More college professors are pulling the plug on their students.

And they say it’s improving student engagement and attention.

“Over the past eight years, my survey course on Politics and Education in the U.S. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education came to resemble an Internet café more than a classroom," said Martin West of the Harvard University School of Education in Massachusetts.

The revolt was nudged last year by University of Michigan's Susan M. Dynarski, professor of public policy, education and economics, who published, "For better learning in college lectures, lay down the laptop and pick up a pen." Her findings looked at whether modern learning was improved by devices vs. paper and pen, and was published by the Brookings Institution and the New York Times.

"A growing body of evidence says ‘No,’” Dynarski wrote. “When college students use computers or tablets during lecture, they learn less and earn worse grades.”

Test scores improve

Recent evidence includes research from professor Arnold Glass of Rutgers University, who published a study with student researcher Mengxue Kang in July 2018 in the journal Educational Psychology.

Glass looked at 118 Rutgers students taking the same psychology class at different times. The students were permitted to use electronic devices on some days of class but not others.

The students took a short test every day, longer tests every few weeks, and a final exam covering the semester’s material. The daily quiz showed no impact from technology in the classroom. But the results of the longer tests and final exam told a different story: All students performed poorly on material taught while they used technology in the classroom.

Devices divert students

Glass said this shows that electronic devices divert students from processing what’s being taught at the front of the classroom. While students might hear what is taught, if they are shopping or emailing online, they are not really thinking about the subject matter.

And that, Glass said, makes it harder for the information to lodge in their long-term memory.

“Even though a few minutes later they know what the professor said, a week later, if you ask them, all they remember is that they were in class a week ago,” he told VOA. “They no longer remember what the professor said because they eliminated the opportunity.”

When students started bringing laptops to class about 10 years ago, University of Michigan professor Kentaro Toyama, who teaches information technology, thought it was a good idea. He said it could help students take notes or quickly provide information during class discussions.

But then he started noticing troubling behavior.

“Students would be looking at their laptop and they would suddenly smile, and it wasn’t because … there was anything funny happening in the class,” Toyama noted. “What I realized very quickly was … these students … were on social media … and that’s what they were smiling about. And over time, as … this increased, I just felt like I no longer had the attention of my students.”

Students distracted

In Dynarski’s study, even students who could see the screen of a classmate — but not on a device themselves — scored 17 percent lower on comprehension than those who were not distracted.

“It’s hard to stay focused when a field of laptops open to Facebook, Snapchat, and email lies between you and the lecturer,” Dynarski wrote.

So Toyama barred laptops in his classes during lectures. Students could still use technology, but not when he needed their full attention.

After reading Dynarski’s report, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Ohio State University Trevon Logan instituted a ban on devices in his classrooms.

“No laptops, tablets, phones, nothing,” Logan tweeted. “I was curious to see what would happen.”

Student performance improved, especially on the earliest midterms, Logan reported. Average scores improved significantly. But more telling was student reaction.

'Very encouraged'

The policy “encouraged them to focus,” Logan said his students reported to him in class evaluations. It helped them take better notes. Kept them engaged. And they enjoyed the course more.

“I did not expect this at all. … Everyone who talked about it enthusiastically endorsed it.”

“I thought I would get much more pushback on this from students, and I didn’t think student outcomes would be so significant. Given these results, I’m very encouraged to continue with the policy.”

“As more universities (including @OhioState) roll out iPads and tablets to all students, we need to think long and hard about whether and how this technology will be beneficial. It does works in some settings, it doesn’t work in others.”

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.