Professors banning in-class laptop use

[xultar]

Professors banning in-class laptop use

Posted May 3rd 2006 10:14AM by Evan Blass


In yet another sign that Luddism is alive and well in academia (remember Lakehead University's silly WiFi ban?), the Associated Press has picked up on a disturbing "trend" of professors banning laptops in their classrooms. Unlike the WiFi brouhaha, which revolved around fears that the wireless signals might be dangerous, keeping laptops out of the lecture hall is seen as a way of forcing students to pay attention. The AP article cites several law school professors who have enacted the ban, including one whose inspiration came while serving as an expect trial witness, when he realized the court stenographer wasn't absorbing any of the content that he/she was transcribing. If you ask us, not only does this policy fail to address the root of a problem -- hey Prof, try making your classes more interesting if you want people to pay attention -- but considering what students are paying for a higher education these days, they should be allowed to lug a mainframe and three monitors to class if that's how they like to get their learnin' done...

Check out the rest @ http://www.engadget.com

[ZombieNixon]

1. Well, I can see both sides of the issue on this one.

On the one hand, yes, bringing a laptop can be a distraction, and I think that not all the responsibility is on the professor to "be more interesting." The students share the responsibility to pay attention. On the other hand, I'm a computer science student, and having a hands on environment in which I can do my work (programming, animation, whatever) during class helps a gread deal more than just listening to the professor lecture. Generally, if people simply hear something, they are more likely to forget. If they do it, they will likely understand.

[eyesroll]

2. I will be very not happy if my law-school profs ban laptops

I know Marquette still doesn't have a firm grasp on laptops for exams -- and handwriting for four hours is gonna SUCK --
I stopped taking hand notes years ago at my job -- it's faster. It's easier. It leaves me more time to pay attention -- if I'm furiously handwriting, I'm still not concentrating fully on the professor, but for longer. I absorb it when I read it over anyway -- and it's not really the prof's job to make sure we absorb stuff. If we don't, we do poorly on exams and assignments and that's our problem.

[philosophie_en_rose]

16. I'm with you.

Law school involves so much information. Unless a professor allows taping (which I don't like - why listen to class twice?), it's really unfair to limit the way that students take notes.

[Kellanved]

3. actually that is a good move

The sound of someone typing on a keyboard can be very loud and distracting; it really hurts the concentration of fellow students.
There is little to no advantage notebooks offer when compared to pen&paper, as the act of transcribing the handwritten notes later helps remembering the lesson.

[Hugin]

4. Stories like this make me feel old...

No kidding... Slide rules where banned from tests in my day and
only the uber-nerds had a calculator.


P.S. Don't ask what a slide rule is.

[JVS]

5. Profs aren't supposed to be interesting, they're supposed to gush info.

The interest is kindled by the fact that of you don't learnt it YOU WILL FAIL

[frankenforpres]

18. im interesting

and i gush info

[philosophie_en_rose]

19. Profs want tenure? Profs feed me info with spoon.

:P

Just kidding.


I'm filling out a class evaluation right now, though.


I do think the professor has to make an effort to communicate information in a way that students have the chance to understand, though. Not that they're responsible for student understanding, but that there is an attainable chance of succeeding.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. Then what's the difference between a prof and an encyclopedia?

[LSdemocrat]

25. Profs are interactive - you can ask them questions

They also present material in far greater detail than any encyclopedia.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

27. Hell, I can ask the Internet questions.

And the standard text book will cover the material. A prof is supposed to TEACH, not talk to students. It's part of their job to present material in a way that keeps students actually learning. If they can't manage to keep the students interested, they shouldn't be working.

[LSdemocrat]

28. The internet can be awfully tempting at times

Good teaching isn't necessarily always gripping from start to finish.

[tigereye]

6. huh

on the one hand, I am a handwritten notes person, but sometimes I write so fast that what I write is hard to read later.

On the other hand, what about folks who have different learning styles, really poor auditory processing, dyslexia, or some other processing issue? Laptops might be the way to go for them. This raises really interesting questions about learning styles and which mode of neurological processing/intake of info and study is best for students.

I always thought profs wanted to ban laptops since they were a distraction and students were surfing instead of listening, though.

[JohnKleeb]

7. I guess I can see both sides of the issue however

as someone with piss poor handwriting and who knows damn well that I wouldn't have passed a class if it had not been for my typed notes I think this is a bad idea. Now, clearly someone should not be playing games during a lecture and what not but that's their responsiblity and their fault if they fail the class because they thought looking on the web during the lecture was more important than typing the notes. I bring my laptop with me to classes with professors that talk fast and don't write things on the board like the one class I mentioend. I know that I would have not been able to pass it had it not been for my laptop. My notes really did help me prepare for tests. I think it's unfair to those of us who have bad handwriting really.

[1gobluedem]

11. I once was raised by half a grade for clear handwriting

Like you, I can see both sides of the issue. The problem is that people who abuse it spoil it for those who really need it. Like personal cellphones in the workplace -- you allow people to leave them on in case there's an emergency and they end up taking every call, whether it's serious or not. And the callers know that their call will be answered whether the person is at work or not so they call whenever they feel like it. I'm dealing with that with my staff right now.

[JohnKleeb]

12. I'd say even more than a half grade in my case

I am what they call a visual learner so I learn best if I see the information in front of me. While it was just my luck that this professor's lectures were exclusively auditory. Yeah that is a good parrell with phones in the workplace. I dunno but as I said if people want to bring their laptops to class so they can slack off than that's their problem. Those of us who are actually paying attention shouldn't be penalized because of some dumbass.

[Patiod]

8. My boss finally gave up on trying to stop me from taking notes

I interview people for a living, and am expected to produce a report shortly afterwards. Shortly afterwards enough to preclude time to listen to tapes of the interviews (although I can always check the tapes if I need an exact quote)

EVERY single review included an admonishion that I should "take fewer notes". Well, if that works for you, fine. I NEED to take notes - it helps me concentrate - I don't transcribe what's being said, but summarize, so I have to understand it. If I don't understand it enough to write it down, I ask for a clarification. Otherwise it could go in one ear and out the other. Everyone processes information differently

My concern with computers in class is that I doubt the students are all taking notes - tell me there's no IMing or surfing going on. That would be my frustration as a prof. At least when I was in school, students were limited to the cross-word puzzle - now they're probably on Fark or IMing their roommate about lunch.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

21. If they want to pay $30k/year to IM, that's their business.

As far as I'm concerned, if students fail because of that, that's THEIR problem. The prof's job is to do whatever it takes to present material in a fashion that will best help his/her students learn - it is not to "enforce learning".

[SOteric]

9. I think it depends very much on the course work.

I can see a laptop as a very serious tool for some sciences. But obviously, surfing DU instead of listening to a lecture on the military reforms of Marius and Diocletian would be a wrong and bad thing.

And I tend to disagree that the professors should bear any burden for being 'more interesting.' The objective in a classroom is to gain an education. It's an objective backed up with a hefty tuition typically paid by a students parents or with tax dollars. There's no objective relevant to the classroom for being entertaining unless one is studying something like Theatre.

I understand there's difficulty in paying any attention to a real snoozer of a Prof, I've done more than my fair share of it myself. Suck it up and drive on. Some things in life are just plain not amusing and one can't be dragging a laptop everywhere just to keep oneself entertained.

That said, many students learn material more quickly by writing or typing it out. Some amount of visual stimulation seems to activate their learning centers.

[DS1]

10. The VAST majority of laptop use in classroom I've seen is AIM

People chatting back and forth about how much their class sucks
:eyes:

[xultar]

13. Well at least they will be prepared for work in the corporate world.

[One_Life_To_Give]

14. Have they heard of Tape Recorders?

There was a time when tape recorders were used. So you didn't have to transcribe notes during class. But could pay attention to the discussion. And transcribe all the notes off of the recording after class.

[JohnKleeb]

15. There are some people who still do that

but as I said there are different learning styles for different people. It's also nice to have all your notes organized on your hard disk too.

[Mutley]

23. I've had several professors who do not allow tape recorders.

I don't know why, but there it is.

[deadparrot]

17. As a college student,

I can say that I never bring my laptop to lecture (unless we have to give a powerpoint presentation or something, and a computer isn't provided). I never see anyone bring them on a regular basis. It's way too much trouble--very bulky, and it takes up the entire desk in most cases. A pen and notebook work perfectly well. :shrug:

[Squatch]

31. As a graduate student, I take mine everywhere.

Including class. Luckil, we have wireless, so doing a bit of research as the prof's talking helps.

[Mutley]

22. I can see both sides.

It depends on the individual. I learn better by handwriting my notes. I don't know why, but for some reason I absorb the information much more quickly that way. However, I do know people who use laptops and do better that way.

It is the students' responsibility to pay attention and to make sure they know the information, not the professors'. The only time I have seen laptops as a problem is when you have a student who bangs on the keys like there is no tomorrow and the noise distracts the entire class.

[mrbassman03]

24. Well, I stopped bringing my laptop to class...

I found that the fact that e-mail, games, and IM were one click away kept me from getting a lot of information. I take much better notes with a pen and paper. However, I know I may be an exception and banning laptops keeps those that utilize their time well from being productive.

[TimeChaser]

26. I use my laptop to take notes

That's mainly because even I can't read my own handwriting sometimes, and I type faster than I can write.

[izzybeans]

29. Sorry but playing the prat fall artist for students while they surf the

web is counterproductive in the classroom in a number of ways. Most importantly it is counterproductive for the student, who most likely is not paying attention to anything the prof. is saying (even when the prof. shows up in drag, or pulls out all the dogs and ponies, etc.)

Whose responsibility is it to be interesting here? Professors at my college jump through hoops to get their students to bark. And most of the time those efforts just result in a bunch of whimpering from the peanut gallery.

If the content of your course is not interesting to you, take up a trade or drop the class. But then again these students can waste their money, get their C's and become mediocre citizens. That is their business I guess, but they are a drag academia; because these are the same students that are the first to claim they've learned nothing, ironically without ever trying.

Asking professors to become more interesting in order to appease what on average amounts to Tekken playing cry babies (as has been my experience) is just anti-intellectualist bullshit. Sorry but I have no desire to empathize with the apathetic. For a non-luddite I have no sympathy for a student who comes into my classroom just to surf the web. I'd rather they stay home. If a rule like this is detrimental to a student whose laptop is used for academics then I work this out in a one-on-one situation. However, 70% (and your percentage may differ from mine, but this has been my estimate of my classrooms) of the time those laptops are being used as diversions in the classrooms. Either it is all or nothing; or you run the risk of playing favorites by allowing the students that make your classroom prep. time worthwhile to use their laptop. In all three scenarios somebody is going to start crying foul. I have students that would much rather type than write, as do I; however how do I keep stoner mcgee in the corner from looking up the myspace page of the girl next to him (just to see if she has some bikini pics).

Remember that whole "if your not outraged you are not paying attention" thing...well, this is the status quo of the college student culture. ASking students to quit looking up girls pictures on myspace when they are supposed to be discussing globalization, religious nationalism, and fundamentalist activism, which was my morning yesterday morning (and on an election day) isn't too much to ask. But then again it is their money (or their parents), so...whatever. And if that student would rather look up a random girl's spring break pics then discuss issues of world importance and my frustration with postings such as this offend someone, then pardon me. You are probably not one of those in the mold of the student status quo.

[Runcible Spoon]

30. "considering what students are paying for a higher education these days"

I'm getting downright sick of being treated like a distributor of a commodity which has been bought, paid for, where my only role is to deliver product. Our university even refers to students as "clients". Whatever happened to valuing a dynamic classroom environment? Where, I dunno, gee maybe LEARNING happens? Yes, I ban laptops (for most-I have allowed them for students who can demonstrate need) because I consider it rude and distracting (not to me, because honestly I only see myself there for the handful of engaged minds; the rest are just in queue on the degree mill production line). Mr. Jackass "I'm Inheriting Daddy's Business and the Only Reason I'm Here is Because He Says I Hafta" sitting in the back playing online poker and IMing his buddies is a slap in the face to those who want to learn. In my field, there is very little point to making students regurgitate a bunch of facts. What we do is teach them an informed and reflexive lens for filtering "reality". Discussion is vital.