As expected, the responses varied, yet they were specific in their reasoning. Some professors are adamant that phones are detrimental to class cohesion and students’ ability to truly be present. Others see real value in phone breaks, or even active use in class, arguing that phones have become integral parts of our lives. What’s clear is that this longstanding debate has not been resolved by the increase in tech use during the pandemic.
I’ve categorized responses into three groups: no phones, limited use, and integrated into class.
No Phones
Heather Dubrow, an English professor at Fordham University, explains her reasoning as follows:
“On many other issues I’m flexible. But I feel strongly it’s not in students’ interest to consult their telephones during class: Rather than tuning out on our work (and not least, implicitly undervaluing contributions by other students), they can check the phones afterwards. And we are, I’d argue, serving students’ broader interests by encouraging them to see that digital devices are not the be-all and end-all. Let’s help them learn that there are many kinds of valuable reading, some suitable for some situations and some for others, and in many circumstances slow reading and rereading, not rapid scrolling, are demanded.” (She does make exceptions when students with disabilities approach her with a need for their phone.)
Jerise Fogel, an adjunct professor in the classics and general-humanities department at Montclair State University, describes her approach:
“I deal with phone usage that I notice partly by addressing everyone no more than once in a session to ask that ‘everything digital’ be put away. Today in class I spoke to two students in the back of the class who were using their phones very openly, and explained that I don’t feel comfortable prohibiting people from using phones if they are on emergency watch, for instance, with someone close to them in the hospital, etc. BUT, that said, could they please put the phones away in class if it’s not an emergency? Personally asking generally gets a good short-term response at least, I have found.
“I have a colleague who has had success using the hanging-shoe-closet approach by assigning everyone a number and having them place their phone into the appropriate pocket at the beginning of class. She says some students seem relieved, and do it very willingly, which is what I often found pre-pandemic, when I would give folks who placed their phones upfront on my desk for the class one extra credit point per day. They were free to keep the phones and just forfeit the extra credit point, but most did not do that regularly.”
Limited Use
Matt Bellis, an associate professor of physics at Siena College, writes about his longstanding policy:
“Many years ago, I came across articles about people’s ability to focus during lectures, and the consensus seemed to be that people can really focus for 20-30 minutes before their attention starts to wander. Since I started as an assistant professor, in 2012, I’ve made a ‘deal’ with the students (codified in the syllabus): They don’t engage with their phones during class, and I will do my best not to lecture for more than 20-30 minutes, at which point everyone gets a phone break! The break will be for 3-6 minutes, depending on the length of the class, and they can of course use the break for something other than their phone. The point is, for 3-6 minutes, they’re allowed to not listen to me and do what they want. ...
“Sometimes I go a bit longer than 30 minutes, and they might get a bit antsy, but over all I’ve had really good responses from students. They’re rarely on their phones, and if one of them is sneaking regular peeks, I feel less guilty about asking them to put it away because we have this explicit agreement. ‘Just 5 more minutes, and we can all look at our phones, Student A,’ I say with a smile.”
Integrated Into Class
Jane Nesmith, an assistant professor of rhetoric at Coe College, describes a new strategy she tried last semester:
“Early in the class session, I’d ask students to get out their phones and use them for something specific: Look something up, do a Poll Everywhere, access the course-management system. After we discussed whatever it was I had them do, I’d then say, ‘OK, now put your phone away and [let’s talk about the reading for the day, etc.].
“Active use of phones followed by everyone putting phones away together seemed to work better than a general policy about ‘no phones.’ I couldn’t always figure out a way to add a phone-based activity to each class, but I think if I were more intentional about it, I could!”
Jennifer Patrice Sims, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, also incorporates phones into her teaching. She writes:
“I have students take and send me pictures of in-class group work (e.g., when ‘Intro to Sociology’ students draw a comic to illustrate the concept of socialization), and then, with their permission, I post it on my department’s social media. I have ‘Research Methods’ students use the calculators on their phone for in-class statistical calculations. In classes like ‘Sociology of Race or Sexuality,’ I set discussion prompts that have students look up trending topics on social media and analyze them via the theories or topics we are covering that day. In classes in which I do not post lectures, students also use phones to take pictures of my lecture slides so they can refer back to them while studying or give them to a classmate who is out sick. I have a student in one class who uses a type-to-speak feature on her phone some days instead of talking (I don’t know why, but I’m sure she has her reasons, and they are none of my business). Finally, since the 1990s’ high art form of writing and passing notes in class is dead, I tell students to text each other to talk in class to keep the noise level down.
“In short, for better or worse, smartphones are an integral part of life now. Olympians had them out, taking pictures and posting videos on social media during ceremonies. QR codes have us constantly taking out our phones to engage in everyday activities; e.g., I have to scan a QR code to sign myself into Faculty Senate meetings and to sign my daughter into dance practice and to see the menu at many restaurants. Amber, weather, Covid exposure, and other alerts keep us reaching for our phones for important information.
“Rather than try to resist a cultural shift that has already occurred — that is, rather than try to run my 2022 classroom as if it were still 2002 — I lean into the way culture is now.”
One Study on Cell Use
Melissa Huey, an assistant professor of psychology at the New York Institute of Technology, decided to dig into the debate by conducting a quasi-experimental study of students, primarily sophomores and juniors, in behavioral-science classes at NYIT.
Over a period of six weeks, during the spring semester of 2020, before the pandemic hit, she randomly assigned different class sections to one of two groups. Students in the experimental sections placed their phones on the front desk as they walked into the classroom. Students in the control group were given no restrictions.
After the experiment ended, she surveyed students about their comprehension of the course and their well-being. Those who put their phones away reported higher levels of comprehension, lower levels of anxiety, and more mindfulness compared with the control group.
The results did not surprise her. “Within my classroom, I find that the smartphone is often a distraction for students, taking away from the classroom experience and retention of information,” she writes. One theory, she notes, is that the stream of alerts we receive on our phones fosters anxiety and distraction. Another is that students experience a fear of missing out if they can see what their friends are doing while they’re in class.
“Students are inundated with technology all day every day,” she writes, “so let’s make the classroom experience a place to retain new information, exchange ideas, and most important, learn at the moment.”
Based on those results, she says, she no longer allows phones in class.
Around The Chronicle
- The dismissal of an organic-chemistry professor at New York University prompted one of his former students — now a faculty member — to reflect on her negative experience and what she’s learned about teaching. Read Leslie Berntsen’s Chronicle advice piece here.
- Looking for strategies to engage your students in the classroom? Join me and a panel of experts for a free Chronicle virtual forum on October 27. Sign up here.
- Want to listen to an engaging conversation on how colleges can support good teaching through new faculty training and peer evaluation? Register here to watch on demand a Chronicle forum we ran last week.
Office Hours
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—Beth
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