We've all had that one professor who spews facts out of his mouth at the rate of ten historical dates per minute. We've all had that professor who rapidly clicks through PowerPoint slides, constantly reiterating that students are entirely responsible for knowing the information that flashes on the screen for the big upcoming exam.
As professors fly through various topics, fingers fly on keyboards. Laptops allow students to take down words, verbatim, in the shortest time possible. However, students are not actually listening to what is being said. They are listening only to transfer the verbal word into the written word--not to comprehend the significance of the information.
In Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer's recent research article, The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard, evidence proves that note-taking on laptops is detrimental to retention. In a way, students sit in class on auto-pilot, mindlessly transcribing what they hear, and not what they understand. Writing notes longhand, however, forces the student to comprehend the information for its meaning because they must quickly paraphrase.
While this lack of comprehension is problematic, and greatly affects test scores as proven by Mueller and Oppenheimer, the real problem with comprehending information stems from the perceived benefits of laptop and Internet usage.
"Perceived benefits" refers to the idealizations students have about how useful technology really is. These idealizations are usually false. Students think taking notes on laptops helps them gain more information. They believe access to the Internet in class allows them to have more resources for research.
One perceived benefit in technology in the field of education is the online learning management system, sometimes better known as Blackboard, ELMS, Canvas, etc.
What these online learning management systems do is organize assignments for each individual student. Every assignment is posted online with the due date. Instead of making an announcement to the class about the specifics of the assignment, many professors will simply tell their students to check ELMS.
ELMS becomes the hand that jots down notes.
Liyan Song, along with several other Assistant Professors and Adjunct Faculty of Towson University's Department of Educational Technology and Literacy, have recently completed research on perceived benefits of technology in education. In this study, Song and colleagues survey 111 students at a Mid-Atlantic university on how they perceived the benefits of technology, and online educational systems such as Blackboard.
One student who participated in Song's study, stated that she was extremely appreciative of "Having access to email and blackboard just about 24/7" because she could get her "questions answered in a fast pace time."
Another student proudly stated, "Using Blackboard in college [helps me] feel more organized and less stressed because if I miss a class or forget about an assignment I can pull it up on Blackboard or use it to email my professor."
Right there, in the middle of that student's quotation, is precisely the problem. She states that she relies on this information system when she misses a class or forgets about an assignment. Clearly, students no longer have the capability or motivation to remember what the homework is, so they rely on these information systems to remind them.
It all leads back Mueller and Oppenheimer's conclusion that unless a student takes the time to jot down notes, whether it pertains to the PowerPoint in the class, important verbal information, or an announcement about homework, the information will not be retained. The students will never fully understand what an "e-Portfolio assignment" is, until they read the description on ELMs. They will not remember how many math problems to complete, until they find the problems on Blackboard. The professor's voice is overridden by the information online.
However, Song's research proves that students will continue to support the installment of learning management systems. She found that 87% of the 111 students surveyed found it useful to have access to course information online.
And as a student, I agree that ELMS makes life easier. I can find assignments quickly, I save paper, and it guarantees that I know the deadline. The issue, however, is that even I feel it is acceptable to miss a class or go on Facebook while the professor is talking, because I know I can just check ELMS later to see what is going on.
Peter Bradford similarly addresses this issue in his analysis of the Blackboard system, and states that "The technology will undoubtedly become less of a goal in learning and more of a tool." Tools may be useful in helping students find easier ways to complete assignments, but if there is not goal, or motivation to learn, then the system is essentially useless.
So while Blackboard, ELMs, and Canvas may improve time management for some students, just like how laptops speed up the note-taking process, online systems that provide a description of the entire semester's curriculum ultimately lead to a lack of motivation to attend class and a drastic decrease in the desire to absorb information.
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