Using Laptops Effectively in Classrooms: Lessons From a Study of

LectureToolsJuly 13, 2011 - 11:40am Concurrent Session: 8

Inger Bergom, Charles Dershimer, Erping Zhu Center For Research on Learning and Teaching

Perry SamsonProfessor of Atmospheric Science, LSA

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Current State:• Survey of 1,415 U-M students - Winter 2010 • Over 50% of respondents reported bringing

their laptops to class at least once per week

Our Question: • Tool for Engagement or Potential Distraction?

Engagement:• Student Centered Learning

Lecture and Problem solving experience, immediate implementation of new concepts or procedures, and immediate feedback (Barak, Lipson, & Lerman, 2006)

• Discipline Centered Skills Enable searchable notes and quick look up course-related (Kim, 2009; Lindroth & Bergquist, 2010) Engage students in real time research, presentation, and critique (MacKinnon & Vibert, 2001)

Distraction:• Decreased Engagement-

Unwillingness to become involved in the class discussion due attempts to transcribe everything said in class (Maxwell, 2007)

• Competing Interests Lower class performance attributed to instances of off task use (Hembrooke & Gay, 2003)

• Un-appreciated Distraction Other student’s Laptop use is reported as a main distractor (Fried, 2008)

Instructor Interface Slides and Interactive Features

Student Interface-Slides, Note taking, Interactivity/Connectivity

Exploratory Study Goals

1. Examine use of LectureTools in classrooms

2. Compare laptop use with and without LectureTools on student attention, learning, and teaching

3. Identify effective practices/uses of LectureTools

Methods and Sample

Sample• Classes that use LT • Control group: classes matched to LT group

(with characteristics similar to LT classes)Data Collection• Online Surveys (students and faculty)• Interviews (faculty using LT only)

TimelineFall 2009 – Jan 2010 Data Collection• Early fall - recruited LT classes and requested student

emails• Late fall - identified control classes and requested

student emails– During Semester: Faculty surveys/ follow up

interviews– Semester Break: Sent out the student surveys with

reminders and incentives

Respondents by Survey Taken (N=595)

98% report owning a laptop

336259

Courses Surveyed and Response RatesRR

POLSCI 101 73 31%ENVIRON 110 / AOSS 171/ BIO 110 / ENSCEN 171 / GEOSCI 171 32 26%EDUC 601 5 63%EDUC 737 5 50%BIO 100 11 23%NURS 454 22 37%NURS 357 57 42%AOSS 105 / CHEM 105 / ENSCEN 105 / ENVIRON 105 54 32%

Total 259 33%ControlPOLSCI 160 111 34%GEOSCI 119 / ENVIRON 119 42 37%EDUC 604 2 33%EDUC 665 6 40%BIO 101 34 31%NURS 458 30 59%NURS 354 26 43%ENVIRON 201 85 38%

Total 336 37%Overall: 595 35%

LectureTools # RespondedRRPOLSCI 101 73 31%ENVIRON 110 / AOSS 171/ BIO 110 / ENSCEN 171 / GEOSCI 171 32 26%EDUC 601 5 63%EDUC 737 5 50%BIO 100 11 23%NURS 454 22 37%NURS 357 57 42%AOSS 105 / CHEM 105 / ENSCEN 105 / ENVIRON 105 54 32%

Total 259 33%ControlPOLSCI 160 111 34%GEOSCI 119 / ENVIRON 119 42 37%EDUC 604 2 33%EDUC 665 6 40%BIO 101 34 31%NURS 458 30 59%NURS 354 26 43%ENVIRON 201 85 38%

Total 336 37%Overall: 595 35%

LectureTools # Responded

Survey: How Often Did You Use Your Laptop?

LectureTools N=259

Control N=336

Student Use and Perceptions of LectureTools

Survey: Student Reported Use of LectureTools

How often did you follow along with the instructor’s slides using LectureTools on

your laptop?

How often did you pose questions* using LectureTools?

*excludes students whose instructors did not use this feature

Follow Along… …Actively Question

Survey: How Did You Take Notes In Class? (Check All That Apply)

Class notes stored in cloud….

Survey: Rank The Importance of These Functions

*not all faculty used all features

Familiar ……………………………….. Unfamiliar

Perceptions About the Value/Impact Of LectureTools Mean

My attentiveness in this class has increased due to LectureTools. 3.42In this class, LectureTools helped me to be engaged during lecture. 3.57I learned more in this class due to the use of LectureTools than I would have without it. 3.42My test scores in this class have been positively impacted from my use of LectureTools. 3.18

I am more likely to ask questions in class through LectureTools than I would be to ask them by raising my hand.

3.37

I would like to take more classes at U-M that use LectureTools. 3.45

1=Significantly decreased 5=Significantly increased

Comparing Student’s Perceptions LectureTools Group vs. Control Group

A chance to explore intended vs. unintended

classroom use…

Survey: Amount of Time Spent on Tasks Unrelated to Class

LectureTools N=259

Control N=336

distractions occur…

1=Significantly decreased, 5=Significantly increased

(No significant differences between LT and Control or Male and Female.)

Survey: Use of Laptops Changed the Amount of Time Spent on Tasks Unrelated to Class

Group Gender Mean N

LectureTools MaleFemale

3.873.92

62160

Control MaleFemale

4.033.89

74157

Survey: How Much Time Did You Spend on…

LectureToolsControl

Survey: How Much Are You Distracted by Other People Using Laptops?

Has no effect Somewhat or

significantly distracts

Not much gained at this point…

What might be different about

intended vs. unintendedclassroom use…?

Attentiveness increased due to

laptop use

Laptop helped me to be engaged

Learned more due to laptop

LectureToolsN=232 3.01 3.48 3.39

ControlN=234 2.72 2.99 3.06

Student Perceptions of Laptop Impact on Attentiveness, Engagement, and Learning

1=Significantly decreased 5=Significantly increased*p<.01, **p<.001

* ** *

Perceptions of impact...

Outcomes

✔ Students report being distracted by having laptops

✔ Also report being more engaged with LectureTool use

! No significant differences • by gender in levels of distraction from laptops• between LT and control group in the amount of

time spent on tasks unrelated to class

LectureTools Faculty Interviews

What are the characteristics of intended

classroom use…?

Faculty Survey / Interview

Q: Why did you choose to use LectureTools? Q: Agree or disagree?

– I’m better able to cover class material when I use LectureTools.

– LectureTools saves me time.– LectureTools helps me to better organize course materials.– LectureTools improves students’ performance on class

activities and assessments. – LectureTools improves students’ attention during lecture.

What is common across interviews?• Using student responses for formative evaluation• Goal of engaging students with critical thinking

and reflectionWhat surfaces as distinct to LT use?

• Embedding student’s experiences into lecture• Participation through anonymity

Interview Themes:

“Good" Instructional Practices Supported by Features of LectureTools:

– Monitoring students’ learning – Teaching using a “rapid feedback cycle” – Reflection on learning - note taking,

interactive responses, supporting student discourse

LT Influencing Teaching Practices:– “I design some slides, I think about how to drive

the point home before I move onto the next topic, then I go and look at options in LT for an activity to support this…”

– “Must work harder than just giving lecture or just asking ‘Any questions?’ …Hardest part is fitting in the questions, instead of just going through content and getting through it all….”

– “LT creates a framework for students to participate with the slides…”

Three Levels of LT Use by Faculty:

Coding of LectureTools Classes(1) Assigned each of the 8 LectureTools classes one of the three levels of LT use, based on:

• Faculty interviews about how they used LT• Student feedback about how their instructors used LT

(2) Organized by codes: • 3 classes* at Level 1: Presentation (32 students)• 3 classes at Level 2: Integration (93 students)• 2 classes at Level 3: Reflection (127 students)

(3) Compared student responses by how the instructor used LectureTools

*two classes were graduate-level, taught by same professor

Attentiveness increased due to

LectureTools

LectureTools helped me to be engaged

Learned more due to

LectureTools

ReflectionN=127 3.67 3.83 3.62

InteractionN=93 3.39 3.51 3.49

PresentationN=32 2.48 2.69 2.38

Identified Perceptions of Levels

1=Significantly decreased, 5=Significantly increased*p<.001

* * ** * *

Perceptions of impact...

Intended Use of Laptops – take away

• Faculty will need to think about the pedagogical strategies for the use laptops – distraction is always present

• Integrate sound pedagogical approaches into technology design and use – design can influence practice

ANOVA Tables Comparing Student Responses by Level of

Instructor's LT Use

Perceptions of LT Impact on Attentiveness, by Level of Use

Level of Use N Attentiveness Mean SD

Sig diff between groups

Which Groups

Reflection 127 3.67 1.091

YES F=17.53

Reflection & Presentation

(p<.001)

Interaction & Presentation

(p<.001)

Interaction 93 3.39 1.053

YES F=16.03

Presentation 31 2.48 .996

YES F=15.47

**

Perceptions of LT Impact on Engagement, by Level of Use

Level of Use N Engagement Mean SD

Sig diff between groups

Which Groups

Reflection 127 3.83 1.006 YES F=17.53 Reflection &

Presentation (p<.001)

Interaction & Presentation

(p<.001)

Interaction 93 3.51 1.028 YES

F=16.03

Presentation 32 2.69 1.148 YES

F=15.47

**

Perceptions of LT Impact on Learning, by Level of Use

Level of Use N Learned

More Mean

SD Sig diff

between groups

Which Groups

Reflection 127 3.62 1.054

YES F=17.53

Reflection & Presentation

(p<.001)

Interaction & Presentation

(p<.001)

Interaction 93 3.49 1.100

YES F=16.03

Presentation 32 2.38 1.100

YES F=15.47

**