Research on Teaching and Learning
Does multi-tasking improve or impair attention? The findings of a laboratory-based study (reviewed below) illuminate the relationship between the use of devices and the potential for distraction. The researchers in this study set out to test whether undergraduates who are “heavy media multi-taskers” might have an improved ability, relative to peers who are “light media multi-taskers,” to filter […]
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Research on Teaching and Learning
A study published in Psychological Science shows that students who wrote lecture notes “longhand” scored better on conceptual questions in later testing on the lecture content than students who typed notes on a laptop. In this laboratory study, students at Princeton University and the University of California-Los Angeles were given either laptops or pen and […]
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Research on Teaching and Learning
As instructors, we may wonder if laptop use helps or hinders learning in our classrooms. We may find ourselves on the fence—understanding that some students prefer to type their notes, but then wondering whether students are paying attention and staying engaged, and whether their laptop use may be distracting others. Two classroom-based studies (discussed below) suggest that […]
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