Use of Laptops in the Classroom: Research and Best
Practices
Introduction
Across campus, laptops and other mobile devices, such as
iPads and smartphones, are appearing in greater numbers in the classroom. In a
CTools survey of 1,415 U-M students conducted in Winter 2010, over 50% of
respondents reported bringing their laptops to class at least once per week
(USE Lab, Digital Media Commons, 2010). Many faculty see this trend as an
opportunity for more innovative teaching, and they are exploring ways to
leverage this technology to increase student engagement during lecture. However,
other faculty worry about potential distractions that mobile devices could
introduce into their classrooms. In this Occasional Paper, we present the
results of a CRLT research study that examined student perceptions of how
laptops affect attentiveness, engagement, and learning, and we suggest
guidelines for using laptops and other mobile devices effectively in the
classroom. As we discuss below, laptops can be an effective tool for promoting
student learning if faculty plan carefully for
how and when they will ask students to use their laptops, rather than simply
allowing students to bring them to class.
CRLT Study of In-Class Laptop Use at U-M
While research on the effects of laptop usage on student
learning and engagement is limited, there is some evidence for both positive
and negative impacts. On the positive side, when students can pose questions
via their laptops, the number of questions is higher than in traditional
classes (Anderson et al., 2003; Caron & Gely, 2004; Samson, 2010). Studies
that correlate final grades with student use of laptops have been mixed, with
some finding that students with laptops received slightly higher grades (Wurst,
Smarkola, & Gaffney, 2008), and others finding a negative correlation
between the use of laptops and grades (Grace-Martin & Gay, 2001; Fried,
2008). On the negative side, students have reported that laptops, both their
own (Barak, Lipson, & Lerman, 2006; Maxwell, 2007) and those of their
classmates (Fried, 2008; Mazzie, 2008), are a distraction. It is important to
note that studies showing a positive association between laptop usage and
student learning or grades involved courses in
which the integration of technology had received significant attention from
faculty.
To investigate the views of U-M students and faculty
about this issue and the possible impact laptops may have on learning and
teaching, CRLT conducted a study of student perceptions of how laptops affect
their attentiveness, engagement, and learning. We surveyed undergraduate and
graduate students from sixteen courses that allowed laptops in the classroom.
In eight of the classrooms, the faculty planned to have students use
LectureTools on their laptops. Developed by U-M engineering professor Perry
Samson, LectureTools is an interactive suite of web-based tools designed to
allow questioning practices in lecture that actively engage students and go
beyond the multiple choice format typically supported by classroom response
systems (clickers). Additional functions include the ability for students to
take notes and make drawings on PowerPoint slides, rate their understanding of
each slide, pose questions anonymously during the lecture, and review the
recorded lecture after class (see http://www.lecturetools.com).
In our study, classes using LectureTools were matched to
a control group of similar classes that allowed laptops, but did not use
LectureTools or have a specific strategy for integrating laptops into the
course. The control group classes matched the LectureTools classes in size,
level, and discipline (see Table 1). A total of 595 students (35% of the
classroom population) responded to our surveys. Of the total number, 259
students were in classes that used LectureTools, and 336 students were in the
control group. Response rates for both groups were very similar, 33% for the
group using LectureTools and 37% for the control group. The participating
classes varied in enrollment size and level, and represented various
disciplines (e.g., political science, nursing, education, biology, and interdisciplinary
courses).
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Table 1: Laptop Survey Demographics (Note: this table
does not reproduce well in e-mail format. The original version can be found at:
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no30.pdf
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What do U-M students say about their attentiveness,
engagement, and learning when using laptops?
Students were asked to rate their agreement or
disagreement with three statements: ?My attentiveness has increased due to
laptop use,? ?My laptop helped me to be engaged during lecture,? and ?I learned
more due to the use of a laptop than I would have without it.? Overall,
students in courses with professors who used LectureTools reported higher
levels of attentiveness, engagement, and learning than students in the control
group (see Table 2).
The difference between the two groups was greatest for
the question of engagement, with about 60% of the LectureTools students
strongly agreeing or agreeing that laptops increased their engagement versus
only 39% of the control group. Differences in responses to other questions were
less pronounced but still statistically significant. More than half (53%) of
respondents from LectureTools classes strongly agreed or agreed that they learned
more due to the use of a laptop than they would have without it, compared to
only 40% of students from the control group. A larger percentage of students
using LectureTools (37%) than students in the control group (25%) strongly
agreed or agreed that their attentiveness increased due to laptop use.
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Table 2: Comparison of Student Perceptions of Impact of
Laptops. (Note: this table does not reproduce well in e-mail format. The
original version can be found at: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no30.pdf
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Open-ended comments helped to explain these differences.
Students reported that easy interaction between the professor and students via
laptops during lecture was an important factor affecting their attentiveness,
engagement, and learning. For example, some students in the LectureTools group
felt that the questions posed by the instructor in LectureTools helped them
better understand and learn lecture material. Others highlighted interactive
components, such as chatting with graduate student instructors (GSIs) during
lecture or rating their own understanding of concepts, which they said engaged
them more in class and made them feel more connected to what was being taught.
As one student commented, ?LectureTools is a great way to take notes and stay
alert in class. It helped me learn a great deal more.?
What do U-M students say about potential distraction when
using laptops in class?
While students see laptops, especially when used with
LectureTools, as helpful tools for learning, they also clearly recognize that
laptops can become a distraction for themselves and others during class.
Three-quarters of the students from both groups reported that using a laptop
during class increased the amount of time they spent on non-course tasks. In
addition, approximately 35% of the respondents in both the LectureTools and
control groups spent more than ten minutes per class using social networking
sites and email. When asked how they are affected when other students seated
near them use their laptops, a higher percentage of students in the control
group (46%) than in the LectureTools group (40%) reported feeling somewhat or
significantly distracted, although this difference was not statistically
significant.
Open-ended comments reveal that many students appear to
weigh the options of using or not using laptops during class and make decisions
based on what may be most helpful for their own learning. The following
comments represent student views on laptop distraction and how they deal with
it.
?I can type so much more efficiently than write, and my
notes are so much more organized when typed with word processing software. If I
had a course that didn?t allow laptops, I would consider dropping it, simply
because of the difference it would make relating to my own personal learning
style.?
?Laptops do help with taking notes a lot and with being
able to look at powerpoints on the computer and add your own notes [in
LectureTools]. However, they are also distracting because you end up on
Facebook when you think the lecture is at a point you don?t need to pay
attention.?
?I didn?t use a laptop during this lecture and never use
my laptop during other lectures either. For students who take notes on their
laptops I can see how typing would allow for quicker note-taking, but for
students who sit and go online or do other unrelated activities, I find it
distracting to sit in the same lecture as them.?
Logistical and Instructional Practices to Support Laptop
Use in Class
The results of our study confirm findings from other
research. When laptops are used for specific pedagogical purposes, they can
have real benefits for student learning. At the same time, they are also a
potential distraction in the classroom. Given that the number of students who
own laptops and other mobile devices is increasing steadily, faculty will need
to think carefully about their approach to student laptop use and how they can
maximize the benefits while minimizing the distraction. Options for faculty to
consider range from banning laptops (Foster, 2008; Glenn, 2010), to adopting an
intensive approach such as LectureTools, or using a variety of intermediate
solutions. In this section, we review logistical issues faculty should address
in order to manage laptop use proactively in their classrooms. We also suggest
practices for using laptops to increase student engagement.
Policies and Logistics
Set a laptop policy and communicate it to students
Whether you decide to encourage or discourage student
laptops, it is often helpful to have a clear policy statement in the course
syllabus about expectations for how and when laptops are permitted. Such a
statement will help manage the use of laptops in class, and it will act as a
guideline to students regarding your expectations. These days, with laptops as
ubiquitous as pen and paper, not having a policy is a tacit affirmation that
you allow laptops in class. Following are samples of statements that faculty
use to set boundaries for laptops in their classrooms:
?Students are not encouraged to bring laptops to class. A
closed laptop rule during lecture will be enforced and other communication
devices will need to be on ?silent? during lecture.? (U-M Syllabus)
?When you use laptops during class, do not use laptops
for entertainment during class and do not display any material on the laptop
which may be distracting or offensive to your fellow students.? (Northern
Michigan University, 2010)
?Laptops may be used only for legitimate classroom
purposes, such as taking notes, downloading class information from TWEN, or
working on an in-class exercise. E-mail, instant messaging, surfing the
Internet, reading the news, or playing games are not con- sidered legitimate
classroom purposes; such inappropriate laptop use is distracting to those
seated around you and is unprofessional.? (Mazzie, 2008)
Such policies need not entail all-or-nothing approaches.
Faculty can identify in the syllabus days when laptops will be permitted in
class (e.g., for specific activities, notetaking, or research), as well as
times when students will not be able to use laptops because their distracting
presence would create problems. Similarly, during a single class session you
might plan out times when laptops can and cannot be used and clearly
communicate this to students. A simple phrase, such as ?Screens closed, please,
for this discussion so I have everyone?s full attention? conveys both your
policy on laptop use for the activity and a rationale for why you want their
screens closed.
Identify a laptop-free zone in class
Instructors can implement a laptop-free zone, reserving
the first or first few rows of the classroom for students who do not use
laptops. This creates an area where students who are distracted by neighboring
screens and nearby typing are free from those distractions (McCreary, 2009).
Determine how well the classroom infrastructure supports
active laptop use
Before telling students to bring laptops to class, check
to see that the classroom infrastructure will support their use. For example,
when planning an activity that requires laptops for the entire class, make sure
that the classroom has enough power outlets, or plan to remind students to
charge their batteries in advance. If students need to work in groups doing
classroom research, make sure the furniture allows them enough space for typing
(without having to balance their computers on their laps). If students are
expected to present their work to peers for review, make sure they have the
right video adaptor cable to connect their laptop to the projector. When asking
students to view media or download files, find out if there are bandwidth
limitations that might prevent all students from going online simultaneously.
The instructional technology department of the school or college in charge of a
classroom building will usually be able to answer these questions.
In addition, faculty should consider how they will
accommodate students who do not own laptops so that they are not excluded from
important learning activities. One option is to have students work with
partners or in teams so that they can participate even if they do not have a
laptop.
Instructional Practices for Active Engagement
Full integration of laptops into the classroom structure
using LectureTools
With specialized programs like LectureTools, instructors
can fully integrate laptops into lecture. For example, when instructors post
slides in LectureTools, students can take notes and make drawings that will be
synchronized with the presentation and saved for later review. When instructors
present concepts during lecture that students may have problems understanding,
they can ask students to rank the difficulty level of the concepts using
LectureTools. To help students apply the concepts learned during lecture, the
in- structor may ask a range of text-based or image-based questions. Students
respond to the questions and then receive immediate feedback on their
understanding of course material. With LectureTools on their laptops, any
student can pose a clarifying question during lecture, which GSIs can then
answer during or after class. Of course, it is also possible for instructors to
initiate many of these classroom activities without using LectureTools.
Other ways laptops support communicative interactions
Instructors can take advantage of laptops and other
devices that students already have to encourage active participation and
engagement in classes, especially large lectures. For example, students in U-M
education professor Barry Fishman?s classes participate in class polls and
answer questions using either a web browser on their laptop or their cell
phone?s text messaging capability via web-based polling software (e.g., Poll
Everywhere). Student answers and opinions then help the professor pace the
lecture and shape the class discussion. During lecture, students can also
access programs such as Google Moderator or Live Question Tool to post
questions and vote on them. Students can even post questions while they are
doing the readings (both inside and outside of class). Once a question is
posted, other students can vote on the question to indicate that there is more
than one person interested in it. Laptops can also allow students to engage in
low-stakes (i.e., non-graded) writing assignments.
Danielle LaVaque-Manty, a lecturer at the Sweetland Center for Writing, often
asks her students to respond to questions about course readings on CTools at
the beginning of class to prime them for discussion. The next day, she posts
her comments for each student online. The same activity can easily be carried
out using pencil and paper, but CTools allows for faster instructor response
(no need to wait for the next class session to hand back hard copies) and a
convenient way to maintain a permanent electronic record of students? in-class
writing.
Laptops as tools for reflection and idea generation
Faculty may choose to turn some part of their course into
a ?studio,? a time during which students, with their laptops, engage in
experiential learning, participating in reflective activities and
problem-solving sessions or even designing projects as part of larger course
assignments (e.g., research projects, presentations, papers). It is important
to create such activities so that they can be completed during class or to
state explicitly that students will need to finish part of a task outside of
class. Ideally, tasks build on ideas presented earlier in that class session,
so that students are applying, practicing, or reflecting on important topics
from material introduced that day. By completing such tasks in class, students
can benefit from the presence of faculty and GSIs who can actively diagnose
problems or push students to think about ideas differently. To avoid having
laptops used for non-class activities, clear laptop policies should be
communicated, and studio time should be devoted
to assignments of sufficient difficulty that students require peer and
instructor input.
Conclusion
The issues raised by the presence of laptops in the
classroom will no doubt increase along with the number and ubiquity of portable
devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets). Research conducted at U-M and elsewhere
confirms that laptops and other portable devices are like any classroom tool;
they function best when they fulfill a clear instructional goal and when they
are used in specific ways that support student learning. And while some faculty
may decide either to ban such devices or to adopt programs such as
LectureTools, there are intermediate steps that can take advantage of the
potential power of laptops while minimizing their distracting effects. The
careful use of laptops can enrich opportunities for interaction with peers and
instructors, as well as with course materials, increasing student engagement
and learning. CRLT instructional consultants are available to discuss ways to
incorporate laptops into classes, including the use of LectureTools.
References
Anderson, R. J., Anderson, R., Vandegrift, T., Wolfman,
S., & Yasuhara, K. (2003). Promoting interaction in large classes with
computer-mediated feedback. In B. Wasson, S. Ludvigsen, & U. Hoppe (Eds.),
Designing for Change in Networked Learning Environments: Proceedings of the
International Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning (pp.
119-123). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Barak, M., Lipson, A., & Lerman, S. (2006). Wireless
laptops as means for promoting active learning in large lecture halls. Journal
of Research on Technology in Education, 38(3).
Caron, P., & Gely, R. (2004). Taking back the law
school classroom: Using technology to foster active student learning. Journal
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Foster, A. L. (2008, June 13). Law professors rule
laptops out of order in class. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved
from http://chronicle.com/article/Law-Professors-
Rule-Laptops/29745/
Fried, C. B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on
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Glenn, D. (2010, February 28). Divided attention: In an
age of classroom multitasking, scholars probe the nature of learning and
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Grace-Martin, M., & Gay, G. (2001). Web browsing,
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Maxwell, N. G. (2007). From Facebook to Folsom Prison
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Mazzie, L. (2008, October 27). Is a laptop?free zone the
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(2010). IT & CTools Survey ? Winter 2010. Retrieved from http://
ctools.umich.edu/portal/site/!gateway/page/d73c5aac-
2fc3-48a0-802b-bff1e3cd031f
Wurst, C., Smarkola C., & Gaffney, M. A. (2008).
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The CRLT Occasional Papers series is published on a
variable schedule by the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the
University of Michigan. Information about extra copies or back issues can be
obtained by writing to: Publications, CRLT, 1071 Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw
Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218.
Copyright 2011 The University of Michigan
CRLT Occasional Paper No. 30
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
The University of Michigan 1071 Palmer Commons 100
Washtenaw Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218
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Erping Zhu is an Assistant Director at the Center for
Research on Learning and Teaching. She has a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems
Technology. Matthew Kaplan is the Managing Director of CRLT. He has a Ph.D. in
Comparative Literature. Charles Dershimer is the U-M Director of the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation?s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowships, a Clinical
Assistant Professor, and Chair of Secondary Teacher Education at U-M?s School
of Education. He was an Assistant Director at CRLT in 2009 and 2010. Inger
Bergom is a Ph.D. student in the Center for the Study of Higher and
Postsecondary Education at U-M. She served as a CRLT research assistant between
2008 and 2010.
tomorrow's-professor Digest Vol. 62, Issue 1: Use of Laptops in the Classroom: Research and Best Practices
