It is 2L’s who spend the most time using their laptops during classes for non-academic purposes, according to recent research done by a doctoral candidate at St. Louis University School of Law.
In a study of how students used their computers and how different teaching styles affected their use, the researcher found that 2L’s spent 42% of their time off task, while 1L’s spent 35% and 3L’s spent 28%.
However, she also found no correlation between laptop misuse and course performance. In fact, she found that students with higher scores on the LSAT spent the most time off-task, possibly because the higher-scoring students read up on course material beforehand and listen only to the most important parts of the lectures. Findings also included that laptop misuse tended to increase about 40 minutes into a class, when professors called on students in a specific order, and when a professor lectured in monotone.
The research also included suggestions for ways that professors can command attention in their classes, including:
- Offering big-picture summaries
- Warning that certain material would make a good exam question
- Presenting information in shorter increments, and
- Breaking up lectures with questions and discussion
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