My students know that the use of ALL electronic devices is not permitted during the IRAT and GRAT, if a student is found to be using an electronic device (for any reason) their entire team will receive 0. However, I actively encourage them to use their IPads in conjunction with the course text during the application exercises as I find it diversifies the class discussions and ensures not all teams come up with the same answer. We have modified and improved our application questions/exercises over the past three years so that the students cannot simply “google” it to find an easy answer. I also try to circulate through the teams during the applications and confront any students I find using a device for anything unrelated to the course. This can be hard for very large classes but it works well in my class of 120. Kind regards -- Hayley McGrice, PhD Associate Lecturer School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Roseworthy Campus The University of Adelaide Ph : +61 8 8313 7640 e-mail: [log in to unmask] CRICOS Provider Number 00123M ----------------------------------------------------------- This email message is intended only for the addressee(s) and contains information which may be confidential and/or copyright. If you are not the intended recipient please do not read, save, forward, disclose, or copy the contents of this email. If this email has been sent to you in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete this email and any copies or links to this email completely and immediately from your system. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient. From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nicole L Arduini-VanHoose Sent: Thursday, 2 October 2014 7:57 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Is Banning Student Laptops Common in Active Learning Courses? I encourage students to bring devices. During activities, students are free to use textbooks, notes or devices to assist their process. I am always impressed when students will share some great information and I see them looking at their phone or tablet because they pulled the information from an outside source. If students are using devices inappropriately, I hope that this is being addressed by the team in the evaluation process. I know that when I have compiled peer evaluations, students have included comments to their teammates about texting in class. Nicole Arduini-Van Hoose Sent from my iPhone On Oct 1, 2014, at 2:33 PM, John Fritz <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: Hi Folks, In recent weeks, there have been some high profile essays by profs banning student laptops, tablets or phones from the classroom: · Why a leading professor of new media just banned technology use in class<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/25/why-a-leading-professor-of-new-media-just-banned-technology-use-in-class/?tid=pm_local_pop> (Washington Post) · Why I'm Asking You Not to Use Laptops<http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2014/08/25/why-im-asking-you-not-to-use-laptops/> (Chronicle of Higher Education) Admittedly, I'm in the technology biz, so feel free to "consider the source," but I'm curious: do you have this problem with student computers in your TBL classrooms? Have you considered banning these devices in your courses? Do you now? Do your TBL colleagues? I'm just wondering how much of the growing "ban laptops" movement is correlated to courses that are primarily lecture-based. Or is this also a problem with active learning course designs like TBL, Peer Instruction, Problem Based Learning, etc.? To me, it feels like there are two competing pedagogical research threads -- faculty lecture effectiveness vs. student multitasking effectiveness -- vying for the attention of profs in how they they design and run their classrooms. If the issue is competing with technology for the attention of students, I get it. The capability and capacity of media technology is too overwhelming. But given the research that has been compiled on lecture effectiveness, isn't the concern with banning laptops sorta beside the point? I always thought the underlying assumption of active learning is that students learn by doing, particularly with and from each other. But if we see learning as primarily listening to or watching someone else "doing" (i.e., the prof thinking or talking), then I could see how student computers could be distracting. I realize re-designing a course so students do more may feel like a daunting "all in" decision for faculty. But am I missing something about the impact of student computers in successfully re-designed TBL or other active learning courses? If so, please educate me. Thx, John -- John Fritz Asst. VP, Instructional Technology<http://doit.umbc.edu/itnm> UMBC Division of Information Technology<http://doit.umbc.edu> 410.455.6596 | [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | FYI: Tech Support Tips<http://doit.umbc.edu/support/tips>