faculty.uoit.ca/kay/laptop Video Presentation is available at: faculty.uoit.ca/kay/laptop

Dr. Robin Kay UOIT – Oshawa, Canada Benefits and Challenges of Using Laptops in Higher Education Classrooms Dr. Robin Kay UOIT – Oshawa, Canada

Context – Tension Lecture (50%-80%) Classroom Tension Digital Natives (Ubiquitous) Laptop Ownership (88%) Wireless Access (Ubiquitous) Attention Span (10 min) Lecture (50%-80%)

In the news … Professors Ban Laptops in College Classrooms to Avoid Distractions Washington Post, April 25, 2010 Put Away That Laptop: Professors Pull The Plug NPR Bad News : More College Banning Laptops Notebook.com

What does the research say? Benefits Challenges

Validity & Reliability Limited Why another study? Patchwork of Results Validity & Reliability Limited

Current Study Context Sample Method Results

Context Study (All students) Laptops Small University Active Use of Laptops Social Studies

Sample 177 students (89 males, 88 females) Sample Year 1(42%) Year 2(33%) Year 3(17%) Year 4( 7%) 14% ESL 85% proficient at using computers

Method End of Course Survey Voluntary 10-15 min Likert & Open Ended 34% response rate

Results - Benefits Average use - 8.8 hours per day 72% reported laptop was helpful Note taking most prevalent In-class academic activities also prevalent Laptops help collaboration process 30% of students use Instant messaging for academics Twice as many positive comments Note taking Helped focus students Good resources available in class

Results – Challenge 50% find other student’s laptop use distracting 43% find the Internet distracting 25% find Instant Messaging distracting 16% participate in watching Pornography 10% send personal Emails Negative Comments about distractions Instant messaging Playing games Movies

Current vs. Previous Studies Previous studies used traditional lectures with laptops This study used active learning strategies with laptop

Context – Tension Lecture (50%-80%) Classroom Tension Digital Natives (Ubiquitous) Laptop Ownership (88%) Wireless Access (Ubiquitous) Attention Span (10 min) Lecture (50%-80%)

Solution Active Learning Engagement Digital Natives (Ubiquitous) Laptop Ownership (88%) Wireless Access (Ubiquitous) Attention Span (10 min) Active Learning

Bottom Line If you don’t use the laptop as a teaching tool in class, It will most certainly become a distraction!

Contact Information Email: robin.kay@uoit.ca Website: faculty.uoit.ca/kay/home Dr. Robin Kay Associate Professor