Should You Encourage Students to BYOD?
Teaching has changed dramatically with the advent of the smart phone. Perhaps you actively encourage students to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), or maybe you’ve given up on trying to police students’ behavior in the classroom. Either way, your educational goals may ultimately be tempered by this one course policy.
Problems with BYODSome college professors have long battled the use of cell phones or other electronic devices in the classroom, and with good reason, too. Experimental work demonstrates that active cell phone use during a lecture leads to less note-taking, less remembered information, and lower grades compared to abstaining from cell phones (Kuznekoff & Titsworth, 2013). Although instructors may attempt to police students’ behaviors in the classroom, they can’t control students’ behaviors outside the classroom. One study found that students spend more time texting and talking on the phone each week than they do studying for or attending their courses (Hanson, Drumheller, Mallard, McKee, & Schlegel, 2011). Therefore, restricting their use of cell phones in class is tantamount to restricting their oxygen intake (or at least that’s what students say).
Students’ Perspective
Despite these barriers to educational goals, students seem to adhere to certain boundaries when it comes to cell phones in the classroom. In one study (Baker, Lusk, & Neuhauser, 2012), an overwhelming majority of students believed that cell phones could be used to gain an unfair advantage on quizzes or exams, and they believed it is appropriate for instructors to prohibit their use during an exam. However, students disagreed when asked whether it was okay to have their cell phones collected before an exam. Students also believed that students who let their cell phones ring or make other noises in class are being disrespectful or rude. However, most students recommended that instructors light-heartedly call attention to students’ ringing cell phones, as opposed to ignoring it or immediately addressing the interruption to the student in class. These findings suggest that students acknowledge the difficulties that cell phones pose in the classroom, but desire their instructors to respect their ability to control their own classroom behavior.
Teacher Credibility
Another thing that instructors need to consider is their own credibility to effectively teach the course. Teacher credibility is the extent to which students perceive their instructor as being competent, trustworthy, and caring. Teacher credibility has also been shown to be related to a variety of positive educational outcomes (Tibbles, Richmond, McCroskey, & Weber, 2008). The more teachers encouraged technology use in the classroom, the higher their instructor credibility (Finn & Ledbetter, 2013). Coincidentally, there was no relationship between instructor credibility and discouraging and/or laissez-faire policies. According to this study, a professor who actively embraces students’ use of technology in class does not lose any “teacher cred” with students if they also discourage technology use that distracts from learning.
Is a BYOD Policy Right for You?
Although discouraging students’ use of personal devices in the classroom may prompt students to post an angry meme of you on reddit, you won’t lose their hearts and minds if you actively encourage students to use their technology wisely. This relates back to one of my old posts on students and social media. As long as you directly relate personal device usage to course content, students will appreciate your efforts and be more motivated to learn the course content. Whether you question the overuse of technology in the classroom (e.g., Peluso, 2012), or think you might replace textbooks altogether with cell phones (e.g., Tessier, 2014), choose a policy that suits your style. Just be forewarned that relying on lecture-based courses will tempt students to distraction. However, if you are enthusiastic, communicate that you care, and demonstrate your expertise through your course delivery and organization, your students will not mind (much) if you limit their cell phone use.
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References
Image used with permission by mindscanner via iStockphoto .