A lecturer’s decision to ban laptops from his classes may have sparked uproar among students but international research shows he might be on to something.
Those who opened their laptops performed significantly poorer than those whose laptops were closed
Students who use laptops to multi-task distract themselves and their peers, while hampering their understanding of course material and overall performance, some research suggests.
The Times reported last week that lecturer Antoine Vella has banned laptops from his classes to the dismay of his students, one of whom claimed he was using his laptop because the lecture was so boring.
The University of Malta subsequently said it encouraged the use of technology because it could enhance teaching and learning but decisions related to behaviour in the lecture room were the lecturer’s prerogative.
The issue has sparked similar discussions in various countries, judging by the substantial number of studies that have been conducted, many of which point to a growing trend of faculties banning laptops from classrooms.
A 2008 study by psychology professor Carrie B. Fried, from the Winona State University, showed laptop use could have “serious negative consequences”, and faculties that do not use laptops in an integrated way should consider limiting or controlling their use.
The author points out that some previous research had shown laptops could be an important learning tool, but most of these studies focused on classes that had been specifically designed or revised to utilise the technology.
She says several universities have introduced initiatives to make laptops ubiquitous in classrooms, such as by providing Wi-Fi throughout the buildings (as has been done at the University of Malta).
Her study focused on a university that required all students to lease laptops but in which laptops were not fully integrated in classes, in part due to the scepticism of lecturers.
Students completed weekly surveys of attendance, laptop use and other aspects of the classroom environment.
“Results showed that students who used laptops in class spent considerable time multitasking and that the laptop use posed a significant distraction to both users and fellow students,” it found.
“Most importantly, the level of laptop use was negatively elated to several measures of student learning, including self-reported understanding of course material and overall course performance.”
The author stresses, however, that the study would not apply to every classroom.
Teachers who tailor their classes to laptops “may have an entirely different experience” she writes, pointing out that this study was restricted to “unstructured use of laptops”.
A similar study was conducted in 2003 by Cornell University where researchers Helene Hembrooke and Geri Gay tested two groups of students who heard the same lecture.
One group was allowed to use their laptops to engage in browsing, search, and social networking while the second was asked to keep their laptops closed.
Those who opened their laptops performed “significantly poorer” than those whose laptops were closed.
Meanwhile, a local study by Velislava Hillman, which looked at multi-tasking habits among Maltese youths, showed that the majority of multi-taskers (students who read while listening to music or browsing the internet) fared below average at school. On the other hand, those who get grades of between 75 and 100 per cent never multi-task.