"Device discipline"...are you for or against?
One of the ongoing debates among faculty is when to prohibit use of tablets, phones and laptops during in-person lectures writes Donna Quadri-Felitti - Marvin Ashner director and associate professor, school of Hospitality Management, Pennsylvania State University. Admitting that are pros and cons for disallowing the use of mobile devices in classrooms, she confesses to siding with the “no device” side of the debate in her article ‘When do you enforce ‘device discipline’? Justifying her stance, she goes on to say “During residential education, being together is about learning from one another, by listening, speaking, thinking and reflecting. I find that when devices are permitted in classes, students are not truly present”.
She goes on to add “Students will contend at times they are taking notes on these devices. This is one reason they should use them. However, what I observe is that when focused on a device, or transcribing what is said (in a class presentation), there is little or no eye contact, no reading of the reactions in the room, no sense of the tone or pauses in the speaker’s remarks, and a more narrow comprehension of words rather than the whole of the content’s nuances”.
Comparing the situation as similar to checking in at a hotel front desk when the guest agent’s attention and gaze is devoted to the computer screen and not the guest standing in front of them, she goes on to ask “How do we develope truly human interactions, greater listening skills and empathy, if the focus of our in-person exchanges is driven by a device? What is your approach to the balancing act of device discipline?
Speaking on behalf of those who encourage permitting devices, Allen Chin, wrote in “ I get increasingly frustrated as an attendee for professional workshops and Branded training when I get my laptop out and am told to put my laptop away. For me, my learning experience is increased with a laptop because I can take far better notes by typing rather than writing. (this in turn increases my retention of the subject matter). I would expect that an office professional is able to type and pay attention at the same time. Also, when you are attending a class you are there for your professional benefit and should be adult enough to not log onto the internet or look at emails during your session. Being a facilitator, I understand their POV on distractions, but you are also limiting the student’s ability to learn the best way they can.
Joining in, Fritz Hummel has this to say, “Being in the hotel industry my whole career, I certainly side with the ‘no device in class and meeting rooms’ camp. People who say they take notes on their mobile devices; most of the time get distracted by popping up messages and their emails. Thus they are rarely properly participating in the class or meeting. What is a complete waste of their valuable time and is a disturbance to others who want to seriously learn or participate. In some places we have banned mobile devices in meetings and certainly in training rooms.. What happened? Meetings took less time and learning results were significantly better than before!”
Someone with mixed feelings is meetings industry trainer Joan Eisenstodt.”On the one hand, I watch people w/ ‘under-the-table’ devices when there is a ban on phones, tablets and computers, further distracting them because hiding the device becomes a far greater concern than listening or taking notes. In professional conferences, the use of social media to highlight the learning content and spread the word means device is critical. For meetings – and in offices – sustainability often means ‘no paper’ which then means there is nothing on which to take notes. I’m frustrated by speakers and organizations who provide ‘handouts at the end’ or later – or only digitally – so that if one wants to follow along and take down the speakers comments w/the visuals provided and our own thoughts, one has to struggle to get all. This is one of many articles about learning is better done by writing notes than by keyboarding them”.
So, all you faculty lecturers out there…what is your take on permitting / discouraging mobile devices in the classroom?
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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