Yesterday‘s attempt to write something short that was both humorous and possibly truthful touched a nerve, as evidenced by some comments both here and sent to me directly. So today I’m going to follow it up with a more serious post.
Some would say that whether you surf in class or not is a personal decision. If the student chooses to waste his time and money, no cranky blog poster like myself should stop him. And, of course, in the real world like work and grad studies, you make your own decisions without someone telling you what to do.
The issue for me is simply this: stewardship. And my observation is that college students are in the process of learning just that. Most college students enter their freshman year without much concept of making the most of their educational opportunities. Their goal is to get the grade, and if they do that, they’ve succeeded. So surf away, if the current lesson won’t be on the test. By the time they graduate, college students usually have matured in this area. Grad students in particular seem to better understand the value of their education.
Can you surf and lesson to a lecture at the same time? Of those that can, my guess is that 90% will not be fully engaged in the lecture. Maybe those with a mind like Spurgeon can handle it; I don’t have many Spurgeons in my classes. Surfing (or IM’ing or whatever the distraction might be) thus keeps the student from gaining the full value of the class. Ah, but what about the classes with loser teachers, who aren’t saying anything of value anyway? Yes, I’ve had those teachers. In this case, the issues are respecting the teacher (worthy or not) and distracting others. Therefore, close the browser. There are ways of redeeming the time without showing disrespect or distracting others.
One approach to this problem for teachers is simply to ban all computers in class or to require the students to sit in the front row where they can be monitored. My preference is simply to tell students not to use their computers for non-class activities when I am teaching. That’s an honor system, but I think it works. Students who see others violating this should, following biblical principles, confront them on this. In this way, I’m doing more than controlling behavior by legislation but am preparing them for real life. In addition, I think that in certain types of classes (mine included) most students should be using their computers to take notes, so banning them or restricting to a certain part of the room would not work.
Another way that teachers can work to reduce this problem is by using teaching and testing methods that require the student’s attention. In other words, don’t be boring, don’t be basic, and don’t be easy.
Paying for grad school piece by piece out of my pocket is a huge motivator for getting the most out each class session.
However, I agree that respect for the professor (and what they sacrifice to help you as a student) is also a huge motivator.
In my first class, my professor cried when he found out that there were students playing computer games in his class. He left the foreign mission field (where he would much rather be) to equip others for service. Taking his class lightly was a harsh slap in the face.
Awesome, Todd. Computers are useful tools, especially for hands-on, visual learners like myself. I have found that the struggle of having a distraction readily available at the click of a button often helps me be more attentive (and aware of my level of attentiveness) than if I simply sat there, able to “space out” for lack of stimuli. The ability to recreate an outline or a diagram in a form that can easily be edited and reproduced is priceless.
At the same time, the teachers I have had who combine passion, importance, and momentum in their lectures have always held my attention, computer or not. If they believe and demonstrate that it is worth their time to be there, I know right away that it is worth my time to be there and be attentive.
One last thought, depending upon the age group you are teaching, you can be basic (in terms of being concise, understandable, and introductory) without being boring or easy.
Christian – good thoughts. I certainly agree. As far as being “basic,” you have defined it as the way that all teaching should be. I was thinking of it in a sense of “too basic” – like the teacher reading off the class notes or merely repeating what was in the required reading.
I was in a med school class where laptops are required and I was one of the two who didn’t bring my laptop and wrote with pen and paper. Surfing while in class isn’t just distracting for those doing it, but for others who can see their computer screen. I don’t think there was a place in the lecture hall where I could avoid seeing people’s computer screens. Not only is it inconsiderate for the professor, but is is also inconsiderate for others in the class.