Students Swap Twiddling Thumbs for Texting

It’s fair to say that passing notes in class is, by and large, a thing of the past. But for college students, that doesn’t mean conversing with friends is out of the question during a snooze-worthy PowerPoint presentation. According to a new study conducted by Wilkes University, nearly 91 percent of students use their cell phones to text friends during classes.

Of the 269 students surveyed, from 21 majors and of all class levels, 62 percent say texting should be permitted as long as peers aren’t disturbed by the digital chatter. And yet, approximately a quarter indicate that texting peers are a class disturbance. Ten percent of students confessed to sending or receiving text messages during exams, and 3 percent even admit to sending or receiving texts that include test-related information.

But in a world that’s gone digitally rampant, it’s unlikely that universities will ever ban students’ mobile devices in class. Still, the Wilkes study outlines a series of strategies for university personnel to curtail student texting:

• Firm and clear rules for in-class phone usage, enforcing strict penalties for violation (lower letter grades, losing class participation points)
• Walking around the entire classroom instead of maintaining a static position front and center
• Petitioning for smaller classes where texting is less likely to go unnoticed
• Engaging students with eye contact and cold-calling to enforce constant participation

So, as a student who’s admittedly part of the 91 percent, I’ll be looking out for the phone police.