Devices in the Classroom

Devices like phones, laptops, and tablets can be both helpful and harmful in a classroom environment. It can be helpful to follow along with coding demonstrations or to take notes on a laptop, but it can also be distracting if you or the person in front of you is watching videos or messaging during class time.

Research has demonstrated that even the use of laptops in the classroom—by you or by others—is detrimental to learning outcomes. As a result, we implement several policies to limit the use of devices with screens during CIS 1100 class time. We will be proactive about gently (and then less gently) reminding you to put away your devices if we see them out.

Phones

Please do not use your phone during class time. It is basically impossible for us to enforce this for the entire class since we will not be able to spot it whenever it happens, but we will call out phone use when we see it. If you need to do something important on your phone, or if you just need to think about something else for a while, please feel free to step outside so that you won't distract your classmates while you're using your phone.

Sometimes students like to take photos of slides or the board as way to take notes. This is often somewhat redundant—the slides are always posted, and recordings are made available automatically at the end of lecture—but it is acceptable for you to briefly take a photo using your phone if you'd like to. (Please use the camera shortcut from the lockscreen, though. Resist the temptation to look at your notifications!)

Laptops and Tablets

Laptops are, by default, prohibited during CIS 1100 lecture. There are a couple of exceptions:

  1. During certain activities, it might be helpful to have you follow along with what we're doing in Codio. Or, you might need your computer to complete some kind of in-class exercise. In these cases, we'll give a "green light" for laptop/tablet usage. When we move on from the activity, we will give a "red light" and make it clear that it is time to put away these devices.
  2. Students with documented, university-approved accommodations for technology use are permitted to use laptops provided that they sit in the back two rows of the auditorium while they do so. This helps to avoid any distraction of others.
  3. Tablets as writing/notetaking devices are acceptable provided that you use them flat on the desk in front of you. That is, using typing on a tablet with a keyboard stand or propping it up so that the person behind you sees the screen are both prohibited.

If you have any questions or concerns about the policies above, please reach out to the instructors. There may be legitimate exceptions or cases that are not covered above that we would be happy to discuss.