Law Professors Veto Laptops in Class

To ban laptops or not to ban laptops: that is the question. In an article in this week’s Chronicle, law-school professors who ban laptops in class say their students are much more engaged in class discussions.

One law professor, Howard M. Wasserman of Florida International University, has tried a different approach. This past academic year, while a visiting law professor at St. Louis University, he strongly advised his first-year students not to use laptops. By the end of year, he said, about half of his 40 students were using laptops and half were not.

“It’s easier to do if you catch them early,” said Mr. Wasserman in an interview with The Chronicle. “Second- and third-year students are more resistant to the advice.”—Andrea L. Foster