Hoekstra, Angel R., Duncan, Douglas and Bethany R. Wilcox. 2016.

Student use of digital technologies has generated concern amongst faculty regarding the effects of these devices. This multi-year project, conducted by an interdisciplinary research team, examines the effects of in-class device use for learning and interactive behavior. Conducted over three semesters at a public university in the western United States, the sample reflects three data subsets (survey, observation, and interviews) collected in fourteen courses in five scientific disciplines (N=1278; Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Physics, Sociology; 2010-2012). The majority of these courses were taught by experienced faculty in large lecture halls; to better engage students, instructors utilized i>clickersTM and Peer Instruction (Mazur 1997). Existing research suggests these techniques support engagement and accountability (Hoekstra 2015), but other work suggests the simultaneous presence of cell phones may negatively impact learning (Lepp, Barkley, and Karpinski 2015). This analysis focuses on students' use of clickers, laptops, and smartphones. Findings indicate no statistically significant effect for laptop use; students who took notes on laptops performed similarly to peers who took notes by another method. However, a statistically significant negative relationship was found between phone use and final grades. The 75% of students who (anonymously) indicated regular phone use scored approximately half-a-letter-grade lower final grade (0.47 ± 0.14 points) compared to students who never use phones in class. Further, while clickers do appear at times to mitigate the potential distractions afforded by other devices, the nature of student technology use is complex. Discussion focuses on implications for establishing reasonable technology use policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]