September 23. [cited 2020 February 18].